OBJECTORS' CHAMPION

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 27 October 1941, Page 4

OBJECTORS' CHAMPION

| the Baptist Assembly in Auckland hist, week allowed itself to be led by Dr. Alexander Hodge into passing a resolution part of which -deprecated the unfair treatment accorded to certain conscientious objectors to war who had resisted coercive : inclusion in the armed forces.” Tt is | hard to see where the unfairness j comes in. It has been accepted that j such objectors shall be in no better j financial position than if they were j serving as members of the armed j forces. Those who refuse to join these forces because of conscience | would surely not ask for any differ- ' ontial treatment over those who are I fighting to defend the objectors as well as the rest of us. The only unfairness has been the unwarranted delay on the part of the Government in putting this principle into | practice. The [organisation for doing j so appears to be in sight but it has | been an unconscionable time in coming. Dr. Hodge said that it was fundamentally wrong to conclude that conscientious objectors were malingerers and worse to assume they were cowards. It required more courage to face a Court’s prosecutions and gaol j than to face the enemy. On the day 1 that these remarks were printed in ! “The Mail” Nelson welcomed home, its V.C. winner and heard recited some of his exploits. The people can compare these with Dr Hodge’s conception of courage and come to their own conclusions. Referring to magisterial comments j about conscientious objectors. Dr. Hodge said, “I am convinced that the j country will not stand too much of that sort of thing. It savours too much of Judge Jeffreys.” The magistrates can be left to look after j themselves but this champion of ob- ! jectors, whether they are genuine or J just slackers, needs to be told that! the people as a whole, and especially j those who have relatives and friends , with the fighting forces, are in no ; mood to “stand too much of that sort of talk.”