DUNEDIN CITY COUNCIL AND RECRUITING.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15560, 8 April 1916, Page 6

DUNEDIN CITY COUNCIL AND RECRUITING.

♦_ SOME CRITICISM.

A Finance Committee recommendation thafc caused considerable debate in the Dunedin City Council on Wednesday night and elicited some criticism regarding men not coming forward, read:—"That the privilege of half-pay to ' any employee enlisting for active service ho modified to the extent that it shall not apply to any unmarried employee who enlists after May loth, next. - '

Cr. Begg, commenting upon _ the situation, said there were many single men in the Council's employ who had not joined. It was timo the Council gave a lead in the matter. He would indeed like to sco the provision apply to married men without children, who, a: fa: 36 tho country was concerned, were of no more use than tho single men. It was quite evident, that a proportion of the unattached singlo men would not go short of compulsion, but there were any number of married men who had stated their willingness to go provided someone would look after their wives and families while they were away. There were some citizens who were willing to undertake tho provision for one or more families. A Councillor: Tho single men will do that-. (Laughter.) Cr. Begg continued that some of our leading merchants should come forward. There were some firms who could keep not a dozen, but 100 families. The Mayor. a« chairman of tho Patriotic and General Welfare Committee, said that a considerable number of firms were giving largo contributions to help tho wives of those who were going away. It said a great deal for theso firms that they did .it without ostentation. "As far as the motion is concerned," adile.fl tho Mayor, "the time is come when every single man employed by the Council or by private firms will have to be asked to show cause why their services should bo retained."

Cr. Sinclair said that a matter which seemed to be little in the minds of the public was whether those men who for some reason or another eould not go were making as far as possible a sacrifice corresponding to that, of the men who went. Those who stopped behind should be not only asked but compelled to make a- financial sacrifice, and a special committee should be set up in each town to report on tho financial position of eve.v individual in New Zealand in order that the Government could bring down some scheme that would ensuro universal proportionate sacrifice. Cr. Sincock said there wa.s a feeling that the country was not. cloing what it- should do, and that the authorities were not doing all that they should, 'ihe city should not. takp a lead in this matter until the Government moved.

Cr. Wripjit, snid thai one trouble was that, certain groups of employers -wanted special. .forms. They said: ''Take everybody else's men, but leave. mine." He would support, the motion, and they might v't hare to go further. Ci". AY hi to had heard of seven men belonging to' one family nea r Naseb.v :io;ic of whom had enlisted. He considered tlipt the Government. hod shown a. very bad example in the way they hnd handled the recruiting question. He had been told, for example, that when *;nglp constables went awav they ha ( ] to leave their jobs and take their chance wheu they come hack, and had to forfeit their superannuation The recommendation of the committee was adopted.