354 PHYSICAL CULTURE AND MILITARY DRILL. 



It is a moral obligation on every man and every youth to> 

 defend himself and to assist in the defence of the community 

 to vv^hich he belong-s. if necessity should arise. Under condi- 

 tions such as prevail in South Africa there are special cogent 

 reasons w4iy every citizen w^ho has been endowed with normal 

 health should be a potential soldier. Few will be found to 

 advocate that this end should be accomplished by universal 

 conscription — by taking young men from their homes and 

 their ordinary employment for one or two of the most critical 

 years of their life — if such a course can possibly be avoided. 

 The object of this short paper has been to raise the question 

 as to whether we cannot profitably utilise the spare play-time 

 of the school boy to give him a preliminary training in this 

 part of his duties as a citizen without sacrificing his pleasure, 

 his proper physical development or his general welfare. 



IRRIGATION DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTH 

 AFRICA. — At the recent meeting of the South African 

 Irrigation Congress, held at Potchefstroom, Mr. F. E. 

 Kanthack, A.M.I.C.E.. Director of Irrigation, Cape Colony, 

 laid down the following" seven essentials of the course which' 

 he considered desirable for the development of Irrigation in 

 South Africa: (i) A thorough and systematic hydrographic- 

 survey of the whole country should be carried out, in order to 

 collect data about all the known supplies of water within the 

 Union. (2) The most efificient system of water-law. capable of 

 conferring the greatest amount of benefit on the greatest number, 

 should be provided. (3) Systematic reconnaissance surveys, 

 for the purpose of discovering how available sources of water- 

 supply may be utilised to best advantage for agricultural or 

 power purposes should be carried out. (4) An Irrigation 

 Department, in close touch with agricultural experts, should be 

 constituted as a Bureau for advising on all matters bearing on 

 irrigation. (5) All who desire to carry out approved irrigation 

 schemes should be able to obtain loans on the easiest of terms 

 from the Government. (6) Experimental Stations or farms 

 should be established at a number of representative places, for 

 the study of the most efficient methods of dealing with local 

 conditions of climate, soil, topography, and water-supply. (7) 

 The State must look closely to the conser-vation of its sources 

 of water-supply by protecting the natural vegetation over the 

 main gathering grounds of the streanus. In the Cape Colony 

 the policy outlined under the above heads has been pursued as 

 far as possible during" the severe financial depression. 



