The Waipawa Mail Published Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Saturday April 29th, 1911. THE DEFENCE SCHEME.

Waipawa Mail, Volume XXIX, Issue 5706, 29 April 1911, Page 2

The Waipawa Mail Published Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Saturday April 29th, 1911. THE DEFENCE SCHEME.

Thk amended proclamation, issued by the Defence Department on April 10th, reads as follows" Notice is hereby given that every male inhabitant of New Zealand who, on the Ist day of March, 1911, had attained the age of twenty-one years, and who is a British subject and has resided in New Zealand for at least six months, is hereby required, before 7 p.m. on the 2nd day of June, 1911, to fill in a prescribed form of registration in respect of military training under the Defence Act, and to post or deliver the same to the area sergeant-major of the territorial area in which the applicant for registration resides. Forms of registration may be obtained at any post office or police station. No postage is required where the form is posted as aforesaid. Any person to whom this notice applies who fails to take any step necessary to secure his registration as aforesaid is liable to a fine of £5, and shall not be eligible for employment in any branch of the Government service.”

In the form of application, whioh appears to require that very little information should be given, the following questions are asked :—(1) Name in full; (2) postal address; (8) are you a British subject; (4) date of birth; (5) occupation; (6) name of employer ; (7) married or single ; (8) are you at present serving in any military force ? If so, state name of oorps or unit, and state length of service ; (9) have you already served in any military force ? If so, state name of corps or unit.and length of service therein ; (10) are you in possession of a horse suitable for mounted rifle work, or can you provide for suoh service; if so, are you willing to use it for your military training ? (11) are you an apprentice; if so, with whom serving ? (12) if attending a primary, secondary, or other educational establishment, name of school, eto., to be stated. The conditions of registration are divided into three olasses, as follows :—A. The volunteer who is over 24'years of age, and wishes to continue to serve will not have to undergo a medioal test. All volunteers who are at present serving and do not wish to continue to serve with the Territorial forces will be considered, if not within the age described in the proclamation, to be discharged on May 3rd, 1911. 8., The volunteer who was not 21 years of age on November 2nd, the date of the passing of the Act, and who was over twenty one on March Ist, can volunteer to serve, although he is not compelled to do so; but if he wishes to serve he will have to undergo the same medical test as the ordinary applicant for the territorials.

0. The youth who was not 21 years of age on March Ist, is compelled to register, but before being allotted to a company he will have to undergo a medical test.

Every youth filling in an application paper has the right to state in which branch of the service he would prefer to Berve, and the selection board will, as far as possible, draft him into the branch for whioh he has made application. Moreover, any youth who has a horse and is willing to use it during his servioe, will be allotted to a mounted oorps, Any man serving as a volunteer who is within four years of earning a service medal may continue in the Territorials until suoh time as his servioe as a volunteer is complete. All volunteers over 25 years of age, who wish to oontinue serving must sign on for two years. It appears to be generally understood by a number of youths if they do not register a penalty will be imposed upon them and that if they oannot pay it, no further steps will be taken. The impression is, of course, entirely wrong, as any man who refusos to register will be fined and compelled to pay ; in addition to that he will lose all his rights as a citizen, which would deprive him of his power to vote at political, municipal or other elections. Such a man, moreover, is prohibited during the whole of his lifetime in New Zealand, from receiving Government employment. Thirty weekly parades, of an hour and a half each, will have to be put in during the year. These will be held in the evening as at present. Twelve half-day parades, of three hours each, will also be held. Each year seven whole-day parades, of six hours each, will be held. This will consist of a camp, and during the seven days the troops will sleep under canvas. All the men, during this period, will be paid the regulation pay for the time they are camp. In this connection it may be mentioned that no intoxicating liquor of any description will be allowed in the camp, and it is intended striotly to enforce this rule. All civil servants who come under this universal training system will be allowed full time off to attend military training. This time will not be deducted from their annual leave, but any payments made during the camp will be handed over to the department to which they may belong. These men will, of course, receive their usual salaries. The enrolment of railway men, excluding railway workshopworkers and post office employees, will be governed by speoial instruction, which will be issued later. On

joining the Territorials every man wil receive a reoord book, in whioh will be entered all particulars of his servioes, suoh as promotions, oonduot in oamp, general attendance and behaviour, fines imposed (if any), and, in fact, a reoord of his oareer as a Territorial. This, it is thought, will oreate a good spirit among the troops, as, besides being a reoord of servioe, it will later form a very useful reference for applicants for any description of employment. If one of the books should get lost at any time a duplicate may be had on payment of a small sum. A uniform will be issued to each man, which he will retain during the whole of his service. He will also reoeive arms and accoutrements, but on leaving the service he will return his uniform and hand in all the Government property. Senior non-commissioned officers and officers can continue to serve, or volunteer to serve, after they have reached the age of twenty-five. All promotions to the rank of officer will be made from those men who have done their service and distinguished themselves as non-com-missioned officers. This will mean that every man will have an equal chance of getting a commission. Every member of the forces between the ages of 25 and 80 will be on the reserve, and it will be neoessary for him to attend three or four parades a year. Drill for boys (senior cadets) of from 14 to 21 years of age will consist of physical training and squad drill, and, incidentally, discipline and self-re sped. At the age of eighteen these cadets will be drafted into the Territorial seotion, where they will be taught physical drill, squad drill, company and battalion drill, skirmishing, and musketry, and receive visual training, including the judging of distances. The drill will be made up in syllabus form, and it will be necessary for all m'en to attend each parade, in order that they may not miss any one of the branches of training.