PLEDGED TO THE HILT

Evening Star, Issue 16082, 6 April 1916, Page 7

PLEDGED TO THE HILT

IN MONEY AND MEN.

DOMINION’S WAR COST £8,700,00®.

DEFENCE MINISTER’S APPEAL.

EVERY MAN MUST DO HIS WHACK,

OR BE FOR EVER SHAMED.

“ New Zealand is pledged to the hilt to discharge her solemn obligations to help the Empire maintain truth, justice, and liberty. We have sent away and have in training over 50,000 men, and we must continue to secure 2,350 men each month to the end. The equipment of the Expeditionary Force to date has cost about £5,000,000. The total approximate expenditure to date is nearly £8,700,000. We send the men and spend the money willingly, because we have a good purpose, and must win. it is a great gameit is a greater game than your cricket, football, and hockey, it is a great test of nationality, it is a great test of citizenship for every man who is a true sport. We are proud of our national games, and we deplore and hate this terrible war, but I venture to say that the man who is a true sport, the man who understands that the stakes are high, that the stakes are nationality—New Zealand or no Now Zealand will not * hesitate to answer the call of his mates in the trenches, and join in the great game. To do this is a duty, is a privilege, f hesitate to contemplate the time when children may be unable to sav ■ m« father did his whack.’” ■ ** y

That is a free but a fair paraphrase of I « vigorous speech made to an appreciative audience at Milton last night by the Hon. J. Allen, Minister of Defence. As was to be expected in the changed circumstances of party politics, .Mr Allen spoke as a Minister pledged to political unity, and not a? the member for Bmce. At the same time, he paid his constituents the compliment of giving them first know.ledge of new facts concerning the Dominion’s great enterprise in the world con-flict-—a compliment that was keenly appreciated by his loyal friends. It was interesting to note that the keenness and appreciation of the crowd that packed the Coronation Hall were 'most pronounced when the Minister discussed with characteristic vehemence and ardor the necessity for every man to “do his whack in the'grcat game,” and the greater necessity for every eligible man to avoid the operation of the law as to the sins of the fathers being .visited .on the children. There were times when conscience wn.s pricked—occasions when the Minister confessed failure to understand how any maid cpuld. be content with a. man who failed to accept the highest duty of man-' hood, or when he spoke with suppressed scorn of the man who accepted matrimony as an excuse for. staying at , homo. Occasionally he emphasised tiro consoling pride of sacrifice and tender memory ; always he urged the duty of the individual to the Empire. ' He was perhaps appreciated most when"ho indicated clearly by,direct word and inference that voluntaryism was on its final trial, that if it failed conscription was inevitable. «■ The Minister received a cordial welcome". Mr A. S. Malcolm, M.P. for Clutlia, had a seat on the platfomi. Mr Charles King, Mayor of Milton, who presided, said they were all pleased to see Mr Allen present. They had not seen him for a long time—not,"he thought, since election time. He was not going to make a speech on parly politics, because there were no politics at the present time. His Worship also took the opportunity of extending, on behalf of the residents" of Milton, a cordial welcome to the men of the Fifteenth Reinforcements-—men who had heard the call of duty, and were prepared to. make the great sacrifice. They were proud of them. (Applause.) He was sure that the men who were about to enter the training camps had read of the grand achievements of the men who had preceded them, and their hearts It ad been fired. Ho was sure that they would do their duty nobly and well at the. front. He wished them good luck, and expressed the hope that they would return to Milton covered with glory and renown. , (Applause.) SOUTH OTAGO’S RECORD. Hon. Mr Allen said at once that he desired to join with the Mayor in a very hearty appreciation of tho members of the 15th Reinforcements. (Applause.) Perhaps it would -be-just as" well that he should say how many men bad gone from the- group—dm.;, Group 18 (Milton and South Otago Group), To date 28 officers, 514"Territorials, and 613 civilians had gone forward—i.e.,„a grand, tolal-of 28 officers and 1,127 other ranks. And for the 15th Reinforcements leaving next day he understood that there were 54 men already prepared to go from the group—a shortage of 14 men of the infantry, which he hoped would be made, up almost immediately. As to the men who had volunteered and were going into camp, he wished them all good fortune. It could hardly he expected that all of them would return safe and sound. But they wore going to the front on behalf of their country, on behalf of their mothers and sisters and their little brothers, and were about to enter the two great trainingcamps of tho Dominion. “NEW ZEALAND FOR EVER.’’ There in’ the very first week they would come under the influence of something that -would be of great benefit to them in their training—the traditions already existing in the Two camps, and they were truly great camps. On every draft of men sent to the front the Dominion had been complimented upon the splendid way in which the men had been trained, despite the short amppnt of time at the disposal of those who had trained them. Tho men who had already gone forward bod been making a great name for New Zealand. Now Zealand was a name respected in the, Mother Country more than evfl’r it had been respected in the past. To-day it was even something more than respect that tho people of Great Britain had for New Zealand. Many of the men who had left pur shores had made the greatest sacrifice possible, and many were sick afid wounded. There wore many whom we hoped would return covered tvith hopor and glory. The men who were now entering camp,, who were about io wear khaki, would, he was stipe,'{Ollovy the great example-of tljo jnep who had preceded them, a,nd -the word ho wanted them always to remefnber was' “'New Zealand. ’’ (Applause.) If "would "stand ’"bv them m the camps, in the tfpnhheS r m thV hospitals, and it would stand' by them v/hen they were breathing their last breath New Zealand, home and country, and all that was dear to them.' (Applause.) . BACKBONE OP OUR ARMY.

