MILITARY TRAINING.

Shannon News, 31 March 1922, Page 3

MILITARY TRAINING.

SHORT CONTINUOUS PERIOD SUG-

GESTED

TO'REPLACE PRESENT SYSTEM

| The Defence Department’s vote ha- ■ ving been cut from £550,000 before the 'war to £300,000 at the last session, 1 officers are casting about in an effort 1 to evolve some revised scheme wherej by the training of territorials and se--1 nior cadets may be carried out more ■ economically and-yet with a minimum [ of efficiency. In this connection Capf*tain O. H. Mead, a staff officer from Palmerston North, recency delivered an address on the subject.— I The watchword of the Department, 1 said the captain, was efficiency and in attaining that three parties had to be considered—the trainees, the employers and the Government. The reduction in the vote considering the depreciation in the purchasing power of the sovereign was so large as to utterly preclude the old system of camps —though a short and intensive period of training was undoubtedly the best means of training. Moreover the staff-s had been further and drastically reduced. In devoting much thought to the best way in which to carry on in the straitened circumstances the officers had considered a reduction of the centres. But of this he was not personally in favour. In the country centres it had always been found that the material was of the best and the results obtained had always been good. Under existing law the obligations of a senior cadet were that he had to do 50 parades a year, of one hour each, or 30 of ll hours, in addition to 6 half day parades of three hours each, and the musketry course. A territorial was required to do 9 days a year of continuous training in camp, and if he was not a regular trainee at "the weekly drills during the year another 4 days in camp—l 3in all. That was the law as it stood at present, but *as before stated camps could not be af-

[c-rded and the best method of training was taken out of the officers’ hands. These things being understood, he would explain the scheme that was proposed. At a certain time of the year, whichever was most convenient to the trainees and employers—he thought about the end of May would be the best time in Levin—the men would be required to do six successive days’ training of 7 hours a day. Their training for the year would then be 1 completed. The advantages of continuous training would then be achiev- 1 ed, and greater efficiency would re- 1 suit. The complaints that were heard at the present time of repetition of training were due to the trainees not being all present- at the same time. Every night it was found that there were some present who were not at drill the previous night and the same things had to be gone over for the benefit of the few. With one instructor it was impossible to get over the difficulty./ At the secondary schools the boys went through a period of what is known as barracks and at Palmerston North the other week he had superintended the training of a squad of 260 for a week’s continuous training. Of the 260 boys 110 had not previously done any drill, yet at the end of the week they were drilling with precision and the whole squad had advanced in its training.. I in Levin, continued the speaker,

there were 54 senior cadets and a similar number of territorials. They could t not be drilled together so the Ser- ■ geant-Major was obliged to spend two evenings a week here. With 30 parades a year for each section the S.M. , came here 60 times a year and each j time had to be paid 12/6 travelling ex- ! penses—£37 10/ a year. Under the sysj tern proposed, he- would spend only j-6 days here, and the expenses would ibe reduced accordingly. As the same S.M. did Foxton, Otaki and Shannon ! as well he was constantly travelling,

i whereas he might do the whole lot in , a month. A tremendous saving would be effected thereby and in order to at- ; tain better results two instructors might be sent- with still a very consi- ; derable saving. . A hundred and one expenses were entailed in the present ! disjointed system and a saving cf ' £4OOO a year might be made in this, district by the continuous system.

! Mr A. C. Holms agreed that a $ scheme to combine efficiency and econ--1 omy at once was most desirable. He i thought, however, that with the cac?ets, on account of their youth, two ’ periods of training of three days each ! would be better, and, as the scheme was first outlined by Sir James Allen,

physical drill should .be the chief training. For both cadets and territorials 6 hours a day would be quite enough—3 hours in the morning and q oftAr lunch. The exemption distance

; of 3£ miles for infantrymen and 6 lor inounted men should be doubled if the 1 scheme was adopted, in order to have \ as many as possible trained. I In reply, Captain Mead said the Dei partment would be glatf to adopt the I two periods for cadets, but the employers had to be considered. Physical I training was now made a majoi part ! of the senior cadets’ training and next j in importance was musketry. Actual I squad drill occupied a .comparatively

f brief period. As for the exemption distance it could not be increased, otherwise the trainees who came from a greater distance than what was taken as the maximum now would have to be lodged at nights. The Deparirnent could not afford to do that, ana under the continuous scheme proposed the trainee would still be required to return to his home at nigh's. Doubtless 6 hours a day would be sufficient, especially in winter, and he would note the suggestion. From iiis own boyhood experiences he was sure the trainees would welcome the opportunity to discharge the whole of their obligations under the Act in a week, instead of having a weekly engagement at nights always before them and continually clashing with their social or athletic life. Mr Holms asked if a trainee could do his week’s training in another cen tre if he desired. It would 'then be something of a holiday for him. Captain Mead said there would be no objection to that, in fact the idea struck him as a good one. Mr Holms said that in the old volunteer days the men looked forward to the camps. They did their training thoroughly and for the rest"'had a good holiday of the period. He suggested that the Department consider making a boarding allowance for men brought from a distance sp that more men might benefit from the scheme than was the case under the present weekly drills and short exemption distances.

Captain Mead said he would take a note of this. The Department would prefer to handle 200 men at a time than 50, for instance. Another advantage of the scheme was that it would have the effect of bringing the training before the public. At present Hie drills were done at night in sheds and Ihe public had no idea of what was going on, and saw nothing for the expenditure. He was sure the public would approve the military training much more if they saw the squads in training.