NATIONAL RESERVE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15686, 13 August 1914, Page 8

NATIONAL RESERVE.

TOWN HALL GATHERING, S I : • i THE GREED OF GERMANY. I . ;1 BRITAIN'S JUST CAUSE, I A most enthusiastic and patriotic meeting S 1 of citizens was held in tho Town Hal] last I night in connection with the proposal to 1 form a National Reserve. The hall wa I crowded, and throughout tho proceeding 1 were punctuated with patriotic outburst* I of cheers and applause at the rousing re- 1 marks of the various speakers. The M av 1 of Auckland presided, and on the platform I there wero members of the City Council I the Harbour Board, and other local bodies 1 ministers of various churches, consular re' 1 preventatives of friendly countries, no " 1 ' number of prominent citizens, Sneoclie 1 were delivered by Dr. A. W. Averil] I Anglican Bishop of Auckland, Lieutenant! 1 Colonel Allen Bell, the Rev. C. H. Q„ I land, and Messrs. W. A. Beddoe, Canadian 1 Trade Commissioner, George Elliot, Arthur 1 Rosser, and T. Long. Apologies for Un I avoidable absence were received from rj. 1 H. W. Geary, Roman Catholic Bishop of I Auckland, Mr. J. H. Gunson, chairman of I the Harbour Board, and others. The pro, j> coedings opened with the singing of tie i National Anthem, led by Mr. J. Maughan IBarnett, city organist, on tho organ. Ijv " England has plunged into many ffar , I (hiring her fifteen or sixteen centuries of 1 history," said the Mayor, "but England i has never entered upon a war with iuster 1 cause - than tire one she has been plunged I into to-day." (Applause.) Germany had | set out with the avowed policy of grasping f the trident from England and making herself mistress of the seas. It was a sad sight to see one of the greatest nations in ? the world pushed into war by the wild 'j ' neurotic ambitions of irresponsible rulers. I and of a military caste that had domit. ! atod Germany for many years. Tho pre. | sent British Government, peace-loving | though it was, had found that it was abso- 1 lutely compelled to step in and protect 1 smaller countries from tho grasp of Ger- f many. The Mayor said he hoped a strong I branch of the National Reserve would be I formed in Auckland. (Applause.) t Membership of Reserve, k In explaining the objects of the National I Reserve, Lieutenant-Colonel Dell said the [ idea of the reserve was to consolidate into I one strong compact force, those men who [ I had served in volunteers, or who had had f a military training, seen actual warfare, I or whose daily work fitted them for mili- | tary duties in times of danger. There E was no age limit. General Godley had | commended the idea of a National Re- I serve, which, tlio speaker said, would form, | one of the finest bodies of men that could 1 be found in any part of the world. Tho I National Reserve would form part of the | military organisation of the Dominion, [1 ami those who belonged to it would belong I , to the citizen army. •' I 1 . The British Nature Stirred. j i The British nature is a big nature, '. 1 and it takes a big cause to stir it," said | Bishop Averill in, the course of a stirring I addresJ*. "But when it i - sure of the 1 righteousness of it* cause then the motto I of the British nation is 'Do or die; fight j to (lie fimVli-'o the. top <»" nothing.'" (Cheer?.) As long as the war was a war j F between "ConlfceiifMl nations die Britisl | lion resented being toured from his peace, j but when he b?gan to suspect that behind j the war there was a deeply laid plot, and I that the war was simply being used as Ml excuse for German militarism to try to bring to a head its long-cherished desireto become supreme in Europe and- the world, then tho British lion stirred itself j to action. The supremacy of the British nation meant the destruction of that spirit j of German militarism as they knew it to-' : j day. (Cheers.) Tho progress of _ the ; world was being hindered by the dominant German spirit, which would have to be ' broken up before there would he peace and j righteousness. It was Britain's duty to remove out of the way of the wmld's pro-',; I gress the-demon of German aggressivo mili- j tarism. . (Loud applause and cheers.) | Mr. George Elliot said the National. Reserve was wanted at once because the • nation stood face to face to-day with the.'. j greatest British undertaking of modern times. Right or wrong, the Dominions were, partners of the Empire and tier : | must 'bear pari .of the burdens of the ' Empire. If the war did nothing else it would show that .ill over-the world the j Empire stood united, and that the Em- ' . j! pire stood for honour- and for truth. (Ap--1 plause.) Loyalty of Canada. j . Mr. W. A. Beddoo. Canadian Trade j I Commissioner, expressed the loyalty of all, , Canadians to the- British Empire. Britain j, , was now engaged in a terrific struggle, but | [ the people of Canada and the rest- of the | Empire would see that the Union Ja« 1 would never go down in defeat. Tho peart I > of the world was being disturbed.by the ,| . aggressive spirit of an egotistical roan, 1 . who seemed to think that he was the ruler I ; of the world by Divine right. But, the ■-.• I . British Empire would stand together until I i the German menace was destroyed. I : (Cheers.) ! S Tho Rev. C. H. Garland referred to tha i . manner in which the British Empire bad i been drawn together by tho action of tnO -. | Kaiser. All classes and creeds had become ■ | united because tho German Emperor had j J come to claim the leadership of the world. j I Attitude of Labour. | Mr. Arthur Rosser stated that he was | sent to the meeting to express what ho be- j i lieved to be- the opinion of the majority « ; | the workers in the Dominion. He believed | that Britain was engaged in a war that j vas ouo of the most just that. she bad ever entered upon. The speaker expressed himself as being in favour of a ' citizen j army. "Wo have a country that is worth | defending," ho continued. He would never j j agree to this country passing into the > | power of a foreign sovereign. If New Zea- 1 land was worth defending, the workers i wero the ones who 6hould take steps to de- | fend her. In such a time as this, the j British should sink all their differences in order to put the common enemy under b foot. (Applause.) Mr. Rosser said it had gone forth that as the result of a certain .... | meeting labour was prepared to mobi- j lise a labour force for service at homo or abroad That was wrong. Tho majority | of those at the meeting had stated that 1 they wero in favour of being represented at i the Town Hall meeting to advocate the | enrolment of a national defence force for | home defence. The majority of the workers of the Dominion would, said Mr. Rosser, § be sure that Britain was engaged in a J 0 " | war. A patriotic speech was also delivered by j Mr. T. Long in similar strain to that made- | | by Mr. Rosser. ■>■, The proceedings closed with the hearty singing of the National Anthem, the "Mar- • seillaise," "Rule Britannia," and cheers , for Great Britain, Franco and Belgium- . ; A number of men stayed behind for the '- purpose of oniolliDg in the National B«*; • BflTTfi, " '' f