WE WANT MEN NOW!

Evening Post, Volume XCII, Issue 75, 26 September 1916, Page 7

WE WANT MEN NOW!

A CALL FROM THE TRENCHES

URGENCY—IMPERIOUS AND

PATHETIC,

" And one cannot ignore the certainty that our requirements in this respect will be large, continuous, and ' persistent; for. one feels that our gallant soldiers in the fighting-line are . beckoning,- with an urgency at once imperious and pathetic, to those who remain at home to come out and play their .part too.'-'—The late Lord Kitchener.

A call from the trenches—" Somewhere in France "—somewhat in the spirit of the appeal of the late* Lord Kitchener, is made by a, Wellington soldier in the .course- of a lettet which came to hand last mail, and which has been forwarded to the Editor of The Post. The writer says :—

"It is the. 4th August. This is the second anniversary of the declaration of war by the British Empire upon that infamous association the united States of the German Empire — that vampire nation of murderers and plunderers who, led by their arch-chief and prinqe of that band of assassins and marauders, have carried war into practically the whole of the civilised world. A- terrible war in every sense, and in the fullest sense of tho word. A war -.-.conducted on their part upon lines and in such a~way as would have been thought impossible on the part of a civilised nation—even by those with the wildest imagination. Yes ; and yet we—we have lived to see such a war; and in this enlightened and humanitarian age.. Those words sound like mockery. This war has caused France to fight/ for her very ■ existenceIt has shaken Russia... Italy is gallantly fighting an uphill fight. Belgium has been crushed under the iron heel of the invader The British Empire—that rich and powerful Empire—has been called upon to ekert every possible effort to save herself: and even then has had to suffer some defeats. But lam wondering—has she . exerted every possible effort? Under the circumstances, she has done more, perhaps, than some thought possible. But more can be done, I think. Statistics are gathered*' which show that a certain number of men are able :' and fit for service, but who. have so far, not considered it necessary to place themselves unreservedly in the hands of the State. They do not think,"' apparently,-that it is necessary to arm themselves against a foe who is even now battering at their very doors—a foe who has been working with a battering-ram upon the gates oftheii** city for two years. : They have been snug* and comfortable in the security of their homes for two whole years—a security bought at the price of the lives of tens of thousands of their fellowmen, . whose life-blood fills the moat without the walls! At the price of tens of thousands of maimed and crippled comrades has that security been bought ipr them! Are they'unmoved by this ex-, penditure? Can they look on at-the fight and see from their security what is going on, and still remain in shelter with the women * and children? . It sounds almost impossible that,- such a state of affairs could exist •in .face of events of the past two years. And in the British Empire, too! But the truth will assert itself, however unpleasant it may be. We wanted men. We wantmen now! Those whom.the people themselves elected to conduct their affairs have from time to "time made most urgent appeals for help to keep the enemy from crushing,us. They appealed desperately for help to save the very ones themselves to whom they appealed. We know «the response to those appeals was good. But it was not sufficient; and that fact was made known: And how plainly it was made known, tool But still sufficient were not forthcoming. And the begging appeals which had then to be resorted to are blots upon not only tho patriotism of the1, nation for whom Nelson fought and died, for whom Wellington fought and conquered, and for whom such thousands and thousands have fought and helped to make it what it *is even to this present day; but they are also blots upon the intelligence of the people. Surely, I must be mistaken! But truth throws off the raiment of cant and hypocrisy, and steps from the dim , shadows into the light; and in the newspapers which you 'sent me I read as follows-.—"The Call for Men. Wellington has a surplus. Latest Recruits! * For the first time for several months No. 5 group quota for a. reinforcement has been mobilised above full strength. Wellington city and suburbs were asked to find 172 men, and yesterday 11 new soldiers were sent into camp to join the 17th Reinforcements, making a surplus for this district of 13 men." How many times has its quota gone in under strength ? How many times have other groups failed to supply the number .of men required of them ? How many times have Ministers of the Crown, ministers of religion,' mayors, public men, and others of the community made urgent and pitiful appeals for recruits so that New Zealand could keep her place as a worthy daughter of the Mother Country ? And now she has almost reached tho limit of her patriotic resources as far .as men are concerned. Now, to s;ivo herself shemust of necessity do more than appeal. She must command. Turning to another part of the paper, I notice the following headlines: "Military Service'" Bill. Second Reading Debate. Members Define Their Opinions." Aud I read these with much interest, for they are, or ought to be, tlie opinions of the people whom those members represent. (The writer bore makes some scathing comment's on the speeches of members of the Be'.rc who opj*w*sd the Military Service-BULL *