National Registration

Press, Volume LI, Issue 15396, 29 September 1915, Page 6

National Registration

The National Registration Bill, which gave tho House of Representatives an opportunity to roach a lovel of excellence quite unusual, passed through tho Legislative Council yesterday without opposition. There was, nevertheless, a faint echo in the Council of that narrow hostility with which certain Labour organisations outside tho House greeted tho appearance of the Bill. Tho Hon. J. T. Paul, who is nowadays a spokesman for tho Social Democratic Party, 6aid that he favoured tho Bill —it is obviously a wasto of timo for anyone to oppose a measuro so overwhelmingly favoured by tho nation —but ho added that ho was "quite opposed to conascription," and that if conscription hecame necessary, "thoro should bo a "nationalisation of wealth." "Wo tako it that this criticism —which is so much loss aggressive than the original criticism of tho Socialist extremists—U the trench in which these extremists expect to tight against conscription if it becomes necessary. Our own opinion is that there is no present reason to suppose that circumstances will force conscription upon tho country, but it is, perhaps, not a wasto of time to warn the extromists, whom wo would all much sooner see on the side of patriotic effort, that their last trench is untenable. If conscription docs become necessary, it will bo because of circumstances which will warrant the Government in taking authority to convert all the national resources, if necessary, to the use of the national cause. But " the nationalisation of wealth" has never yet been put forward by any intelligent and reasoning creature as a necessary corollary to universal military service. Our own Socialist extremists, whom we can only with great I difficulty think of as likely to have greater wisdom titan other people, have never attempted to establish their contention on this point. Compulsory service will lie enforced only if. nnd when, the actual military necessities of the nation and the Empire require it. It is a moans of increasing the number of men engaged in fighting, and nothing rise. New Zealand can best help just now by sending men and guns; .she would not bo helping at all if s>he sent only pounds, shillings, and pence. The Socialists may be assured that whatever money must bo raised by tho Government will bo raised. But

that is a matter quite apart from the military duty of this country. There is so striking a wont of argument in the Socialist contention that we are driven to the conclusion that ths purpose of that contention is simply opposition to national service by hook or by crook. Tho Hon. J. T. Paul, and those for whom he speaks, have perhaps not sufficiently considered what their position would be if conscription became neces.vary. Wo may take it for granted that conscription would come only with the sincere assent of the bulk of tho prople. What would the bulk of the pooplo think if a Socialist liable to serve were to say: "I shall not servo "unless you collar Brown's money"? They would not give a moment's, toleration to such a sentiment, and they would regard as enemies of the commonwealth tho people responsible for tho pernicious doctrine embodied in that Socialist's defiance. The idea that tho treatment of Brown's money has anything at all to do with the plain duty of the able-bodied Jones or Robinson is too shallow a trench to give cover to anybody.