NATIONAL SERVICE LEAGUE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1019, 7 January 1911, Page 4

NATIONAL SERVICE LEAGUE.

A good many people in New Zealand besides General Godley and his staff will await with interest news as to how the prospects of the National Service. League have been affcctcd by the late general election. Oiir readers will remember that in 1903 it had three supporters -in the House of Commons. In 1905 they

Lords could not bo proceeded with, owing to the dramatic suddenness with which Mr. Asquith brought about the dissolution. Had the motion beciv reached and. adequately debated,it is possible,that the facts then made public would have had the effect of relieving Mil; Asquith and the nation from_'their present difficulties by relegating him to "a position -of greater freedom and less responsibility.". It, seems very ccrtain that Loud Roberts, who is a'non-party Peer, wililose no time in restoring his motion to the Order Paper. And we anticipate a very momentous debate, not so much in the result of..the division,-, iivt-herejs one, for that,would bc:iotfftain;«l}ufc : in the effect on the country of the facts then vouched for by him. From the progress made by the League it is clear,that,the total failure of the Territorial'system-to give iis trained soldiers is being realised; Then the recent article, by .Lord Esher, who might almost 6c callcd" the joint creator with Me. Haldaxe of the Territorial system, admitting that there ..is no prospect of ever raising under the voluntary system anything like even the low minimum number of recruits', on which the present system is based,"can hardly fail to lmvo effect. And'some at least of the facts-contained in the Duke of Bedford's pamphlet, just published,.are too ugly not to attract attention. From that pamphlet we learn, amongst other things, that the establishment of the .Regular .Army. .has been reduced by 3-1,241 men since 1905. That the Eeserve ' (regulars) will fall from 134,000 now to 100,000 in 1913 (when they will be needed more than ever), and that the Regu-' lar Army and Regular-Reserve, with the Militia, if the, latter had been allowed to remain" at its old strength of 92,035 in 1905, would have been 89,328 stronger in 1913 than the Regular Army and its Reserve, and its Special. Reserve of. to-day, will now be at the same date. _ Finally, the nation will draw but little comfort- from the 1909 musketry returns (official) of. the Territorials when it knows of them. From , these-it will learn that of 203,439 Territorials no fewer than 97,254 either failed to qualify or were not tested,' chiefly the former, in ' musketry ! But assuming that Lord Roberts's motion is confined to the Upper House, if it only forces the Government to call on Lord ICitchemer for a report on the efficiency and sufficiency of our land forces,' universal .compulsory military training, as provided in Loiid Roberts's Bill (six months'_ continuous training, with "repetitions"), will be close at hand.

