COMPULSORY TRAINING

Taranaki Daily News, 14 August 1930, Page 5

COMPULSORY TRAINING

BUSINESS MEN’S VIEWS. RESULT OF PLEBISCITE. A referendum of members of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce upon the continuance of compulsory military training was recently taken. The result shows that of the members who replied to the questions asked them a majority of two to one favoured the retention of the system. However, only about one-sixth sent in replies. The members were asked to state, firstly, whether or not they were in favour of the continuance of compulsory military training, and, secondly, whether or not they considered that the inconvenience caused to employers was more than offset by the national value of the military service rendered.

The result was as follows: —For continuance, without reservations, 70; with reservations, II; against continuance, without reservations, 36; with reservations, 7. Those who favoured continuance almost without exception, thought that the value of military training more than offset the inconvenience to., employers. Those who supported abolition nearly all took the opposite view. Ths secretary of the chamber, Dr, E. P. Neale, stated that several members who had not answered the questions had since told him that they had not been, able to make up their minds on the, subject because of the conflicting jiss.ues. involved. , : • ; •