THE DEFENCE QUESTION.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLV, Issue 216, 19 September 1911, Page 7

THE DEFENCE QUESTION.

TO THE EDITOB.

Sir,— Kindly allow me the liberty of asking a few questions regarding conscription, cry in other words, compulsory training.- It appears to me as though the young men, or rather bbvs, are being forced to do things which they know absolutely nothing whatever about,' and I will put it to any broad-minded business' man whether he would like to be forced io join any business without being told of his, prospects; It i 9 practically one and the same thing, forcing the coming generation to join this rotten scheme. I can find no other word in my vocabulary,, to express myself. First of all, the most important part, and I think the farmers of Mqtlborough, would do well to weigh this question. What is the scheme going to cost the country? A would-be Member of Parliament would tell them, or perhaps one of our so-called officers can answer this. Secondly, | of what use would England's army be without rher i magnificent navy? There is only one answer: practically useless. Ales-! the New Zealand Government has started at the wrong j end! of the stick. Situated as New Zealand is, can our Territorials be of any use in the protection of our country. Without a navy to. protect her shores we may •as wellr be /without them. It is true we have about threo or four wornrout warships travelling about our coast. The idea is ridiculous even to try to compare them with a sfqusjdron of Japanese or German "Dreadnoughts." It is of little uss i relying on 1 navy to ptotact us, foil when-we want protection it will be when Englandi will want every wasrship she;cap caill to defend her own shores. The 'scheme ( then amounts to this: that we are spending anywhere from\ £200,000 to £300,000 per annum on_\a log army, which' will be* of neither use nor ornament to the country—only an encumbrance—with well-paid officers Bndl forced and unwilling boys. The third question is this: Is there any law in New Zealand! which compels anyone to undergo a medical examination? I think,not, unless it has ..just been pushed through, or stuck in, as the saying has it. Yet the Defence Department, compelled boys to go through that' examination by threatening to bring them before the Court. Of course, boys do not know all the laws of the country, and did not like the idea of being up before tlie Court like criminals. My next question deals' with young men who are over the age of 21 years: Is if because the Government are afraid of losing'ground at the coming election ? I Have ft cm good authority that they will all be caught on the electoral roll* If, then, this is so, why wait until after tho election? I think it behoves ail those whom it concerns to use their votes in the right direction: for it is useless breaking town hall windows1 and' knocking paid servants about. The polling-booth is the place to make yourself felt. How much better would it be to spend what is being spent on a log _army on training youths for the navy. There are plenty of warships in the British, Navy to be filled, and .also plenty of training ships to be had for the asking.

DEFENCE.