SPEECH BY MR E. NEWMAN, M.P.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 10359, 1 May 1916, Page 3

SPEECH BY MR E. NEWMAN, M.P.

COMPULSION W H- T "'■' r <AW WITHIN J?EW .WEEKS, ! Mr Etlwni'd Newman, M.P., who was present at the "Bend-off'' to Kairanga recruits on Friday evening-, delivered a very interesting speech, i:i the course of which.! he said ;—■, T have much pleasure" in accepting the Kttirunga CdnbiUtteo's invitation to be pre-; fient fco : riisht to take pari in the send-off . *c> young men going to camp. I have Watched with pleasure the splendid efforts , of'residents of this district in providing' funds foe patriotic purposes, ami the royj suits will comparo favourably vvith any j other district <>? the Sahib - size in New j Zealand, nut it is hot only in liberality , hi itidlkßy that this district has excelled—it ' has also, I am informed, supplied more j than its quota of men. .1 wish to con- j gratulate the settlers and local recruiting officers on this result. You are all aware that the voluntary system is on its final trial. Personally J have always been in favour nt' voluntary service-, but full nOw in favour of compulsory national service—national service is required now. I consider it the fairest system under existing circumstances, where all men alike, lit for military service, will be called on to defend their home. Within a few weeks 1 believe this will bo law in this Dominion, and f shall be greatly surprised if the Bill does not pass the House with a very large, majority. Some people fear that the, Labour' Party will oppose this. 1 disagree with this. The Labour Party are just as loyal as other people: except a few ■ lied Feds who should be in the trenches. What Labour leaders fear is that wealth ' may prevent equality of sacrifice. This must , be carefully guarded against, so that the j son of the wealthiest man in I lie Dominion will have no more chance of escaping sei-j vice than the sou of the poorest man. Wo know what the volunteer soldiers of NewZealand have already done at An/.ac and elsewhere. We know that our boys by their courage and determination, officers] and men alike, have earned a name for : themselves, second to none in the armies of the Empire. Nearly 60,000 of them have volunteered. The magnificent bravery and dogged endurance displayed by the New Zealand, and Australian troops, when landing on the shell-swept shores and cliffs of the Gallipoli Peninsula, had added lustre to the already glorious annals of the British Army, and when tile history of this great war is written, and as long as talcs of adventure and courage are told to our children, so long will the conduct of these boys, bred in the backblocks and plains and tonus of New Zealand and Australia, be held up as an example to the youth of the future. All, officers and men', did their duty, and some have died, and many are wounded. L is hard on those who are left at home to mourn, and ivc all sympathise with them deeply and sincerely. But let it comfort them to know that their sons' names are enrolled, amongst the heroes of the race, and as long as the Empire lasts their deeds of bravery will be remembered. In the words of LI.M. the King's message of An/.ac Day: "Their valour and fortitude have shed fresh lustre on the British arms. May those who mourn their loss find comfort in the conviction that they did not die in vain, but; that their sacrifice has drawn our peonies more closely together and added strength and glory to the Empire. 1 ' The Heroes of An/.ac have done the Empire a noble service. We were proud not only of the number of men and women, because our brave nurses musl not be for-gotten—-but we were proud of the quality of our men and what they had already done to uphold the warlike traditions of our race. This Empire, the greatest Empire the world has ever seen, was not won without sacrifice and bloodshed. For long generations our forefathers—the forefathers of the boys now at the from—had given .heir lives up cheerfully in their country's service. The' great grandfathers of these boys who had landed under lire at the Dardanelles, scaled the Heights of Quebec. The grandfathers of these boys formed the "thin red" line at Alma and took Sebastopol. These boys have got it in their blood, and, thank God. it had revealed itself at the test. New Zealand has (lone splendidly, but if we are to win this war ,ve must'keep up our supply of men. The fate of New Zeala.V., wnctiior we are to live and die as Braish subjects, or spend the rest of our dc.J'S a German colony, is now being dec-id-.;.' If we cannot win now

