MEETING OF TERRITORIALS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21146, 2 October 1930, Page 6

MEETING OF TERRITORIALS.

NEED FOR MILITARY-TRAINING. A fairly largo number accepted the invitation to attend a meeting which was held in tho N.O.O.’fi Clubroom, Kensington Drill Hall, last night, the invitation being extended to past and present territorials. The chair was occupied by Mr W. B. Perrin. Bishop Richards, in tho course of his remarks, stated that he had been a Volunteer in the Old Country, and that the rifles then in use were the Martini and the old Snider. He then went on to speak of manhood, and said that some thought it was fighting quality, but It was something more than that. Manhood had also been described as being found in tho super-man, and it was one of the factors in bringing about the Great War. Real manhood did not consist of grasping all we could in money or power. Service represented manhood at -its best. Colonel Barrowclough said that they were doing their best to promote the Interests of the community in a certain way, and proceeded to speak on the abolition or alteration of the territorial forces. So far as defence In this country was concerned they would, never fight a defensive war in New Zealand, The fate of New Zealand would bo decided in another country, and any power that made a raid in New Zealand would have to deal with the Old Country. Warships could not stay very long if they did come to shell the place, as they would run out of coal and could uot stay away very long from their bases. People spoke as if we were defending ourselves against an invading force, but that was not the case, and it was not very fair to stand behind the British Empire unless we stood for the British Empire. We should prepare oursoWa to take our part in the defence of the Empire, and incidentally in our own detence. He was convinced that it was necessary to remodel our defence system. No one had yet suggested tlwt we should uisar. . entirely, and countries in' Europe were, in some instances, making preparations for war. New Zealand was therefore forced to do the same to some extent. There had been two or three engagements before the German Fleet had been removed from the, sea, and when the next war came there would be more than that. That would mean that there must be a lapse of time before the seaway as clear to send forces away, and transport would be difficult. It would be three to six months before men could be sent, and they would have .that time for training men. If the authorities were sure that the manhood of this country was “ fit'" they could train them in six months, so that they would be as good as a regular division. But the men were not physically nt, and he thought that matter was the business of the Heqlth Department. People should try to adopt habits of life i<, make them as " fit ” as possible. The speaker went on to refer to training, and said that if they obtained a sufficient number of men in training they would be doing their duty. They should give men a coarse of instruction, and they would not achieve the l'desired result in three years with what they had been doing since the war. He did not think they could do it with less than a seven years course. Considerably fewer men _ should be' called up for training each year than had been called up in the past, and these should be placed in the territorial! forces. Some would stay longer if they obtained their commission, and would go into tho reserve force. That was the scheme he thought should be adopted. At the conclusion of the address a hearty vote of thanks was accorded the speakers and the machine gunners’ orchestra, which had played several selections.