THE TERRITORIALS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7448, 24 May 1911, Page 1

THE TERRITORIALS

REGISTRATIONS TO DATE WARNING TO PERSONS LIABLE TO ENROL. ' Following arts, particulars of registration's for service under the Defence Act " - Senior. Territorials. Cadets. Totals registered to. . < „ Hay 13th: ...... 12,691 •". ’22,039 Registered during week ending May 20th: Wellington .. 637 ‘ St Auckland fo3 633 Qantero-ury M . ■ Otago 361 4 ' lG . Totals to May 13th: 14,606. 24,667 “ To the -week ending May 20th, 33,273 have registered tor Territorials, and Senior Cadets: to this may bo added the estimated 17,500 , Territorials and Senior Cadets at present serving, and who are being registered on separate . list, making ’ 56,773 accounted for. This leaves ‘about 14,237 who must register before Juno 2nd or sillier the penalties under the Act. . ,There, seems to bo an impression-in some minds that if they fail to register and pay the fine they exempt themselves: this is not so, they will still require to' register. ~ A MIXED MEETING. ■ - ' PRESS ASSOCIATION. GEEiTMOUTH, May 33. Sergeant-Major Lyons aaoreesea a very large meec.fig’■ of tepposeis fiiid. eymiJatnat itunanga;on,rha deionco souom© last evening, and was accorded an enthusiastic reception. Sergeant—Major .Lyons’ had a.'most dilfieult task, but ho handled the audience and "hecklers in a masterly way, and fucoeedett'in ending tho meeting with cheers." MAJOR-GENERAL GODLET. .. ADDRESSES IN THE SOUTH." GORE, May 33. Major-General Godley visited Mataura yos’tpiday. and pddress«l ,citizens on;the uuicnce scucino... "-Ho .was cord’.ally received. .At Goro in the aftetneon ho inspected the Mataura Mounted Rifles and Territorials, and said; it was, the largest muster of-any mountcd'.oompany ho had. yet seen’in the Dominion. He expressed pleasure at the appearance ofi tho nien. Addressing tho citizens in : the evening the Commandant said Gorewould bo an important military' centre .in the future. He explained tho scheme and appealed for the people's assistance. In regard to the/ denominational • question -he said,,' a mountain’ had "been made out of a molehill. He saw no reason : why senior cadets who wished to be together should hot be trained together. In Auckland there was a Catholic company, in Dunedin Hibernian Cadets, t and'in Dunedin and Invercargill • they were now ; com ,sidering ; tho formation of ; Presbyterian companies. .There was no' objection to this but it could only happen in, the larger centres as in tho country the com-. panics they trained would be of. all denominations." - RELIGION AND DEFENCE FLUTTER OF: EXCITEMENT IN A CHURCH. SPECIAL TO THE "TIMES.” " CHRISTCHURCH, May 23. . 1 A flutter of excitement passed over the Congregation, at the" Oxford, terrace Baptist Church, when a person who said he woe a member of the church rose from his ■:seat on" Sunday evening, after a notice respecting military training was given, and protested against such notifications being made in the church. , The notice was one from the Ministers’ Association asking for the’ names of all lads eligible for training, in order that an - interdenominational corps might Informed, the Government having advised this course to the ministers of tho churches. ’ The officer who read the notice said that many persons thought the churches were being made recruiting grounds for the army, but this, was not tho case. This was only one of two evils, and it seemed the better course. The person before referred to then entered his emphatic protest against compulsory military training. He was, he said,' the father of three sons'who would be liable to servo under the Act, and ho was opposed to the whole thing. The minister.conducting the service at this point interrupted, announced tho next hymn, and the incident closed. DUNEDIN PRESBYTERY. PRESS ASSOCIATION. DUNEDIN, May 23. At a special meeting of the Dunedin Presbytery to-day ’ there was a lengthy discussion on the question of military training of cadets and the Presbytery's relation thereto, and on-the subject of nominating military chaplains. Some of the speakers were in favour of the churches assisting in-the movement, but others showed uncompromising hostility- , Eventually a motion was carried by 18 votes,to 6 protesting against fhe formation of denominational companies of cadets and expressing the opinion that the churches, as such, should take ho part in, the formation ,of cadet ■ companies. , • An amendment in favour of commending the request of the Government to the sessions,was rejected.