had increased to 43, and in the late ( On New Year's Day, when the anParliament the number had jumped nua! regatta was ; held at Lyttelton, up to IG3, almost one-fourth of the 15,276 tickets wero issued on' theChristRonse. We cannot recall any move- c ! uir 1 7in p?? i i " ment of recent years that hi made such rapid progress, which is, in lieVj ,\. ero is g 3URC f 3 28 3 first-class and tself, evidence of the driving power 12 858 socond . c i as ' s . behind it. Probably wc shall not f , ~ . ~. v , v know tho facts of the new position . fcev . cral mdvistriol disputes are pendf., T .hc, «. months. W - tSftSl -fKSS shall ho, much surprised ithe Commissioner in tho near League is found to have sustained future :-Cooks' and waiters', wool and any loss in voting strength. On the grain store employees', sheet metal contrary, probabilities point in the workers', and carpenters' and joiners', direction of a slight increase. Even : A bic , whi( ; h it is allegcd had been scanty election returns, so stolen from the premises of a AYelclifferent from those of January, liugton firm on Thursday afternoon, was 1910, with which this country has ratlier smartly recovered by the police, been favoured, it is abundantly evi- The allegcd theft was not reported to dent that the new House of Com- tho authorities till ten o'clock yestermons differs but very little in per- day morning, but, an hour later, the somiel '.from its predecessor. Here missing machine had been recovered and l and there we have noticed a victory restored. at the expense of the National Ser- Tho matron of tho Wellington Hosvice Leaguer—Colosel T. M. Sandys pital wishes to acknowledge gifts from is a case in point—but his loss is set the following Misses Hebbell, Elsie off by a gain elsewhere—Colonel C. al 'd K°,v Grifien, Hilda and Mary Kelly, E. Yate, C.5.1., C.M.G., a well- Agnes Fulton, Willio and Lizzie Arp known Indian officer, for instance- strong; Blesdames D- E. MKenzje, and so, probablv, the full returns f m « h ' °f ] nham, ' Wilhams, Cowriale, ,„-n '.if „„i. A. Hamilton, kirkcaldic, Corkul, U. U. Villi woik out, a loss ill one elector- Be „ M;l Grad W. ate will be balanced by a gain in Shirer-Messrs. F. Coheii, T. Pringle, somo other. Iho likelihood, of some g, a!U i -\y. Mackav, Ed. Arnold, Stewaddition to the League s strength is ar t, S. Newborn," Veitch and Allan, suggested by its membership figures. George and George, G. Smith, Ltd., When a society or league obtains 675 James Smith, Ltd., George and Kersnew members in (in this case) 1904-5, ley, D.1.C., Kirkcaldio and Stains, 15,029 new members in 190S-9, and Myers and Company, Union Clothing 30,140 new members in 1909-10 Company,'W. H. Green and Company, (March 31), it is clear that, the ob- f E. Kernot, E. Vinson, G. and S. Aljects of that society are rapidly & m 'th and Keid, G. H. Thornfhan i not i L f fa' oUr ' Pr ° b - a f bly 7 Endeavour snail not be far wrong if wc at- , ml , „ r . . t . tribute mainly to the work of this Society, and St. Thomas's Ministering League, and its members, now nearly C^i? rc ">^ ea J ue - ll Als ? t ' , tLe m»0 i» number, the &«™V. leluctant appointment of LoBD donations or £5 55.. to tho Christmas Kitchener to a seat on the. Army fund , of t . he Ohiro Home and WellingCouncil, an appointment that should tou Hospital respectively from Messrs. have been made long ago. Bearing- J. Staples and Company. these figures in mind it seems'likely ParticHlars recorded by tHe imm ig ra . that all over the country, an increas- t ion. officcr, Mr. A. A. S.Danby, as'to ing number of candidates, have been t| lo passengers on board the New Zealmpellea, most of them from eonvic- l an d Shipping Company's steamer Turation, but some, no doubt, as a matter kina,'.'which is due at Wellington from of policy, to pledge .themselves to the London next Tuesday, state that there League's programme. And, as the are 102 assisted immigrants, comprising League draws its supporters from 72 adults and 26, children. Of this total both of the two great nartics, it will 23 adults and 15 children were nominbe strange, indeed, if It has not pro- <;| e V}; relatives m New Zealand, and fed, if only slightly, b, fc eta--1?/ , i newcomers include 20 domestic serWe have given, this short outline of TantS) 16 f armers , ..16 farm - labourers, tho League S'position (we give some alld ploughman. Five wives are comother particulars in another column) ; n g o ut to rejoin thfeir husbands in New because it is probable that national Zealand. The capital of each .of the imdofence will come to the front at an migrants "ranges from £220 down to early date in the new session. Sev- £25. - ' oral months ago wo suggested such a Labour's attitude towards No-License possibility in regard to the last ses- j s to be publicly debated by Messrs. W. sion. It did not then take place bo- Maddison and W. J. Jordan before the causc the motion subsequently tabled end of the present month. Mr. Maddibv Loed Roberts in the House of son will take tho stand that Labour

should not identify itself with either tho Liquor or No-License interests, and Mr. Jordan will submit that No-liicense is an essential - plank of any Labour platform. "'Mr. M. J. Reardon has been asked to preside. The next Supreme Court criminal sittings open on'.February 1. An'exhibition of water colour sketches is being made by. Mr. Noel Barraud at J. C. Butler's Art Gallery'in Lambton Quay. Mr. Barraud describes bis work as' "sketches direct from Nature, and not studio-finished pictures." As a fact, • however, Mr. Barraud seems to have made a studio of the open air. His sketehek. are .finished- productions,in which good drawing is combined with a rather,' arrcsting...-m»stery of colour two and a half] years, the artist has. been traveUing through Europe and-England, and the, collection of .sketches now on view . is the visible fruit.of this tour. They include subjects of.every character, from, mountain sqenery to quaint and sleepy streets of old villages in Holland. ' Last evening Deiectivcs Abbott and Mrison arrested a man on a cliargo of false pretences at Christchurch. Ho will appear at the Magistrate's Court this morning. ■