NATIONAL DEFENCE.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4407, 13 July 1901, Page 4

NATIONAL DEFENCE.

That Jfr Guinness’s BUI for compulsory drill in the schools pf the coiony offer* the cheapest groundwork of national defence cannot bo doubted- The groundwork of every system pf defence is the military cohesion which makes the difference between a rabble and an organised body of nion, The Bill proposes to supply the basis of this organisation in early life, thp period in which unforgettably lessons are learnt. It offers it, more* over, gt g cost so small that compar*tively it is no cost at all. If the pro* posal is accepted, every Now Zealander wi)l in future bo always ready in case of,need to take bis place in the ranks of his country’s defenders- In the event of » levy, “en masse," every man who has not after leaving school joined u volunteer corps will be tp scam extent familiar with both the use of the rifle and the organisation by which armies nro able to move }n order across the country, and to fake up defensible positions and hold them, That in the hour of danger will be an inestimable advantage ; and it will have been secured without taking the people away from their employments for an hour, without subjecting them to the demoralisation of the barrack yard, without compelling them to ,wasto the best years of their lives, without giving them any pf the impress of militarism. This is what Mr Guinness’s Bill proposes to do for the last and bulkiest line of the national defence, the line whigh is only called out when the time comes for every citizen to discharge the duty, recognised by mankind in all ages, as imperative, of defending his hearth against’foreign invasion.

Tho first line of our land defences is composed of the volunteer force and its auxiliary tho rifle clubs. To that line, which offers as grand an example as' any in the history of an unpaid force brought together by the power of patriotism alone, the measure offers a great direct advantage, in the permanent supply of men trained to a certain point. Those who on leaving school have the wish to join in this patriotic work will find themselves very welcome by reason of their proficiency in arras. The result will he the maintenance of a high standard of efficiency in the citi. zen soldiery of this country. These have, as the Premier put it so well in his speech on the Bill, recently proved to tb® world the existence of an unsuspected power in the Empire, and demonstrated the ability of this country to provide the material for its own defence. There is every reason for passing a measure the effect of which - will he to simply and at such small cost largely increase the efficiency of our volunteer force, whose value has now been acknowledged all over the world. Not the least strong of the many reasons urged in its favour during the discussion is the fact that what the measure proposes to give the whole colony, viz., military drill in the schools, is already provided in the largest edacation districts.

As to the compulsoriness of the school training, there is much to he said. It was urged—and the Premier was among those of this way of thinking—that them is no need for compulsion, because the public spirit of parents and children b high enough to ensure a sufficient sup* » ply of trained youths for all the possible needs of the nation. Practically, therefore, as the contention is true, there b little use In discussing the point. The. oretically it may well be contended that compulsory drill would not be a hardship. It would ho a stimulating and beneficial exercise. “Wait until there is need,” said on© member, “and then you can train your men"; but this ie much like insisting that no one shall enter the water until ho can swim; for an untrained man would not be of anymore use in a defence force than a non-swia. mer would be in the water. Another speaker declared that the objection to military service is in gome quarters a religious creed. Now, military drill of school boys is not military service fa the sense of the words used. It b only a training to make fit for the military service from which in the hour of need no man, be his creed or colour or conscience what they may, would he relieved in any country in the world. The drill being only a preparation for enabling citizens to .perform a necessary duty well, which without it they could only perform badly,_ or not at all, ought to be compulsory. Practically,, however, the point is immaterial, as it only concerns a small minority ; hut it is well to have th© true principle of the matter defined at the outset.