NATIONAL DEFENCE LEAGUE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13490, 17 May 1907, Page 4

NATIONAL DEFENCE LEAGUE.

ENDORSED BY THE FARMERS' • • UNION. At 'the Conference of the Auckland Farat. ers' Union, ' yesterday afternoon, & , deputation was received from ' the National Defence League of New Zea- ' land, consisting of Messrs. W. 13. Leyland (president) and C. P. Murdoch. ? Mr Leyland explained that the objuct" of - the deputation was to solicit the sympathy and co-operation of the Farmers' Union in -If the work in which the league was now «, gaged. He 'had just returned from a visit to Australia, and he found that the feeling ■ . there in favour of an adequate provision for national defence was just as strong as it was in New. Zealand. He explained the ! objects of the league, which, he said, were to have tfle youn"; men of the colony taught to shoot and to go through a certain course of training in discipline. Any young men who were not willing to sacrifice a portion of their leisure and pleasure to this end were not entitled to be called New Zulanders. :(Applause:) The league, he explained, had no politics, but it insider, • ed that the homes of New Zealanders, be they freehold or leasehold, should be pre- ' served against any possible invasion, and ' be retained as the homes of white people ' instead. of possibly the homes of yellow i people. (Applause.) Mr. Murdoch said that the league did not desire by any means to have a standing army created but in view of the fact that New Zealand was only about a fortnight's 6team from where hordes of yellow people i were gathered, our young people should be ; brought, up in a knowledge of the first essentials of defence. (Blear, hear.) Mr. Allen Bell, on behalf of the Far- , mers' " Union, expressed concurrence with " the views expressed by Messrs. Leyland . and Murdoch! He said that although Sir , Joseph Ward had said very little about th* league's work when he was in the colony, he had referred to it in London. He hoped that when the Premier returned' he would 1 take active steps to assist the league. Ho - i moved, "That this Conference ' gives its hearty approval and support to theNational League in the objects just put for- ' ward." : -. 'v ■ } :M Mr. R. D. , Duxfield, in seconding th» motion, said he did not think we had any- , thing to fear from the Japanese so long as . the latter were justly treated. The motto,' \ - "If you wish ior peace, bo prepared for ' war,' was, however, an excellent one. . The resolution was carried unanimously amidst applause. ■ Mr. Leyland briefly thanked tho Conference for the resolution;