UNIVERSAL TRAINING.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XIV, Issue 3344, 11 June 1909, Page 5

UNIVERSAL TRAINING.

AIATTER DISCUSSED AT PBESS CONFERENCE. Electric Telegraph—Press Association. Copyright. London, June 10. Air Fink moved a resolution in favour of universal training. The Commonwealth’s latest offer, he said, was not intended to interfere with the provision for local defence, which should be subordinate to Imperial needs. He believed that it was Australia’s desire that the nation’s manhood should he trained so that if emergency arose they could he organised into an efficient military unit. Air Alark Cohen (Otago, New Zealand), seconded the motion. The, colonies, he said, spent large sums on education, surely it was right to ask some return for that expenditure for the purposes of defence. Several speakers objected to the resolution, as they considered it was outside the object of the ingThe resolution was withdrawn. Mr James O. Fairfax, Sydney, said that if the forces of the overseas Dominions undertook an important share of Imperial defence some steps would he required to give them a share in the guidance of those forces. Jx>rd Roberts said that if the resolution had been pressed he would have supported it because the voluntary .system had utterly failed and modern warfare required good training.