As Others See Us.

Manawatu Times, Volume XL, Issue 13763, 17 December 1917, Page 5

As Others See Us.

NEW ZEALAND’S FINANCIAL SACRIFICE.

(From the “ Montreal Star”)

The population of New Zealand is about 1,100,000, or approximately that of Toronto and Montreal combined. Its war expenditure to March exceeded £22,000,000, or £2O for each person, including Maoris and other natives. At the same rate of war expenditure, Canada ’s seven and a half millions would have raised and spent for war purposes £150,000,000. The last returns as to Canada’s war expenditure showed that about £130,000,000 had been spent, or about £l7 a head. We have received an immense war business, munition orders and supply orders totalling at least £160,000,000 and have thus had an era of great prosperity in which to finance the war outlay. New Zealand’s Parliament now has before it a bill to authorise compulsory contributions to war loans. If the taxpayer fails to contribute to the loan he becomes liable to twice the amount on his lami and income taxes. If that is not drastic action to keep New Zealand’s forces in the field, what is? New Zealand has for many months had a system of conscription by which any deficit in volunteering under certain minimum requirements is made good by drafts. That system has been steadily in operation, notwithstanding that New Zealand’s big neighbour, Australia, turned down conscription at a referendum, and has since relied on the voluntary system. Little New Zealand might well have felt itself excused from drastic measures of compulsion when Australia backed away but it did not. It took its own strong course. In the effort to block the selective draft in Canada many Laurier organs pointed out Australia as an example, but they carefully steered away from mention of courageous, unquitting Now Zealand.

The Finance Minister of Canada expects to put out another domestic war loan soon. Ro far, we have raised £70.000.000 in such loans, most _of which has been paid back to Canadians for purchases of munitions and supplies for Britain. 'When the campaign for the loan is on Sir Thomas White ought to find considerable advantage in holding up New Zealand’s splendid sacrifice as an incentive to Canadian investors. Too many of them think Canada has done well, and might sit back a little — when examples such as that of New Zealand should teach us how little we have done.