They could not bo permitted to go with tho expeditionary force now. but they would get their reward when the riHit tnne came. New Zealand owed then? a groat deal, and-he was determined that their services should not go unrecognised. NO POLITICS. , ' vn f not present to talk politics; up was there to ask them to join hands ■w'th the National .Ministry and remind tliem that those who had to remain behind —lie was talking more especially to those °c ,I ?, n : ,n,!itiu 'y a ge and women and men or military age who because of certain circumstances could imt go—that thev, too had a duty to perform’. They who had to remain behind, eager as they might bo to get to the front, had their responsibilities. Every man and every woman who Jo remain behind had to do at this time of trial, and it mi" in order tnat he might endeavor to point out that something that he was present to address them. He wanted to impress upon them the enormous importance of nnitv M they knew, they had formed a National -Ministry of members of the House, and nearly every individual member of the fw. the time being sacrificed individual politics and joined hands with the National Ministry in order that New Zealand might do her utmost to carry out her obligations to the Mother Country, to the men who had left our shores—the" men who had fought some of our battles and the men who had yet to fight our battles. (Applause.) Before ho proceeded to deal with the main part of his speech there wore one or two things which he felt he ought to tell his own constituents before lie told anyone else. VALUE OF PREPAREDNESS. What already had been done was in itself an effective argument, tho Minister continued, as to the necessity for using all our efforts to bring the thing to a successful conclusion. War was declared on August 5, 1914, and tho following day we were asked to send forces to take Samoa. Five days later, on August 11, these forces were ready to move, all equipped thoroughly, and transports ready lor sea. That they did not get away until August 15 was no fault of the New Zealand Government. Samoa was occupied on August 29—25 days from the lime the Government received, notice that they were wanted to send forces to Samoa. (Applause.)' The. place was occupied by New Zealand troops. “Now,” declared Mr.Allen, “the preparation which led the Dominion to do that, and. tho energy put into it, must not be lost. 'What- we have gained we must hold for the Empire. It" can only be held by the Empire winning the war. | (Applause,) We ’donot know what may happen in regard to Samoa, but we Now Zealanders are firmly convinced that it should not remain under" German rule. We have been making provision for Samoa to come, under British rule—wo hope under N.ew Zealand (applause)—and wc have been planting onr feet pretty firmly there.” He pointed out that-the German currency had been changed to British, and there was a branch of tho New Zealand Bank. (Applause.) Herman notes had all been collected and sold, and- we had British gold lor them at a comparatively small loss. All their gold and silver had been collected : the gold sold without any loss, the silver now held in England. Samoa s trade had been largely in German hands, and we were doing onr best to place it in British hands. Most important steps had been taken in that direction. The great German company there had been liquidated, and it behoved New Zealand to see that wo took that company's place ni providing for the trade and interests of Samoa. Friendly relations had been established with the" natives, and Now Zealanders thought that the Bamo.tTis would be happier, more prosperous and more free, under British ride. The natives were our friends to-day. (Applause.) He thought he might be pardoned lor saying that much of onr preparedness to despatch a force to "Samoa w-as due to the acceptance and operation ot tho Territorial scheme, and ho ventured to say that never again would anyone raise argument against the Territorial movement. (Applause.) DOMINION'S WAR EXPENDITURE. Tho Dominion’s war expenditure was another reason why we should do our utmost in assisting to win the war. The cost of the construction of the Trentham «mu from its mception, together with incidental expenditure, amounted to £2lO 000 • the Foathsrstcirecainp to £l4s,ooo—a’total ot £355,000. The average weekly cost of running these -camps, the salaries of the training camps, pay of Headquarters clerks, die staffs ot the permanent aupnly depots, the pay of medical orderlies the rationing of the' permanent camp staff' civilian cooks, and fuel, but not of rationing. ot the troops undergoing trainin' "amounted to £1,442 at Feat hers ton and to »1,465 at IrentharD. The equipment of the 'Expeditionary Forces to date amounted to dose on £1,9Q0,Q00. -The approximate total expenditure to date on the war expenses ‘hccqipTt'nyas■ ftc.arly £8,700,000. The rate of expenditure now was nearly £600,000 amonth. “ Ax© wo New Zealanders,” he asked, - "such fools as to tlirow that money away and permit Goman .arms to comb

