MILITARY TRAINING.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13918, 1 June 1909, Page 7

MILITARY TRAINING.

McNAB AMENDED

Mr Alexander Joyce, writing in the " Lyttelton Times/' offers some corrections of Mr McXab's figures regarding the volunteer force, and referring to Mr McN'ab's proposal, says "it is unwise to swap horses when crossing a stream/' He does not believe in swapping the old horse "Volunteer"' tor the new horse •■Compulsion.'' He would hitch the two together as a pair. Mr Joyce says:—"Mr McXab did not enter into any detail of his proposal. His object is to rouse the people to a realisation of the necessity for universal compulsory military training. In this I am entirely in accord with him, but I am of the opinion that the compulsory system may be applied as an adjunct to the volunteer system. We may justly require that every man who is not enrolled as a volunteer and who is between the ages of 20 and 50 shall have sufficient military training and rifle practice to enable him to be of service to the country in case of need. 1 find by the latest census returns that there were 7321 unmarried men of between 20 and 35 rears of age in the boroughs of the province of Canterbury. There were also 4120 married men of between 20 and 35 years of age, and 5034 men of between 35 and 50. a total of 17.375. If the people are in earnest as to the svstem of compulsory universal training, we should be able, after making all reasonable deductions. to rely ui>on k2,500 of the=e men as being available for military service, and probably 10.000 more from the country districts. . . . . . There is no reason why I'tfle Club training should not l>e universal. The first requirement for colonial defence is the defence of our harbours, as our more immediate danger is not from invasion for the purjuist of conquest, but from attacks upon our ports for the purpose of destroving vessels ami crippling England's comnier.v. The defence from invasion should also be provided, but our mo-t urgent requirement is harbour defence." HON". T. MACKENZIE TALKS. At the Farmers' Union dinner nt Eketahuna. the Hon. T. Mackenzie made snecial reference to the warm approval of the "Union's Provincial

Council to the Dreadnought gift and the .defence question. He considered that it was the. question-of questions at the-present moment. The could talk about their experiment farms, or tli<; hit est methods of cultivation, analy>is of manures, and other like subjects. luit all these .-.auk into comparative insignificance before the matter of seeing the Empire consolidated ami considering the best means of defending themselves. There was a menace outside Germany—the development in the East. Let Britain be embroiled with Germany, and with all her resources isolated, and what was to prevent tho Asiatics coming down upon them? They were living in a fool's paradise.