AUSTRALIAN ARMY

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8739, 22 May 1914, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN ARMY

COMPULSORY TRAINING “INSUFFICIENT ALLOWANCES MADE BY CRITICS.” ALLEGED MISREPRESENTATION. By TclflgraDft—yresu Association-*-Copyricu* SYDNEY, May 21. In his report on. the Commonwealth Forces, General« Sir lan Hamilton, dealing with the subject, of compulsory training, says:—“lt is no'uso pretending that cadet training has already justified itself as a full substitute for prolonged adult recruit training. Insufficient allowances are made by critics for the difficulties inevitable from the inauguration of ah original scheme, but the difficulties will grow less each year.” He adds:—“lf the Empire understood the full significance of the Australian experiment, prayers would be continually offered for its success; but since most people in the IJorthem Hemisphere have been carefully misinformed by interested fanatics, Australians will have to trust to their own good sense to pull the business throughWith courage and perseverance, they may yet be able to boast that they showed the way to the g% - eat military Powers to raise powerful armies' with a minimum tax on the priceless time of the, adult male worker. “The Australian soldier is very amenable to discipline. The best assets of an army to-day are soldierlike spirit and intelligence and wiry frames of the rank and file.”

Sir lan strongly advocates the formation and development of military aviation, and suggests a pension scheme for the permanent forces.