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DEFENCE OF AUSTRALIA.

PROPOSED VOLUNTEER RESERVE.

A DEPUTATION from the Victorian branch of , the National Defence League re?vf tly »,t il ! l te^vie^ d the Prime Minister (Mr. Alfred Qeakin) to advocate the inclusion of the voluntary system in the Governmejit defence proposals. The league asked that the Government should take the powerin its new measure to establish a volunteer reserve. The idea was. 'that training should bo only that required for infantry or mounted infantry, and that the whole equipment furnished by Government should be a rifle and Belt,: It was proposed that there should be for each 1000 men a permanent defence instructor, who would be assisted by officers and non-commissioned officers who had passed through the forces, and were now m the reserve or on the retired list B iW rDe r iu ' in the , course of *»* renlr said the Government had put aside rh« question of the particular form or forms the reserves would, take beyond the Kg of certain ages and the rudimentary idei of the necessary discipline, because 7 the re X, e %,- not K feU y effective until after three years had passed, nor would it bo necessary to ask Parliament to take any step during those three years. Regarding future reserves, the Government had arrived at certain general conclusions which had not been made public yet, in order that the public might not be embarrassed by having placed before them too many matters with Which they were at present not called upon to deal. The consideration the Government had been greatly pressed by was that under the Government plan, which would necessarily after three years commence to create a reserve of fairly trained men, the number of efficient men would not be too large, and that they would attain that efficiency none too soon for the present circumstances of Australia. He was entirely in accord With the deputation regarding the importance of physical training, and was glad to acknowledge that the Government had received cordial assistance in this matter from every State. In all probability the cadet system would bo made universal in the same manner as the training of young men. The system began in the schools, and its success would depend in a large measure on the completeness of the rudimentary _ military training in the schools. One consideration in favour of the Government proposals was that when all classes realised that duty had to be done between the ages of 18 and 21, and when at the same time camps were enabled to be spread over a good deal longer period than that during which any particular youth was required to attend, _ they would see that youths could adjust their attendances " ~ *"■

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19080213.2.107

Bibliographic details

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13672, 13 February 1908, Page 7

Word Count
451

DEFENCE OF AUSTRALIA. New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13672, 13 February 1908, Page 7

DEFENCE OF AUSTRALIA. New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13672, 13 February 1908, Page 7