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Press, Volume LI, Issue 15452, 3 December 1915, Page 6

We have eTscwhere expressed our sympathy with Col. Allen's uneasiness in regard to the number of recruits still required for the 1 next reinforcements, and we hone that the young men of Canterbury will respond to the appeal made io them for their services. The Hon. Dr. McNab and others are doing £ood work in holding recruiting meetings, but there yet remain other methods which might be tried by tho Government with a view to bringing home to the people the urgent need of the moment.

sust before the last mail left England there was a great "Recruiting l'ayeant'' held in Ixnuioa. some details of which may l>o of interest. Five columns of Kegulars and Territorials, each strong, and accompanied by bands, started from five different centres, north, .south, ca-t, and west. En.'h column marched 10 miles. Tho •30 miles covered altogether embraced within a hus;o circle all tho chief residential and shopping districts of Outer London, iron; J1 and llampstead on the north to Battor-.a and Oreenw;eh o:i the south, and from Aldyalte and Stepnov on the east to B.ivswater and Ch'd>c.i on the ■west. On each route brief halts were made by the way to appeal for re.'ruits. There were aUo centra! meetings, at which wo are filad to see Labour members iike Mr Will

Thorno took parr, delivering inspiring addresses. ♦ ■ The chief inspiration, however, came from the fine display of thousands of young men in khaki. "The soldiers," says the ' Times'' report, "wcro in the pink of health and high spirits. Their bearing gave evidence at once of tho contentment that comes when tho call of duty has been responded to, and the virility and good humour imparted by military training."' ♦ Our own experience shows that there is nothing like the sight of young soldiers, bound for the front, to make other young men wish to join them. The recruiting figures went un with a bound immediately after the parade of tho "Happy Eighths." and the fact that it has now dropped back shows that the stimulus is one which needs to be repeated from time to time. One of the chief advantages ct a local camp, for which we have so often pleaded in these columns, is that each of the soldiers in the camn is more or less of a recruiting agent—individually when talking with his "chums," collectively when the men arc marched through the streets.

Another matter 011 which wo might learn a lesson from English methods is tho value of the personal appeal. During- tiie London "rally," accompanying each column were swarms of recruiting sergeants wearing red. white and blue rosettes and streamers. They pushed their way through tho crowd and buttonholed every young man who looked at all likely. What may be called tho individual appeal is ten times more effective than the general appeal. We wonder how much of its present business the Government. Life Insurance Department would possess if it had never employed canvassers?

Canon Stack, who is held in affectionato remembrance in Canterbury, and who is now living in Worthing, Sussex, writes us an interesting letter regarding the proposal which he has seen ventilated in an English paper, that distinguishing trees should be planted on tho Gallipoli Peninsula to mark the places where the British dead are buried. Referring to the suggestion that cabbago palms should be used to mark tho New Zealanders' graves, Canon Stack addes: —"l would suggest that i Q addition to cabbage palms (ti) which might bo the distinguishing mark of South Islanders' graves, 'Tawhiri' (Pittosporum), 'Titoki' (Alectryon excelsum), and 'Karaka' (Corynocflrpus Lavigata) might be used to mark those of North Islanders."

Canon Stack gives sonio interesting reasons why ho makes this selection. Ho says:—"l name these because: (.1) Tho seeds and plants can he readily procured, (2) they will all grow in Southern Europe, (3) and further because three of them have a special intent for Maoris. The "Ti," or cabbage, palm, was the emblem of vitality, "Is ho a ti that he should sprout again?" "He ti Koi { i e wana?" was a proverb. The "Titoki" is the emblem of manly strength. The "Karaka" marks many of the sites of old pas in the North Island, and is associated in the Maori mind with a "Wahi tapu" — sacred * We are afraid the good Canon's suggestions cannot be carried out in their entirety, because in the first place it is impossible to distinguish tho graves in the manner ho suggests, as our brave soldiers from all parts of tho Dominion have, in most cases, found a common resting place. Again we are afraid that Canon Stack docs not realise the bleakness of tho Gallipoli hills, and the severity of tho winter cold. Mr Young, the curator of tho Public Gardens, who has kindly taken a great interest in this matter, does not think that the titoki, or che karaka would succeed at Gallipoli. lie has kindly promised, however, to supply us with seed of the yellow kowhai, and some of tho lancewoods as tfell as of the cabbage tree, as he thinks theso would all do well. Canon Slack generously offers to contribute, if we start a fund to supply the seeds. AVc hope, however, that with Mr Young's co-operation, it may not be necesasry to make a further appeal to our readers, who have been very good ill subscribing to so many funds. Some very forcible arguments against tho discontinuance of racing during the war were brought forward at the meetiug of the New Zealand Trotting Association on Wednesday. Whether the volume of racing might not with advantage bo diminished is a question on which there is room for a reasonable difference of opinion There is one thing, however, which in justicc ought to bo said for the promoters ot racing, and that is that in the matter of generosity in contributing to patriotic objccts, they havo sot an example which, so far um we' arc aware, 110 other .section of the community has completely emulated. So far from grumbling at the heavy imposts levied on them Iv the war taxation, most of the leading racing clubs havo resolved to devote their profits during, the current year to funds connected with the war. It was said at Wednesday's meeting that £12,000 had been given to patriotic funds in direct subscriptions by trotting clubs. The racing clubs have already given £20.000. and stand pledged to give about £10,000 more. would bo interesting to know what proportion of the receipts from picture show.s will go to similar objects during the current year.

Wc are very gkid to se P that tho leader of the National Ministry spoke out so plainly in replying to the resolution of the Point Elizabeth-Liver-pool State Colliery Employees' Industrial Union, in which it was stated that thry were "determined to nicer such a calamity as conscription by industrial revolution." "Let me sav in conclusion,' said Mr Massey in his reply, "that if the last sentence cf your resolution is intended to threaten the Government, it will not have the slightest effect, and while expressing no opinion at present on tho subject of conscription or compulsory service, the Government will do exactly what it b'Mieves right from the national standpoint, and is prepared to take the consequences.'*' It is time that a stand was made against tho tyranny which the workers in the State coal mines are attempting to set up. Those mines have never paid, and in our opinion they never will pay. The men engaged

in thorn arc being employed at \i high rate of wages; other workers in the Dominion are being taxed to make up any deficit which occurs in the running of these mines, yet from the first the State mines, have been a centre of constant unrest, the breeding place of agitators who have used every means iu their power to involve New Zealand in industrial turmoil. It was there that the pernicious doctrines of the I.W.W. first took root, and that the foundations wore laid for the disastrous strike which caused such suffering throughout New Zealand two years ago. Now apparently a section of the same gang of agitators and conspirators are determined to do their utmost to prevent the Government from calling up the young manhood of the country. if such a step becomes urgently necessary for the defence of the Empire. If this sort of thin? goes on. the people of New Zealand will begin seriously to ask themselves whether it is {o the advantage of the country that public money should be used to keep this nest of plotters against the country's welfare in constant work at high \va.;e.s.