MILITARY TRAINING

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7871, 5 August 1911, Page 1

MILITARY TRAINING

AN OFFICER’S VIEWS THOROUGHNESS OP THE MEDICAL EXAMINATION. PBEBS ASSOCIATION. CHRISTCHURCH, 'August 4. An officer who has had tho opportunity of seeing how the medical examination of territorials is conducted locally, stated to an interviewer that he had formed tho opinion, that the examining doctors did their ■, work with tho utmost care, and every lad was carefully examined. Tho examination, of course, was not that which would ho insisted on for life insurance, where one had to look forward to Uio possibility of disease. Tho object of the examination was to find out whether persons being examined were fit to be trained,'and it was practically impossible for a lad who should bo rejected to get through. He had noticed a statement that in Dunedin the doctors examined tho lads at the rate of two a minute; the average in ■ Christchurch was about four minutes to each lad. ’ AVere there any doubt about passing a lad tho doctor engaged would consult with a confrere. “TEETH SIMPLY DEPLORABLE.’’. “The teeth of the majority of’the lads examined are simply deplorable,” was tho verdict of the informant’. “Not one in twenty would get through the Royal Navy test for the teeth.” The number of lads of 16 or 17 with artificial - upper sets was simply terrible. The examination preached a graphic sermon on the necessity of steps being taken to have the teeth of children seen to. The general physique of the lads did not satisfy ono; it was disappointing for a new country. The majority of lads did not .know' how to breathe, and a fair number were rejected ou account of deficient eyesight. The boys behaved well on tho whole, though there was a , bit of hooliganism one night. Generally, the youths appeared to regard tho prospect of being trained with equanimity.