New Zealand - The Auckland Manoeuvres - The cycle corp on the road - 9/3/1910 - Unknown Photographer - Originally published in "The Weekly Graphics and New Zealand Mail for March 9, 1910" #335286 - The Cycle Corps was part of the new conscription and military service requirements... - Notes: Origins of military training in New Zealand Colonial era - Calls for the military training of settlers began in the colony's earliest days.The concern was that settlers were not used to firearms and this could result in their being unable to defend themselves should the need arise. Debate about this continued until in 1843 a militia was formed in Wellington, without the Governor's authorisation, which prompted the Governor to send troops to Wellington to disperse the militia. There was further debate, and in March 1845 the Militia Ordinance 1845 was passed by the legislature, enabling the Governor to form a militia if and when required; training would be implemented only when the militia was needed. The ordinance required: Every man except as hereinafter excepted, between the ages of (18) years and (60) years, being a British subject, and not an aboriginal native, who shall reside within the colony, shall be liable to serve in such militia. ... Those exempted under clause 7 were "Judges of the Supreme Court, all members of the Legislative Council, all clergymen, priests, ministers of religion, and catechists." In addition under Clause 9 the Police Magistrate shall have power, after hearing such objections, to strike out of the said list the names of all persons who shall not be liable to serve as militiamen, and also of such as are afflicted by lunacy or unsoundness of mind, or deafness, blindness, lameness, or by any other disorder that may render them unfit for active service in any such militia .... The first significant use of this legislation was at New Plymouth in 1858, when 400 residents were called up. On 28 May 1858, the Militia Act 1858 replaced the ordinance, but retained the same provisions as the above clauses. Monetary penalties were introduced for not complying with the call-up. As a result of the land wars commencing in the early 1860s, the Act was replaced in 1865 by the Militia Act 1865. This new Act changed the requirement to register by reducing the maximum age from 60 to 55 and including all males who had resided in New Zealand for more than three months. The list of exempted professions was expanded, and Militia were classified into three levels of priority, ranging from unmarried men and widowers without children, between eighteen and forty years of age; widowers with children, and married men, between eighteen and forty years of age, unmarried men who could prove that female relatives were dependent upon them for their support; and men between forty and fifty five years of age. Penalties for failing to comply with the Act became considerably tougher, with reference to penalties under Imperial legislation. The 1865 Act was repealed and replaced by the Militia Act 1870. The exempted professions were slightly amended, the starting age was lowered from 18 to 17; and the classifications for levels of priority changed to solely age groups – 17 to 30 years old, 30 to 40 years old, and 40 to 55 years old. Penalties in the Act remained mainly fines. The Russian scare and before World War One With the Russian scare of the 1880s the Militia Act was repealed and the Defence Act 1886 set up a permanent military force. The changes relating to the militia expanded those liable for service to include Maori, slightly revised the exempted professions, and revised the priority classifications by making those married and aged 17 to 30 or 30 to 40 one step lower priority than those who were single. In the late 1880s people such as Lord Wolseley in England and reported in New Zealand, began to make calls for universal compulsory military training of young men. Switzerland was held up as an example of the success of such a system.Debate quietened down until the Second Boer War, when again the issue began to be raised in the press. In 1903/1904, a Royal Commission considered New Zealand's defence needs and concluded that all able-bodied males should be trained in the use of arms. In 1905 the Australasian National Defence League was formed in Australia, with the intent to introduce universal compulsory military training for youths and men on the Swiss system; the proposal differed from the earlier militia in that training was to be organised permanently rather than just when required. This Australian move was widely reported in New Zealand at the time. In 1906 the National Defence of New Zealand organisation was set up with similar objectives. The organisation advocated compulsory training of all boys and youths up to the age of 21.By 1907 Australia had begun to move towards compulsory military training, although not without opposition from trade unions, socialist parties, and others. Legislation was introduced into the Australian Parliament in September 1908. During the New Zealand election campaigns, the Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward, stated that he was against forcing compulsory military training on the populace. - Introduction of universal compulsory military training Defence Act 1909 Ward appears to have changed his mind, because in April 1909 he announced that the government intended to introduce compulsory military training for youths up to 21 years old. There was some opposition to the idea, but it was sporadic and very definitely a minority view. In Wellington there was quite pronounced opposition from socialists. The Society of Friends raised the issue of conscientious objectors with Ward. The Defence Act 1909 Section 35 brought in a general training requirement for males 12 to 14 years old (Junior Cadets), 14 to 18 (Senior Cadets), 18 to 21 (General Training Section), and 21 to 30 (the Reserve). There was exemption for religious conscientious objectors, under Section 92 of the Act, but only subject to performing non-combatant duties within the military. Failure to comply with the Act could result in fines, and potentially imprisonment for those who did not pay them. The Act also introduced a range of new offences, a number of which were aimed at the behaviour of those being trained. The Defence Amendment Act 1912 repealed Section 35 (a) and thereby removed the requirement for those aged up to 14 years old to be trained. To read more.... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsory_military_training_in_New_Zealand