The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1916-06-27
.STUPENDOUS PLAN
FOR TRAINING MEN
Senator Chamberlain Wants Mill
tary System Based On Swiss
and Australian Plan
New Bill Would Force All Youths
Of Twelve Years and Older To
Undergo Drill


chairman of the house military affairs
committee, introduced bill in the Sen
ate-a bill entirely his own and not
one that had been passed on by his fel.
low members--which called for the
adoption by the United States Of n
system which would be a combination
Of the Australian scheme of universal
military training for boys and the
Swiss system of universal military ser.
vice for young men.
When he submitted the bill for the
study and consideration Of the Senate.
the Oregon senator stated to that body
hat he was well aware that at the
present time he could not hope for fav.
orable Congressional action on his pro.
position but that he felt from his long
study Of the matter of providing ade.
iuatP military defense for the country
that he was justified in assuming the
ole of a prophet and would predict
hat the country would be ready for
consideration of the plan within a
twelfth month. A few days later, in
IN address in New York, Senator Cham
Derlain delivered an address with more
han his usual warmth of Oratory and
invited the thinking men of the coun.
Try to make q study of his scheme in
it's relation TO our defense problem
Without asking that his bill be sent
70 the military committee in the form il
vas then in, the senator said he pur-
posed sendiDg the bill to the War Col.
lege Division of the general staff for
recommendations as to advisable
hanges.
Urge Consideration Now
The general staff committee which
vas assigned to the study of the bill
was headed by Captain George Van
Torn Moseiey of the cavalry arm, and
It has just completed the work and has
eturned the bill to Senator Chamber,
lain. In a short address to the senate
Chamberlain said he felt constrained
20 take up the matter with the commit
'ee in the present session because he
called that such provisions as the
lrmy bill which bears his name has
made for the regular army and the
national guard do not provide adequate
lefense.
The General staff report on the bill
states that careful examination of the
measure convinees that body of experts
that the bill is founded on good basic
principles. BY this they mean that
from military, economic and democratic
points of view the principles of the bill
are correct.
Boys Prom Twelve OPP
The bill provides for certain short
periods of training. for males from
twelve to seventeen years Of age in
elusive: During this period the youths
will belong to citizen cadet corps. In
The original bill it was provided that
Eighteen to twenty-three years inclu-
i've all males belong to the citizen
army or the citizen navy and receive
zach year a certain amount of training.
The war college recommends that this
training be concentrated in one con-
inuous period of six months to be
taken as early as practicable during
these years with such subsequent man.
"uyer periods as the President may
iirect.
The reason for doing this is that con
tinuous training is more valuable from
Il military point of view and interferes
less with the ordinary life of the in
dividual concerned. However, the re-
port says that six months is not con
sidered a period sufficiently long for
men who will not have been through
the cadet training. g..
Boy Scout Training Not Counted
1t is recommended that training in
the Boy scouts be not counted as cadet
training as the leaders of this move
ment have disclaimed any Intention of
imparting military instruction. The
war college believed that the section
of the original bill which provided
punishment for those who evuded or
failed to render the personal service
required by the bill, should be changed
in the case Of minors so that the par
ents or guardians and not the boy
be punished.
For purposes Of administration the
original bin divides the country into
the same districts as have now repre-
sentntives in Congress. II is recon
mendrd that the President be allowed
to define the districts because q much
smaller number of them answer the puT-
pose of the bill and wOnld be far more
economical. 1t was further recommend
ed that youths undergoing training and
those who have just concluded 1t the
year previous should be enrolled in
provisional organizations in time of
peace 80 that prompt and orderly
could be Immediately eff
fected in time Of war.
To Train $500, 900 Youths
The bill, if it becomes law, will
give the nation force Of nine
hundred Thousand boys between the
ages of twelve to fourteen, the
same number between fourteen
and sixteen and the same mum
Der between sixteen and eighteen, who
will each year undergo certain
amount of military training in the
schools. 1t will give about six hun
dred thousand young men undergoing
their six month = training in the citi-
zen army and citizen navy. The total
annual cost for maintenance of arms,
equipment and for target practise, both
Infantry aud Artillery, will be approx
mately $l7,0OO,000 a year. The per
capita annual cost for the cadet corps
for all other charges will be SOFA.
The per capita cost for the citizen army
for all other charges will be $24.6S.
This will make the cadet corps cost APP.
1927, 900 600 a year, and the
citizen army $l5O0O,000 plus $l7 OO0,.
600 for arms, equipment and target
practise.