with the help o? Franco and Russia, we cm never will. Have you contemplated what would happen in New Zealand with u German garrison in each town. 1 shall not press thai point, you know what occurred in Belgium—worse things might happen here, if the Germans got here. The time has gone by for waving Hags and making patriotic speeches, and singing Hide Britannia. If WO are to save this fair land for ourselves and our children ovcry eligible man must be prepared to fight for it. But there are many eligible men who are not prepared to light. Why is this? Whose fault is it? 1 am convinced there are very few men, lit and well, between 20 and 45 years of ago who will deliberately allow other men to light unci perhaps tlie for their country, while tlicy refuse to lift a finger in her dofeniee. I believe, that the parents are responsible to a largo extent for many young men nol enlisting. And in many cases no doubt with good reason. It is a terrible sacrifice for many old people to let their sons leave them. It may mean ruin in their old age, when after lives of hard work they hip -I for some measure of ease. But the greater the sacrifice the greater tho honour. Further it is the duty of those who ■ email) to share the sacrifice as far as possible. Any man who has made money out of the war should not rest until he has spent it on the wounded soldiers. If he does not part with it voluntarily the Government should take a hand in the game. Many papers refer to tho great war profits made by farmers. Certainly largo woolgrowers have done very well, but agricultural farmers are having a bad time this year, and il looks as if there will be a greal deal less land in erop next harvest. So far as grain growers are concerned there are certainly no war profits this year—on the contrary, there are losses. Never before in the history of any country has so much been done by legislation for the defenders of the country. Wo have the most liberal pension system in tho world. That is a fact. Perhaps it should be more liberal—probably it will be made so. The Government have arranged to give sol- , diers instruction in farming on State experimental farms. Those who control the Technical Colleges have arranged to afford re- , turned soldiers facilities for learning trades. The Government have- made satis- j factory arrangements for the tuition of soldiers who may be blind. Under the Regu- ; lation of Trade and Commerce Act an Or-' der-in-Council has been passed which will enable employers, subject to certain condi- : tions, to employ returned soldiers upon : terms other than those contained in indus- i trial awards. The Minister of Lands, who | is administering the Discharged Soldiers ! Settlement Act, can find suitable land for soldiers, and has agreed to my recom- j menrtatiou to set aside the Powhakarua bloc!;, near Mangaweka, for soldiers. Another department is looking alter the sick and the maimed, and tho Discharged Soldiers' Department employs its energies in , the direction of getting work for soldiers who want occupation. In spile of all this some men will not go willingly. Well, I j think they will bo compelled to go. Jhe . question for them to decide now is who- | ther they will go now with credit and honour, or by compulsion Now is tho ■ time. From all parts of the Empire, the sons of the Empire, of all races, and all creeds and all colours are hastening to the i help of the Motherland in her need. Make i no mistake It is the hour of her need. Bonur Daw said lately that: it was doubtful if England could win without the aid of the Dominions beyond the Seas. All , differences throughout the Empire have I ii forgotten. Even our late toes have: become friends because after beating them WO gave them the liberty we ourselves possess. The blood of many brave boys from the Dominion litis already been shed in j

this Wiiv. Arc such losses, such bravo, deeds to proves fruitless 'I I do not believe ii will he'so. ll' this country is to remain under the British flag:, if the honour and safety of the women of Now Zealand is to be maintained, if we are to live our livos as we would live them, now is the time for the men of Now Zealand to stand- shoulder to shoulder and fight for the Empire. . , A word lo hoys who are now going into camp. You are doing your duty—and wo are all proud of you. We feel sure you will prove yourselves as good men as the New Zoalanclors who have preceded you.

At Rahgiotu camp lately I hoard Colonel OilibiiiiS addi'cßs tlin oflicors ami men | training there. Ho told them that all drill —tiresome as it might appear to be—was the result of years and years of study ! li.V Uohiiei'.'! in wartime, and was designed , to turn out good and efficient soldiers. He told them that to inspire confidence and respect from others each man must know his own job; That is why officers and 'nlen in the British army work so well toj Iff'tliel', if 1.9 I3e3au§d tlio* have confidence in each other, lie told tiiem fhaf the most ! important point of all wag to have tllo ' true spirit of a soldier. Wherever you gel 'we will watch your work with interest. , When your names appear in the records i of the war we shall rejoice in your successes and sympathise, if sympathy is required. Anil we shall rejoice groatly when |we see you back here again. On behalf of 'the people of this district 1 wish yon God'-; ' speed, the best of good fortune, and a • happy return. j At Mr Newman's cull three rhecrs were ' given for the boys going to the war.