Poverty Bay Herald PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING GISBORNE, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1911. OUR NATIONAL DEFENCE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 12377, 10 February 1911, Page 4

Poverty Bay Herald PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING GISBORNE, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1911. OUR NATIONAL DEFENCE.

As President of the National Service League, it was natural to expect that Lord Roberts would disagree with the conclusions arrived at by General Sit lan Hamilton in his latest book, "Com pulsory Service : A, Study of the Question in the Light of Experience," but the severity of the Field-Marshal's criticism would probably como as a surprise to no one more than Sir lan Hamilton himself. Tho reply of such an accomplished author as Sir lan Hamilton— if he thinks it worth while to reply-— should make interesting reading. Lord Roberts, ex-Commander-in-Chief of the British Army, and a soldier with a very distm : guished career in the field, is an ardent supporter of compulsory military service. Sir lan Hamilton, ex-Adjutant-General of the Forces, and now Commander-in-Chief in the Mediterranean and Inspec-tor-General pf tho Overseas Forces, is

opposed to compulsory service in Great Britain. Lord Roberts holds that the system is necessary for the national safety ; Sir lan Hamilton is of opinion that it is not. ami favors the. voluntary system of enlistment, together with maintaining a navy of commanding power. For some time past Lord Roberts iris devoted himself wholeheartedly to furthering the objects of the National Service League ; and it is easy to imagine his feeling of disappointment on reading General Hamilton's book\, which, by the way, has the unqualified support of' such important .personages as the Minister of War, Mr Haldane, and Admiral Wilson, the senior Naval Lord of the Admiralty. Although Lord Roberts was unsuccessful in his campaign for compulsory service in Great Britain, it must have been' some consolation to him to see that the principle has been adopted in younger countries like Australia and New Zealand. To the unprejudiced observer it is not difficult to understand how two such high authorities arrive at such diametrically opposite conclusions. In the one case a system of military defence is advocated quite apart from, or in addition to, our maritime supremacy ; and in the other the Navy is made the corner-stone of our safety. Sir lan Hamilton in a large measure is in accord with the views held by President Taft in relation to the defence of the United States. With, a huge programme before it — including the House of Lords' right of veto, Home Rule for Ireland, and much advanced fiscal, industrial, and social legislation — it is unlikely that the Imperial Parliament will be able to devote much attention to military matters for some considerable time to come. The increased vote that is to be taken Tor the Navy will give an occasion for a debate on naval questions, but as the Government has decided in favor of the voluntary military system as against the compulsory, there will be no opportunity this session for a thorough consideration of the question of -a reform or change in our army system. In New Zealand preliminary arrangements are in progress, or are just about completed, for bringing' the Defence Act of last session into operation. The most important alteration made in the law by that Act is that contained in section 6, which amends section 35 of the Defence Act, 1909. By that section of the Act of 1909 all men between the ages of 18 and 21 were obliged to undergo military training in the general training section of the defence forces, and from 21 to 30 were to be trained in the leserve. The amendment of last session extends the period of training in the general defence section until the age of 25, thus allowing for seven years' training in that section of the forces, and for five years (from 25 to 30) in the reserves. Some delay in bringing the new system into operation has been occasioned by the selection of a commandant in England. General Godley has only recently arrived in New Zealand, and has been busily engaged familiarising himself with local conditions and in making preliminary appointments and arrangements. We should, however, very shortly have the provisions of the Defence Act brought into operation. Tho amending Act of last session still keeps the age limit of 25 years, while it relieves from being called into the territorial system those who, upon the passing of the Act, are between 21 and 25 years of age. The law provides for the training of lads from 12 to 14 years as junior cadets, and from 14 to 18 as senior cadets, and then training in the general training stations of all who are registered. The compulsory training is to be for 14 days in camp each year, and 12 half-day drills in the town in which a man lives. The object aimed at is in the course of a year or two to have a territorial force of 30,000 men. The training of all forces will go on until a man is 25, when he passes into the reserve. When a man passes into the reserve, he has to attend two muster parades a year until he is 30. In Australia ,on the last day of last month every boy between tho ages of 14 and 18 was registered for compulsory training, — the penalty of neglect to register being £10, !to be paid by the boy's parent or guardian. The military service law in the Commonwealth represents obligatory service in a very complete form. There is no possibility of evasion from registration, nlthough there are certain exemptions from service after registration, — such as physical unfitness, to be determined by medical examination. Now that General Godley has had an opportunity of completing the preliminary arrangements, an early opportunity will no doubt be taken by the Prime Minister to announce the intentions of the Government in respect to bringing the Defence Act into full operation.