THE CALL TO SERVICE.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15487, 14 January 1916, Page 7

THE CALL TO SERVICE.

MINISTERS AND THE WAR. Our attention lias been drawn to the fact that a passago in a letter jigned W. L. Chiystall, which apaearcd in our issue of the 7i.li inst., is open to an interpretation -which conveys a very unfair imputation on the members of tho New Zealand Cabinct. Til o passago is as follows: — "Tho suspicion seems well grounded that tho wires aro being pulled by members of Parliament, oven those of them who have but recently attained to Cabinet rank, who are fighting shy of conscription lest their own sons be /orccd to do their duty. There seems manifest incongruity in the position of a Cabinet Minister calling upon citizens to i°' n colours while his own eons, all <rf them of military age, keep clear of the firing-lino." As our readers aro aware, Ministers •who have sons of military ago have, as a matter of fact, every reason to proud of the way in which thoso sons have responded to the call for service. Mr Ma.ssey's son has gone to tho front, two of Sir Joseph Ward's sons left for England to enlist, Colonel Allen's son has been killed in aetion, and Sir I'"- Bell's two sons have also volunteered for scrvicc. So far as we are aware, the Hon. G. W. Russell is the only other Minister who has a so ll eligiblo for service, and we have no hesitation in saying that if tho paragraph in question bears any reference to him, it is cibsolntely without justification. One of Mr Russell's* sons, who belonged to the Ambulance Territorials, is away on active service on the Marama, another, a clcrk in the Bank of New Zealand, put his name down in the bank's list 'for scrvicc six months ago, and was mentioned in "The Press" on Saturday as having now obtained tho permission from tho bank, and enlisted in tho Infantry. Of Mr Russell's thrpo other sons in New Zealand, one is only 17 years of age, and recently tat for his commission, being a lieutenant in the Boys' High School Cadets, and applied to the i>efenco Department for employment in order to relieve for dnty at the. front a staff of full age. Tho other two cannot yet bo spared, ono managing Mr Russell's station at Taupo, and the other being indispensable in his office at Christohurch. Mr Russell's own services in connexion with the Sick and wounded soldiers, the National Registration, etc., in addition to the onerous work of the numerous "Departments ho has to administer,, prove that ho is certainly doing his fair share of war work. We regret very much having inadvertently allowed a letter to appear in our columns, which is capable of being read in such a way as to do injustice t© individual members of tho present Government, all of whom are certainly without reproach in this particular matter.

ME L. M. ISITT'S APPEAL.

Speaking at a meeting of the St. Albans Red Cross Committee, held last . evening, Mr L. M. Isitt, M.P., stressed tho great need there was for Red Cross , work, and illustrated his remarks by narrations of the sacrifices made by the youth of the Dominion in offering their services and their lives to help to prevent the country coming under German domination. The sacrifices made by the young men, and by ; the mothersj of the Dominion, were of guch a character, he said, that they oould never do too much to assist the. sick and wounded soldiers. Referring to the argument advanced against giving to War Funds, that men in the Dominion were making much jmoneyjoat- of tho - war, Mr Isitt said- - that. such* a state of. affairs was ■ in- , teaselv irritating, but he was-not re- . sponsible for the fact that war profits were not being taxed, and that there was no conscription of wealth. If he had his way every man and woman in tho Dominion would be contributing, in proportion to their • income, to the defence of the Empire. It was; no doubt, .very difficult Gur political leaders to face their plam duty, but if his hear. | ers were animated by the right spirit J " they would not allow the lapses -of . . others to prevent them doing their \duty. Every man and woman should P"t their shoulders to the wheel They , hod not yet started to give, and he ]' questioned whether.'in present circum- - stances, had a right to save rMoney this year.

IOBD DEBBPS RECRUITING ' •' SCHEME.

qua OWN CORRESPONDENT.) j ■fir.''.' LONDON, November 26. ; Earl of Derby, Director-General-Recruiting, ' addressed a - crowded meeting at the . Stock Exchange this ;v :Week in order "to explain his "recruit-! ,&ing scheme. Ho explained that thete two underlying principles in this J -Spheme. Tne first -was that it was the of every single Englishman to |i.;place his ; services at . the. disposal of country, to be used whero the could best be i fUtuised.' The next was that ho emand no employee Had the right i-i when to say he was indispensable in ferns" present employment. Let the jtate say whether he was indispensable. Then he dould have a free in "doing his civio work, ke wanted to do was to get all ■ho possibly could of the manhood country .of recruitable age to ir ( not to the War Office, but to our gAUiea and to our enemies: "Here is ®tneunanhood of England—here is tho pspanhood of Britain —ready to place its at the disposal of the Goand—whatever the sacritdfiw 'Hiay be— if necessary, to go into H??® firing-line." That was wnat he to see,, because • ho believed apart from numbers, wo might the moral effect of snowing our and our enemies that the volunspirit of England was still as as it was at the beginning of .-•j »no war, and that we were determined - bring the conflict to a successful '"Men are coming in in numbers, but i should, indeed, y ou if I did not tell that they must como in in very larger numbers in the next -weeks if they are going to make ,P° sltloll ?f voluntary service absolutely unassailable. * appeal to em--to whom j am giving every safeguard that I possiblv can; I ap,l™ the employed. "We are going *9 win this war whatever tho cost. Uxud cheers.) It is a great thing to eonie hero and to feel, from the wav in 7r 0n i ha Z c dip. that I, *!,_+ eveQ ts. have your confidence and m- 0u will do your best to assist B>e in my work."