MILITARY TRAINING

Waikato Times, Volume 91, Issue 14133, 9 August 1919, Page 5

MILITARY TRAINING

A GUARANTEE OF PEACE.

MARSHAL HAIG'S APPEAL

NEED FOR CITIZEN ARMY.

A striking appeal for military preparedness in the future was made uy Field-Marshal Earl Haig in reply to his welcome in London when the freedom of the city was conferred upon him.

"As long ago as 1912," he sat<J, "Lord Roberts, speaking at Manchester, used these words:—'ln the opinion of every impartial soldier with any experience of modern war—in the opinion of every soldier, whether British, German, French, who has given any attention to the subject, this great Empire is wholly unp:'.:pared for war. Our army, as a belligerent factor in European politics, is almost a negligible quantity. This Empire is at all times practically defenceless heyond its first 'line. Such an Empire invites war. Its assumed security amid the armaments of Europe, and now of Asia, is insolent, is provocative.' "Gentlemen, the terrible struggle through which —at how great cost! —we have just emerged, is a striking commentary upon that passage, from the speech of a gre'at soldier who died in the early stages of a conflict he had foreseen. (Cheers). And he said more. There is one way in which Britain 'can have peace, not only with Germany but with every other Power, national or Imperial, and that is to present such a battle front by sea and land that no Power or probable combination of Powers shall dare to attack her without the certainly of disaster.' (Cheers). "To-day we have great need of peace, and we pray that peace may not be long delayed, and that when it comes it may last for many yea.'S. Yet there is one tiling most certain, and that is that only by adequate preparation for war can peace in any way he guaranteed. (Cheers.) There is all the difference in the world between piling'up vast armaments, the cost of which can only he redeemed by the spoils of a successful war, and the sober recognition of every man, not only U> defend his country when Ihc crisis is upon her, but also to prepare himself beforehand for liar defence.

"We are now face to face with a period of reconstruction, nut only in the matters of pence—social, financial, commercial, and industrial but in matters military also. We have got to determine upon our future military policy. In doing so, let us not forget (he lessons of the war. Here in this city, whose trained bands of old lime were, [lie champions of your liberties—ami not of your liberties only, hut of the liberties of all England—you should have no difficulty in realising (hat up-m proper training for war depends !!>" maintenance of the liberties of our Empire, and not of our Empire only, but of the whole world. "We are must fortunate in our .11tion.al mu\ racial characteristics. 'n the soundness of our political a:id educational institutions as a training for character, we have a great asset; and in that connection I v. ilild urge. even in tills cen'.re of the world cov

merce. that we should not forget that the highest aim of education is not the attainment of certain limited commercial qualifications, hut the formation of character, and the acquirement of that habit of miu.l which, alike In manhood as in hoyhood, is always at school and has never done with learning.

"Our public schools and our Universities sent out to the armies many thousands of magnificent young men, who only needed education in military matters to turn them into firstclass officers and leaders of men. We owe much to our national games, to the spirit of comradeship and cooperation they engender, and to „he physical fitness that results from their pursuit. In a word, and as the war has most fully proved, we have in the youth of our nation most magnificent material, which only neeris training and organisation to enable us, as a nation and an Empire, to realise that ideal which I hold, as Lord Roberts held 'before me, to be the only certain guarantee of peace. (Cheers).

"My message then, which as a man who has seen enough of war to make me determined to spend my utnost efforts to prevent its recurrence—my message to you mil through you to the Empire, is to urge you, now that the war has given \ou at once the reason and the opportunity to do so, to set up forthwith the organisation of a strong citizen army on territorial lines —an organi.sa.tion which shall ensure that every able-bodied citizen shall come forward when the next crisis conus, not as a willing, patriotic, but military ignorant volunteer, but as a trained man. (Cheers).

"There must, in addition, be our Tiighly trained professional army to maintain the standard of our military knowledge, and meet the daily needs of a police force for our vast Empire; and there must l)e also proper and sufficient training schools and staff colleges that the higher arts of war may he kept abreast *f the times. Above all, however, to ensure that the full military strength of our race may 'be rapidly realisable to meet whatever danger may threaten us, we need to organise at once our democratic Citizjn Army." (Cheers).