CONSCRIPTION IN WAR

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22419, 4 June 1938, Page 11

CONSCRIPTION IN WAR

-“WOULD NOT END WITH FLESH AND BLOOD” MR SAVAGE’S SUPPORT OF THE LEAGUE (mess association telegram.) WELLINGTON, June 3. In a further reference to-day to the remarks he made about conscription when replying to the New Zealand Defence League deputation yesterday, the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage) said that the obvious inference from what he said was that when conscription started it would not begin or end with flesh and blood. It was a fair thing that when men fought to defend their country the wealth of that country should be levied upon to keep them and their families from starvation and distress. During the last war a debt of roughly £80,000,000 had been accumulated, and while men were dying others were being enriched. He had said quite definitely yesterday that that was not going to happen again while the present Government was in power. The fighting men would have whatever was necessary to keep them, their wives and families while they were doing the nation’s job, and' they would not be called upon to pay a debt that accumulated in their absence. Referring to the use of. force to p.event war, Mr Savage said that the, League of Nations had been organised for the very purpose of allowing nations to discuss around a table the road to peace and to be in a position always to use force, if necessary, to prevent aggression. He had expressed his regret to the deputation that some of the nations responsible for that in the first place seemed now to be more concerned about getting into groups which would ultimately, have the -effect of starting other wars. The League of Nations was not getting the assistance it deserved. Under the Covenant, if nations were in earnest they could get together and use sufficient force to prevent another nation from being an aggressor, and there was no other way to peace. He would admit that there were outstanding grievances, but he still thought that the nations should meet around a table and discuss those grievances. They should also discuss the causes of war. The reply was that such efforts would fail, but if nothing was ever undertaken because of fear of failure, they would never get anywhere. If nations would meet in the way he had suggested, there would be less fear of war.