COMPULSORY SERVICE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 1477, 25 November 1915, Page 2

COMPULSORY SERVICE.

In an interview at Christchurch, Sir Joseph Ward said that conscription had not been considered by the National Cabinet. As far as be could judge from the enrolment ol men in New Zealand, there was no necessity for the voluntary system, which had enabled the Dominion to respond magnificently to the call for men, to be replaced by compulsion. Personally, he was not a friend ol conscription. Although motions had been passed in its favour, he did not think the time had arrived to try to force it on the people. If, later, the voluntary system failed to meet requirements, the necessity of the case would call for full consideration of the question, and he had sufficient confidence in tire good sense of all classes of the community to believe that in these circumstances the people would readily confoim to requirements which concerned the preservation of the Empire. “I think it is belter to have the country united in advocating the full supply ol men under the voluntary system,” Sir Joseph continued, “than to create strong opposition by pressing for compulsion before we arrive at a time when reconsideration of the present system is forced on us by its failure. Any feeling of anxiety in regard to compulsion being imposed, or any unrest on that account is allayed by the fact that nothing can be done in that direction without the sanction of Parliament, and no responsible proposal has been made, or even suggested, that Parliament should be called together to pass legisla tiou of that character. Every young single man of age and physical capacity who realises what it means to possess such a country as New Zealand, and what it means to be attached to the British Empire, should see that it is his duty to make some sacrifice to offer his services here, as men in other parts of the Empire i similarly circumstanced offer their services.” No part of the British Empire, so far, had declared for conscription. It was the people’s first duty in New Zealand, as in all other parts of the Empire, to leave nothing undone that was required to achieve victory, and he hesitated to believe that force would be necessary to compel our people to do their duty. Up to the present there had been no signs of failure in New Zealand in that respect. He believed that there would be none.