OBJECTORS RELEASED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17255, 3 September 1919, Page 9

OBJECTORS RELEASED.

21 FROM WAIKERIA FARM.

DIFFERENTIATION MADE.

ATTITUDE OF QUAKERS,

Twenty-one conscientious objectors to military service were released from Waikeria prison farm on Monday. According to one of the liberated men, all those released are either men who proved to the Religious Objectors' Advisory Board that they were members of a religious body, or those who were serving their second sentence. Probably 50 per cent, of the objectors at the prison farm were men who do not belong to any religious body, but based their objections upon Socialism, and, as far as can be gathered, none of this class was released bevond those who were serving their second sentence. When the Advisory Board of the Defence Department visited the prison farm, it in quired into the beliefs of the men. Five Quakers declined to go before the board to prove their bona-fides, believing that they had no right to use the creed to, which they subscribed to escape being put on the black list. These men, how ever, were serving their second sentence, and were, therefore, among those released. Those who appeared before the board and proved that they were members of a religious body, the tenets of which embodied objection to bearing arms, were reenfranchised. The men released include Quakers, Plymouth Brethren, members of the Testimony of Jesus, one Spiritualise, one Baptist, one member of the Church of England, and three Socialists, who were serving their second sentence. Two of the released Quakers, when seen yesterday, spoke cheerfully of their term at the prison farm as their sacrifice for their country. They said thev believed that the Great War was inevitable, and felt that the greatest service they could render to the country and to the world was to suffer*for the principles upon which the future of the world depended. The soldiers had fought to kill militarism; they felt they had also fought i against militarism by going to prison. The two men in question said that the objectors were better treated than ordinary civil prisoners. With a view to bringia"<r about prison reform the war prisoners havn formed a committee, which intends to appeal upon public platforms for prison reform.