LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXII, Issue 8798, 27 April 1907, Page 3

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

A™ "Will you allow mo to make • t h .r remarks on your article m Wed-. fo Advocate ou the proposed >, .nesday a‘ ;"dv service in Great g£T 3£"&.T * S^~se *lfp Stessasif’BuS British possessions, strategic points and there must always he at home anexMditiouary force ready to take the field at any moment ° cc^ ion arise. These troops must he

voluntarily enlisted. But it ib mam- + lined that in consequence of the tW aorn rauiditv of transport EngSnd^wouldf 1 notwithstanding her •Sr, ho subject to invasion. No of untrained men without orHon could withstand the atffof an organised and disciplined f >rco°of invaders. Tliere must, it is aimitted, ho a sufficient force ot trained men, infantry, cavalry and a-tillory at homo to ho m a position to meet and defeat any expeditionary force which might he landed by a foreign power. The question is how ig the force to ho raised. Mr Haldane, the War Minister, has now before Parliament his plan by which proposes to carry out tins ohjeet hy voluntary enlistment. His proposal S somewhat revolutionary; would do away with through create an homogeneous on county organisations s- train i ßg _ the militia principle successprinciple. The argument of those Lho favour compulsory service is it is the duty of every man, irrespective of class, to defend country, that the nation should he a Su n arms not dependent upon voluntary services of a few and * p 3d °»rvl</ Ot Otters It .0 » » i?S«WCaSR varv difficult arid serious one. OomK service for the defence of vour country may, or may not, hproductive of all the nites hut x mav he necessary and .ight. oom pulsory service is, in its essence, democratic. Switzerland, tlie most truly democratic country in Europe, if not the world, has compulsory sc - OV4/ i T IhGlinvO one 01 tlio Dost organised and disciplined forces on 0 £ liHa basis Wo are apt to forlaw compulsory and was eutorcwl durmg the War of Secession. In New /ha innrl. unless the Act has h eeu _s_ c j‘

pealed, wo are all liable to servo Ld it was enforced during the Maori War, the writer having had the honor to servo. Disagreeable am hard as is the German service I doubt much if they would abolish it were it referred to the people by referendum, nor do I believe that universal liability to servo would mako a nation more aggressive, on tlio contrary each individual knowtog ho would” himself have to fight Rase of war would him more cautious in advocating wa*. there So doubt that England is now m an absolutely parlous state as regards defences and some thing will have to he done to place them on a sounder basis or a fatal stab may ho given to tho heart bf the Empire.Yours etc., w _ j BIB OH. Marten, April 25th, 1907.