DISBANDING OF CADETS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22146, 27 June 1935, Page 15

DISBANDING OF CADETS

Sir. —The criticism of the action of the board of Wesley College. Paerata, in disbanding cadet military training, by the I!ev_ Eaton, of Dunedin. which appears in Wednesday's Herald, needs to be viewed in the light of decisions arrived at by the Methodist Conference, which met in Dunedin in March last. On page 71 of the minutes of that conference. the two following paragraphs appear in the report that was adopted on peace "As a practical gesture of our belief that war is contrary to the Spirit of Jesus ipiarist, we urge the Government to replace the system of cadet military train ire by n citizenship training system, which, while retaining many valuable features of the present system, such as physical training, discipline and social companionship, will be completely separated from the present v.-ar system, and will be in harmony with Christian ideals. "That in any schools under the authority of the Church the citizenship training system should be recommended io the controlling body of the school." Wesley College. Paerata. is under the authority of the Methodist Church. The controlling body has accepted and acted upon the recommendation of the conference in replacing the military cadet training system by the proposed citizenship training system. In view of, the course that has been followed in making possible such a change as that which has taken place at Wesley College, is it fair for Mr. Eaton to seek to discount its significance by saying that it was "a section of the Methodist Church holding extreme pacifist views, that was responsible"' for something which he seems to regard as anything but creditable? W. J. Williams.