DOMINION'S WAR EXPENDITURE. Tho Dominion’s war expenditure was another reason why we should do our utmost ta assisting to win the war. The cost of the construction of the Trentham ?aniu from its mception, together with incidental expenditure, amounted to £2lO 000 • the Fputhsrstcirecainp to £l4s,ooo—a’total bt £355,000. The average weekly cost of running these -camps, the salaries of the training cafnps, pay of Headquarters clerks, rite staffs ot the permanent aupnly depots, the pay of medical orderlies the rationing of the permanent camp staff civilian cooks, and fuel, but not of rationing. ot the troops -undergoing trainim' ’amounted to £1 442 at Feat hers ton and to »1,465 at IrentharD.

Tlie equipment of the Fxpeditionary ■ forces to date amounted to dose or '£I,9QO,QOO. -The approximate total expenditure to date on the war expenses ■;tccca£)Tt':}v-as-ftc.arly £8,700,000. The rate of expenditure now was. nearly £600,000 amonth. “ Ax© wo New Zealanders,” he asked, “such fools as to tlirow that money away and permit Gorman .arms to como out on top? No; we are spendino- it ip a- good purpose, and we know that we miist win. The result must be that military despotism shall ha put down, and that- equity, justice, and tlip right of small natiops shall prevail.” (Applause.) SUPPLY OF RIFLES.

Our reinforcements had been a credit to the country and a credit to the Staff' that had trained them. (Applause.) That Staff had been held ba,ck ip New Zealand though they were anxious to get to the front, efting their hearts out to get to tpe flnng line. But everyone could not fet to the front, and the authorities had. .ad to tell that Staff ■ that their greater d'Ay lay before them in this country in the training of tho th a griw,JW,

TheAlinister here mentioned that since 1912 wo had secured SO.OCO rifles, and that supplies were assured for the future. (Anyvl a 11 ba j 1

THIS PHAPOW OF COMPULSION. ’lho Minister proceeded to discuss in detail the .Recruiting Board’s scheme, and made a strong appeal for N the exercise of unity And the subjugation of personal ■opinions until voluntaryism had been given an exhaustive trial- “The new scheme,” lie declared, ” must bo tested to the full, and if it does not survive the final test thenthere is nothing for it but compulsion. ’ There were a good many arguments m favor of the voluntary principle, he continued, and pointed out that it would te a glorious day for New Zealand if its obligations could, be fulfilled without compelling any man to do 'his duty. He had never urged the enlistment "of married men, but ho was proud of those who had enlisted in the belief that they could servo their country better at the" front than by remaining at home with their domestic obligations. If the married men said in response to appeals that they were willing to go after the unmarried men had gone, their answer would have to ho talfen. Ho ventured to say. that .if the position were such that recruiting were affected by that argument, and that there was a large percentage of unmarried men who refused lo enlist, the Recruiting Board would have to consider very serfously the position as between voluntaryism and other methods. Ho discussed the aspects of the new scheme of recruiting, and emphasised the value o. local bodies assisting the Government m compiling a perfect roll. Without a complete roll a perfect system of compulsion, if that were necessary, could not he applied. There would bo a loophole for the men who wore determined to shirk their responsibilities. The National Register had disclosed the fact bevond the V fihadf>vy of a doubt tluit if all the unixinrned men who had expressed willingness to go enlisted there would he sufficient reciuits for the next eight or nine months. If the .local bodies did their utmost to secure men for six months ahead—the limit allowed by the Recruiting Board—there would bo ample men together with those in training for 10 months’ requirements. The Minister gave it as his opinion that it was unfair to call upon the returned soldier to take part in recruiting. He had done his whack at the front. (Applause.)"' • ■ In conclusion, the Minister discussed the aspects of tho position in terms outlined in our introductory summary, and was accorded a cordial vote of thanks.' The Mayor - remarked that he was confident that one result of the Minister’s welcome visit would ho that the local authority in the district would do their utmost to support the Government scheme. The men of the Fifteenth Reinforcements were the guests of the ladies of St. John’s Club at supper. They had a good send-off this morning when entraining by the first express. The entrainment was carried out expeditiously by Captain A. C. Stevens (group commander).