PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Fortieth Year OF Publication. ESTABLISHED 1875 Manawatu Daily Times TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 1915.

Manawatu Times, Volume XL, Issue 13209, 28 September 1915, Page 4

PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Fortieth Year OF Publication. ESTABLISHED 1875 Manawatu Daily Times TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 1915.

WE congratulate Mr Fisher, the Federal Premier, on his strong pronouncement against conscription, because no portion of the British Dominions should adopt a system so repugnant to the nature of the free-born Britisher. The conscription caeklers are the most foolish people in all our vast Empire, i because they would force all to try to do that which cam be best done only by the brave and willing. A volunteer army is animated by a spirit that a forced army does not and cannot pofl sess. In a forced or conscript army the majority merely belong to the rabble, and "wasters" are only in the way of the real aghters. History shows most clearly that whenever the need arises the British people rise to the occasion, and arise to it with the spirit of conquerors, absolutely determined to overcome the enemy. On nearly every occasion when war has been necessary Britain has been what the makers of the German war machine would call totally unprepared, but her people hive never been found

wanting in willingness to fight nor in ability to achieve victory. Conscription would utterly destroy the soul of the army that Britain dan always rely upon to maintain the supremacy of the flag. It may teach all men to drill and perhaps to shoot to kill, but it cannot develop "that quality which makes the British soldier superior to all others in dogged determination and fixed desire to vanquish the enemy. There are plenty of arguments to support compulsory military training, but there is not one sound one in favour of compelling unwilling men to fight. IT may or may not be true that the German War Lord treats his generals like dogs if they fail in their work, ibut it may be fairly assumed that his madness thus manifests itself. That he must be insane has long been evident, for no sane man would have set a world in arms against his race, or have sanctioned atrocities that have horrified humanity. And no man who was not bereft of reason would continue a hopeless struggle which can only mem the sacrifice of a large number of lives without the slightest hope of victory. A vast number of the people of the Teutonic Empires have been sacrificed on the altar of the war god, and the impoverishment of the people is shown by the practical failure of the last effort to raise money for war purposes, which is in striking contrast to the financial operations of the Allies. The war would have ended months ago but for the fact that Prussian militarism dominates the whole of the Teutonic Empires, and the Prussian dominators are continuing the war solely with the object of "saving their face," and hoping to secure better terms of peace. This is why attempts were made to buoy up the Turks with hope, and why we hear blustering accounts of what the beaten enemies propose to do in the way of helpinT the Turkish ally, by means of attacks upon Egypt and reinforcements sent through Bulgaria. The Teutons have no men to spare for this work, and will have many fewer before the Russians and the Allies on the western front have finished with them. We may also rest assured that the only terms of peace will be such as will prevent a recurrence of the descent of a horde - of bandits upon the civilised nations.

IT is satisfactory to note that the State proposes to settle returned wounded soldiers on the land, because this will tend, not only to supply them with the means of living, but to give them that occupation which is so necessary to enable them to escape temptation. And as the land cannot be sold by the settler, we shall have at least a portion of the people fixed to the soil and adding to the real wealth of the country. Th° soldier farmers ought to be successful, especially as monetary aid will be given by the State. Already a fairly large sum — nearly a quarter of a million—has been donated by the people to aid those who have been fighting for us in a foreign land, so that it should require but little from the Treasury to carry out an efficient scheme for enabling all who are fit to do something in the way of supporting themselves*. Most assuredly it is our duty to see that their future lives are spent in comfort and that they shall never be haunted by the spectre of poverty, for they have sacrificed much for us and risked even their lives to help us to win in the great world- shaking struggle. They are entitled to help as well as to honour, and any sacrifice on their behalf should not be grudged.