The Military Service Bill.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15613, 10 June 1916, Page 8

The Military Service Bill.

The Military Service Bill was so thoroughly discussed in its early stages that there was little in the way of, comment and criticism left over for the' third reading debate. We trust that the lesson of the proceduro adopted will not be lost upon the Government. In the past, Government Bills have often been dealt with in fits and starts, the various stages spreading over two or three weeks, and being- mingled with all sorts of other Bills and business. Tho result was that the actual timo given to any Bill was two or three times as long as the time that would have been occupied if the procedure of uninterrupted consideration had been followed. We congratulate the House upon having dealt admirably with this supremely important'measure, which will be more tiuly a national and non-party enactment than any we can remember., Tho moral effect of the news that New Zealand has cheerfully and eagerly adopted the principle that every man must and shall servo who can will bo very groat. The great French and Russian and Italian nations will more than ever realiso that Greater Britain is in this fight to the end—they will see in it a commentary upon Germany's toast that fear is creeping into British hearts. Germany will not bo blind to the significance of this surrender by a British Dominion of the theory that 6ervicc ior the Empire shall bo voluntary if it is given at all.

Wc must not omit to notice tho speeches in which Mr Isitt and Sir Joseph "Ward dealt with the impudent claim of tho Red Feds to speak for Labour. 111 somo quarters, where concern for the workers is much advertised, it is still the fashion to pretend that these demagogues arc very admirable, but just a little too ardent. Theso "friends of tho people" are unwilling to say plainly what they know is tho truth concerning tho Labour leadership ol' the present time. Wo ourselves have often been denounced for our views upon the men and the principles connoted by Labour. The dread of il offending Labour" will perhaps bo lessened in some non-Labour circles by the plain talk of tho member for Christchurch North and the Minister of Finance. The revelation of the true character of Labour leadership is not the least satisfactory by-product of the war and the legislation that the war has made necessary. But so long as tho trade-unions are content to chose for their counsellors such representatives as the members for Lyttelton and Grey, $0 long rational people will believe, and rightly, that there is something radically wrong with the spirit of trade unionism. "We do not believe that the average trade-unionist agrees with the base, tho shameless declaration by one of their representatives in the House that '"at this stage of the game "every man has a right to please him-

•• self." Cut trade-unionism must be constitutionally defective when Lueh men, capable of such utterances, are

kept at the head of the Labour movement and recognised by some platonic friends of Labour as thoroughly representative leaders. If organised Labour fails to make a clean sweep of its present leaders, and that promptly, then it Trill not merely bo imprudent, but actually erroneous, to suppose that trade-unionism has been misrepresented by its guides.