RECRUITING
[Prion Our Special Correspondent.]
WELLINGTON. April 10. "The members of the Wellington War Recruiting Committee were moved to some plain speaking at their last meeting bv the resignation of Captain Barclay, the committee's chief executive officer," who, despite the weight of some 70 odd years, has done splendid' work since the beginning of the war in getting men into camp and to the front. Needless to say, the captain's resignation wsi-s not accepted', but it was made the peg on which to hang some very trenchant criticism of the Government. Mr Luckie mnintainedi that the whole trouble in connection with recruiting was occasioned by Government mismanagement. Dr Newman, contended that the authorities had as persistently underrated the good work dono by the committee as they had obstinately rejected the committee's suggestions. " Mr Von Jiaast attributed the failure of the voluntary system to the refusal of the Government to grant adequate pensions aud allowances and to establish receiving camps in the principal centres, and Captain Barclay himself declared that it tho Government assistance could not be got in practical tilings, the committee mip-ht as well discontinue their efforts to secure men. A majority of tho members of the committee expressed themselves as strongly in favor of conscription, apparently in the belief that the resources ot voluntaryism were well-nigh exhausted, and refused to believe that the personal canvass urged upon them by the Board would bo anything but a hopeless business. One member, the Mayor of a suburban borough, objected to the personal canvass, because it might lead to the canvassers beinc asked why they did not induce their own sons to volunteer for service, and another objected to wasting his time on the work while the Government failed to call up men who had already enlisted.
No doubt the feeling that conscription in some form or another is inevitable is growing throughout the North Island. Whether this feeling is justified by the circumstances, or whether it is the' fruit of persistent iteration by certain politicians and certain local bodies, it is hard to say, but in justico to the members of the Kecruiting Board, who are not in entiro agreement on the subject, it must, be recognised that thoy are all making strenuous efforts at the present time to get the best possible results from the voluntary system. Sir Joseph Ward, who makes no secret of his dislike to conscription, and will accept iti only as a last resort, still hopes the system will be saved, and is continuing bis appeal for voluntary service whenever opportunity oilers. ' Mr Ma-ssey and Mr Allen, though converts to compulsion, are loyally _ exerting themselves in the same direction, and, it may be presumed, have no active sympathy with the view expressed by the vice-pre-sident of the Farmers' Union that " numbers of first-cla-ss men " ' are holding back because "they see a lot of, shirkers and loafers wasting . their time at races and suchlike." -If Major Lusk intends to imply, as many peopie here assume he does, that the wage) workers in the towns are not doing their part as well as the farmers aer doing theirs, the facts are all against him. The) figures show that the workers have contributed far more than their proportionate ~ share to the reinforcements, and that their .contributions are increasing rather than decreasing with ,the later drafts. However, this is not the time to bo setting Town against Country or Country against Town, and if New Zealand is to discharge her obligations to the Mother Country without conscription, the whole community must put their shoulder to.#M}. jy heel, with an.ujidivided. purpose.
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Bibliographic details
Evening Star, Issue 16088, 13 April 1916, Page 7
Word Count
601RECRUITING Evening Star, Issue 16088, 13 April 1916, Page 7
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