NEW ZEALAND & THE WAR.

Mataura Ensign, 12 February 1916, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND & THE WAR.

TO ASSIST RECRUITING. R 111 RN Kl) SOl.mr.itS’ r.FPORT>. I'KU lINTTKH J'HKSS ASSOCIATION. HASTINGS. I- ■ A nnmln'r oi' ruUimod soldiers who hire ;i -troiifj: desire to assist. in t li suasion roernitine seln'me Indd a nicotine: yesterday and resolved, “lhai «’i‘ returned soldiers arc' prepared to d" all in our power to assist recruitm<?. Tho resolution was handed to tin 1 Mayor with a re<|iiesi that lio should call anoihor meeiin}Z. corxTV ror.Nc ii/s^sri'ROßT.

At yesterday's' meeting ol' tlie Southland Country Council the circular ietter. signed liv tlie members ol' the National Recruiting Hoard explaining the new recruit in'.; .scheme was read. M,- G. J. Anderson. M.P.. n«> wrote intimating that he would he pleased to assist the Council in any way possihle in nroniot iny; and carninn- out the scheme. The chairman (Mr T .Eraser) said the Council shou'd do e\orvthing in its ■rower to fall in with the proposa vcrv heartily. Of course, some would .nay' that compulsion was tlie right thing, but. ii" there was conscription ol moil. thorp must also he conscription of wealth. He would not like to see that in tho meantime and the voluntary system .should ho adhered to nl! it. had' heen found to fail. He moved. "That, the Council give the scheme its support." Councillor Robertson s:m<l there was no u.se saving that they would support tlie scheme unless they d ; <l .so hearulv. He was not going to te'l ".my young mail' that he should no to the fiont. Ho believed : n (inscription, and that it. had got *<' l ' nill{1: >■* ' :l( 'C it ought to have" boon brought into oiienition 18 months ago. The vo!unlarv system wa.s ;'.M right in former times, but not under the present state of things. The less talk that was indulged in the more the number of men who enlisted.. He believed, in. the conscription' of wealth., and did not see why it should not come. Every councilor at the tab'e should exnrest his o'vnion. on the matter. Councillor White: Conscription of wealth will !><.• brought "bout bv taxa-

J ion. Councillor SU'wrf expressed the oiriron 'hat alter the liv.rvest there would he pleniv of volunteers. H" could cot. mo -'ml ask :■ Mian to do whal lie oott'd no do himse'f. He did noi lie could not do himself. He did notill the m-itter. Councii'oi- Flotuiu" .said he took it (lint, the Council should use pverv mcaos mid endeavor w> euro', recruits*. Ho agreed thai conscription should come,, and it should have come lonic asco. No married man should Ih> allowed to go Jo the front while single men were available.

I Councillor Ker.se sa ; d that it appeared that the councillor* found them-'.■-elves in :>. very difficult po.sit \-j,n. butit was not Mritils.li-like to run away and shirk their responsibilities. '}'}"'>' ought to as-sist the Government. They would either 4inve to support the Government <ir go against it. Tli-ey had been to!<l three months ago that UK 1.000 men had offered themselves lor service if they were required, including .",0.000 simile "men. mi tl'tal it oii'j.ht not to b/ to dilficipt to yet nien. Ihe .Council should rdvisc the Govern.),out that- the time n-.d arrived when r.ti-'M-ription sliouUli be fsorled to I; wr.s 'hardly possible U.i t'e Council to Joint I itself into :•„ eoni!,iii L ee as suigesii-'. n.v the circular, but- the local metnbeiK could do .so, while the members repre.senting the outlying districts could cooperate with the .societies in their localities, each councillor to operate in his oim district. It was a difficult matier to ask a man to enlist•: that was ;t mailer for a man himself to decide. A groat many men were making i/ivat. saeriJioe.-, in going to t.ho front. , 'Tilt) cause wn.s not- ait individual or partv one, hul if was one towards which everV member of the community should

: give" everv diino' -of i'lit'i'fjy In- possessed in order t<» bring the war to a sueeessi'itl conclusion. Uo seconded tho ! motion .that tho scheme ho supported ;hv the Council very heartily. I Councillor Norman said lie knew ol case- in his own' district where there were thiei\ four, and five members in u family eligible to go to the front, but who would not go and who would never gi» unless they were compelled to do iml He knew some men who had .signi- | lied that they were willing to gc to !the front when a compulsory system I was inaugurated, .".nd who worn waiting for such a system to He brought. I into vogue. I Councillor Keise expressed the opinion thut the Dominion's resources should bo nationalised. The oon-oription of wealth wns a big question, but the war profits on wool alone were £(i,000.000 and out of that the Govern nent was asking for , only ,C 700.000. Ho was certainly not pleased with the Nation:'! Government rogarding the way it Inut put taxation on tobacco aiui other tilings -which the workingman used. Couii'ciilor White stated that fanner.-.' sons were deterred from enlisting owing to the difficulty there was in obtaining U'.lior to work the farms. He had j son who was anxious to enlist, hut he eon hi not got anyone to look after his farm. Councillor Hunter s.-id the sooner they had conscription the hotter. Tliere. -were many midde-agod men who were bettor a hi- to go to (ho front than many of 'lie hoys in their teens whom they wore- sending. There should ho no hogging of men to go. but the decision. "You've £ot to go."

9TH REINFORCEMENTS. ARRIVAL AT SFEZ tFv.'.in Ma'coliii Rr.s- V N?-v; />:iiauri "\Ynr ( orrespondeut .) I SVF.Z, Feb. Hi. I The lii's| of the Ktli Beiiifoivoinents recently arrived, having made a spied.v voyage. The men are in good lorm and there was very little siekne-s on the ship. The men were nit t by t. oloncl Rhodes and 1 several New Zealand officers. The men will disembirk loniorrow and will encamp at Zeitoiiu lottnrther training.