Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1916-05-17
Austra1ia's System of
Universal Military Service

, panios and battalions. The training In
cludes marching. the handling of arms.
musketry, physical drill. first aid. guards
and s%entries. tactical training as a COM
pany in elementary field work, and also
elementary battalion drill. The period OF
! training in the senior cadets concludes ON
June 80 in the year in which the boys
reach the age of IS years.
The young Australian Is now transferre0
to the citizen forces, which, under the d.
rection of the very small permanent es-
Enlistment, form the main bulwark OF
the commemorative military defense. The
period of compulsory service is from IL to
26 years old. Except in the last year.
when only one registration muster parade
is required, member of the citizen forces
must undergo each year the equivalent of
l6 days training. OF which eight days are
passed In camps Of continuous training.
Pay For Citizens Soldiers.
In the artillery and engineers the period
is % days with II in camp. When not in
camp, the training is divided into whole.
day, half day and night parades, at times
most convenient to the men,.
While the citizen soldiers service is
compulsory. 1t is not gratuitous. as the
Following rates OF payment for each
whole days attendance show: Seventy
five cents; p~rivates after the first year,
81; corporals, 1925; sergeants, $3.50 ser
geant majors, s2.5 and s.. IS; l~ieutenants.
1878; captains. $3.50; majors, $3.50; leuten-
| ant colonies. 50 .25; colonies. $11.25
Married men receiving less than 81 a
day are allowed for each day in camp. for
support of their wives living at home, the
sum of 30 cents, and for each child Is
cents. The citizen soldier who Is the sole
support OF a widowed mother also receives
an additional allowance for each day
! spent in camp.
Every mar has to start as a private in
the Australian citizen army. no matter
what his position may be. Promotion Is
absolutely by merit, the principle being
that the best soldiers must lead. Competi-
tive examinations are held to select nom
commissioned and commissioned officers.
Democracy ls Keynote.
PrivaSes compete against one another
for promotion to corporal. and corporals
for promotion to sergeant. Inc so on up
/! ward.
A young man who works in a store or q
factory my thus be seen commanding the
sons of rich men. The social effect OF
such a system in increasing the self re-
spect of the worker can not but be far
reaching.
The same democratic rule prevails at
the Royal Military college at Duntroon.
Canberra. Entrance may be gained by
the poorest boy in the land.
The normal development of the citizen
FORCES mas peen interrupted by the war.
The number of Australians under arms IL
in excess Of what the new defense system
| was intended to provide. BY next June it
is expected that 10000 men-all Of them
volunteers, Of course-will have enlisted in
Australia for active service and been
placed at the disposal of the British army
authorities.
The value Of Australia's military pre-
paredness was already in evidence when
the war broke out.
There were, in addition to be between
5000 n 1900 permanent officers and men,
more than 60,O00 officers and men in the
citizen forces. about 5000 members of the
rifle clubs who form the reserve, and
about $4,000 senior cadets, a total OF 15.Oo0
from which volunteers for service abroad
could be obtained. That Is a very large
figure when 1t Is remembered that the
population of Australia is only 5000, 900.
Had Great Britain had a system SINH
lar to that of Australia the war situation
today would be vastly different.
AT Is years old, when the Australian has
practically completed his citizen training.
he is still At for fighting and may remain
SO until he Is middle aged. The nation has
thus a large reserve force to fall back on
in the hour Of emergency. even IL the time
expired men are not organized as reserve
lists, as is 80 far the case in Australia.