COMPULSORY MILITARY TRAINING.

Colonist, Volume LI, Issue 12545, 22 May 1909, Page 4

COMPULSORY MILITARY TRAINING.

SOME POINTS IN FAVOUR. (From the "New Zealand Times.") New Zealand is worth defending. Defence is everybody's business. It is cowardly to shirk one's duty. It is easy to roll stones in the road of reform. It is easy to be a patriot by proxy. Defence is not the other fellow's job. The volunteer system has failed. Something is wanted to take its place. What are we going to do about it? Shall we waste our time in squab.bling ? Shall we waste time harkening to the man with a fad ? Shall we propitiate the grievancemonger ?. Shall we discuss 'tho "incidence of taxation? Or shall we confer together in amity and wisdom. And produce something worth while? We fought to' obtain New Zealand.' Shall we refuse to fight to retain New Zealand ? How can we best prove our citizenship? How can we best do our duty to the Empire. How can we best maintain the traditions of our race? ' How can we keep New Zealand White? By having efficient and disciplined troops. By having these troops well officered and well led.'... By having proper commissariat and medical equipment. Can these things be got at five minutes' notice? •..:• If not, what are We going to do tl cut it i , "^ . Sit down and discuss single tax, end freetrade • and socialism ? Or proceed to set our house in orJii - ? You. do not like compulsion? Civilisation is based on compulsion. You are compelled to observe the law. You are compelled to obey the rule of the road. ■■"-'. You are compelled to register your dog. You are comnelled. to serve on the . jury. M . You are compelled to observe sanitary precautions. You are compelled to do a thousand things. Because it is in .the interests of the community that you should do so. Most of the people who have slmvii practical resistence to compulsion ' are' in gaol. They are called law breakers. The first' law is the law of proserva- .■■■'.. - tion. -_ . Self preservation, Stato prasjr. aticn, the- preservation of indi»*i;l.m! rights. .'.'-. '■;' ■ None of these rights ran bo eh-Hired -without for^e. Th© civil force is tho Policeman. The military lorce is the Soldier : The voluntejr sol lier has bryken ■... down. ' The regular soldier is unpopular in democracies. No free citizen, desires to have a hired man to fight for. him. ' . He wants to defend his own hearth. He wants to meet the enemy face to face, , r But if he doesn't know how to fight? If he hasn't been taught? What use is he? And if one man ought to be trained all men ought to be trained. The squatter's son, the merchant's son, the editor's son. As well as the labourer's. son and. the son of the wharf lumper.' That's the democratic principle. Under that principle rights and privir leges are synonymous. But they cannot be made synonymous unless two words" are inserted in the preamble. "You must." These are harsh words, but unless you use them your scheme will fail. Because. there are always a lot of people who will shirk. " A lot of people want to lean over the football barriers and' yell. . A lot of young fellows want to- make money at the -pony meet. A lot of people want to go and play ; golf. But "You Must !» cays the State. And you must, right enough.