TERRITORIAL ARMY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 12584, 14 October 1911, Page 7

TERRITORIAL ARMY.

UNIVERSAL .TRAIXIXO

(Special to Herald.) A'LA"ivL..-i.>-Ji, tin's day. _\lajor-Geiierai Uociley, interviewed m AucKlantl, haa nnporiant staic-. ments to maii«i regarding tne .\e\v Zealand military training scheme. "l. do not thiniv tne matter is rigluly understood m some quarters,' taiu .\iajorUenerai Godley. "When tlie question of the 33 per cent reduction was mentioned tUere was no iaea ot m any way modifying -the'" universal' nature of live, training. lm the senior cadet .'stages,, between the ages ot 14 and ia,. it will ue absolutely universal, only tnusa-r— pro-* bably about 5 per eenc — wtiom tne training might do physical harm not being taken. . Jiut when we come to the territorial army the i conditions are. somewhat different. /The territorial army is tor the defence' of the country, aha as was stated- by liord! Kitchener, and also by air Joseph Ward last year m farliament, only those wno are thoroughly and absolutely ht can be tauen, men •who cm carry their pacK ot £>jlb to 60lb, and march 20 miles a day, and the average of elimination m this country will probably work out, as was stated m Parliament last year, at about 33 per cent. It may be more m some cases and less m others. The position, put shortly,- 'is that from 14 to IU you nave 'a. school of physical training, but from 18 the army is for the defence of the .country, and m .it you can therefore only have the physically fit, and must eliminate those who are not.

. "Is 33 per cent a high average?" "No. It; is really a low percentage, due to- the good physiqiie ot the youth of the Dominion. In Continental armies' it is much higher, and af Home it .works out at about 60 per cent. It must.be remembered that, quite apart from the question of prosecution, anybody who does not register thereby .forfeits*, his rights as . a, citizen, and m the' future will hot be entitled to vote. Ido not think that it is generally realised that a fnith will. Automatically > lose-i' his \ rights as a citizen 'if; he neglects to ' fulfil" his. obligations.: for military services ; and,, speaking, personally, I should think that this m itself -would be a sufficient de-privation-without any fear of a prosecution. ; When asked whether' there was anything m the rumor that it was not pror posed to continue the training up to the age of 25, General Godley said: "Tlie law says that a man must be trained up to the rtg^ of . 25, and there is no intention of altering the law, but, subject to the upkeep»of the establishment, the regulations contemplate that »after four '.yeafs' service, which is the mininxum tjme.iri^Vhich the military authorities consider, a, man can be made efficient, a man may, if he has made himself efficient during.' that time, be then allowed to go ito. t^e reserve. The effect of this would be'tliat a man would be then be able tovgp;io : the reserve at the age of 22,> . inste^oV of 25, therefore shortening the ; training V by three years. The iage must be;'ret!uned legally at 25, m case it should be ijecessary to keep men up to tliat -'age.' as,; for instance, m case the population suddenly decreased, ,"or tliere occurred ah -outbreak of epidemic. T]\e population is^oVtunately increasing, and there is, I hope, no. fear of an' epidemic; so the " effect witl practically be that those who-.' wish !'to go to the reserve will be able 10 010 s° after four years' efficient service.".,.' < j

(Per Press Association.) 'X: AUOKLAND, last night. Majot-Aenera! Godley stated an on in-tervjewj^-night that trafnlne jpider the he\r- defence scheme wottld start at the ertd'of this month, .-when there would be a force of 22,000 m the "Dominion, while ij[\e strength would be brought to 30,000 m four years. Encampment? would be held between , Clir'stirirts and the end of of May, but sites (Je^nite dates are not yet fixed. y