The Moving Finger

Maoriland Worker, Volume 8, Issue 344, 26 September 1917, Page 4

The Moving Finger

"Tho moving dinger writes; and, having writ, moves on."—OMAR.

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According to a statement made to the House of Representatives by the Miniejter of Defence on Tuesday evening of last week, there are THREE THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVEN objectors to military service who have so far failed to go into camp after being drawn in the ballot. For 606 of these men warrants had been issued, and 193 of them had been arrested. (Sir James Allen did not state the number who are lying in prison, but we understand that it exceeds 120.) Three thousand one hundred and twenty-one (3121) could not be located—the Conscript law has apparently made them fugitives in their own country. These figures furnish the strongest argument that could be demanded for the repeal of Conscription; and they are figures that will in all probability be increased in a much larger proportion as the Second Division ballots operate. ** * * Who said Equality of Sacrifice? The other day a friend handed writer a clipping from a Palmerston North paper drawing attention to tho fact that "in the Adjutant-General's office alone there is a little army of officials all drawing more or less substantial salaries." To these salaries travelling expenses must be added. In these salaries "a sum of at least £74,160 poi* annum is involved, a3 Bet out In the following table:— A Major-General £1200 Three Colonels at £750 2250 One Lieut-Colonel t>so Three Lieut.-Colonels at £600 1800 One General Staff Officer 800 One General Staff Officer 700 Two General Staff-Officers at £500 1000 Ten Majors at £475 4750 Two Majors at £450 !100 Thirteen Captains at £400.... l>2oo 'Fourteen Captains at £375.... 5150 Four Captains at £350 , 1400 Eleven Lieutenants at £300.. 3300 Eighteen Lieutenants at £275 4950 Seven Lieutenants at £250 .... 1750 Sixty Warrant Officers at £225 13,500 Seventy-two Staff-Sergeants ' at £225 ..16,200 Twenty Staff-Sergeants at £210 4200 Twenty-three Sergt.-Inst. at £190 4370 £74,170 The writer goes on to point out that "In the R.N.Z.A. there is one temporary colonel at £700, one lieuten-ant-colonel at £600, two majors at £475, three temporary captains at £350, also smaller-salaried officials. In the field artillery section there are two majors at £475, ole captain at £375, and two honorary captains at £350."

Will someone tell us why there should not be equality of sacrifice in the Army? Why should one man draw £1200 a year for staying at home, while another man gejts 5/- a day for risking his life in the trenches? Why shouldn't the stay-at*home officer get. 5/- a day as well as the man who gets right up to the firing-line, where death and hell everlastingly stalk?

And talking about EQUALITY OF SACRIFICE reminds this scribe that our patriotic National Government has paid the Union Steamship Company ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-TWO THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED AND EIGHTY POUNDS (£143,680) merely for the HIRE of the-two hospital ships Maheno and Marama! Who said HIGH Finance? "The Last Man," writing in "Westport Times," comments on the fact that "the hire exceeded the pay to the whole hospital staff and ships' crew by over £42,000." And—exclaims "The Last Man"—"that is what we term Equality of Sacrifice!" Well, why not? Haven't the Union Steamship Company LENT the Gnashional Government a quarter of a million of the money (at something like 53 per cent.) which the Government GAVE it. [or the steamers it LENT to the Government, and won't the Government pay the Union Co. another quarter of a million in the form of interest within the next IS or ID years; and won't the Government still owe the Co. the original quarter of a million? Equality of Sacrifice! The Union Co. is prepared to sacrifice every wharf lumper it possesses rather than risk losing the war! Thus a country paper, appealing for support for the War £oan: "Can any sacrifice the stay-at-homes make even begin to compare with the sublime heroism and self-sacrifice of these of our fellow-citizens who have gone forth to war on our behalf, esteeming not their iives dear unto themselves IF HAPPILY THEY MAY PRESERVE FOR US WHO REMAIN SECURITY AND PEACE, FREEDOM OF CONSCIENCE AND THAT INDEPENDENCE OF SPEECH AND THOUGHT WHICH WE HAVE EVER ENJOYED UNDER THE BRITISH FLAG?" But what will they say when they come back to find that our "freedom of conscience and that independence of speech and thought which we have ever enjoyed under the British flag" has been dumped into the political destructor, and that honest men arc ruthlessly jailed for attempting to- exercise "that freedom of conscience and independence of speech and thought," etc.? OTUS.