NATIONAL SERVICE IDEALS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23121, 20 August 1938, Page 20 (Supplement)

NATIONAL SERVICE IDEALS

How Our Empire Can of its Mart-Power - ■ PAST MISTAKES THAT SHOULD BE AVOIDED By the Right Hon. Wi (Copyright)

THERE is no doubt that tho record of the British Empire in the Great War acts a shield to us all in these anxious years. Whatever may be thought of the present state of our defences, it is realised on the Continent that if Great Britain should be forced to enter a war, she will fight it with her whole strength, keeping nothing back from the common cause. Foreigners remember that although we had only a small army in 1914, we had 6,000,000 soldiers overseas in 1918. They remember also that the longer the struggle lasted, and the more grievous its characor became, the greater was the effort made by the British Empire, and that tho will-power of our race to jvin was found to bo inexhaustible. Heroic Dead Thus the noble deeds and sacrifices of the generation that is gone constitute a real security alike to European peace and our present safety. When on .various anniversaries we lay our wreaths at the foot of the Cenotaph or other monuments, we may cherish the thought that the heroic dead still, in a most practical sense, protect tho living as they go about their daily business. Great Britain will certainly not enter any war- unless she is forced to do so for what the mass of the people judge to bo her own life and honour. SLve will do everything in her power to prevent war, and, if, in spite of all, the worst comes to tho worst, we shall fight with the assent of the whole nation, for our own survival as a State and Empire, and only in strict accordance with tho spirit of tho Covenant of the League of Nations. Wo cannot contemplate being engaged in any war except one approved by the heart and conscience of the British race all over the world. If the awful event should ever occur, we may be sure there will be no halfmeasures. It will be victory or destruction. Once entered, we shall have no choice but that. Therefore, the idea that Britain will fight only with her

professional army and the patriotic Territorials who train themselves in time of peaco' would have evoked from the great Duke of Marlborough his famous comment, "Silly! Silly!" Moreover, upon tho next occasion the bombing of British cities and townships will be a frequent occurrence. Our main hood will experience an irresistible incentive to fight from the fact that they will see around them women and children killed by this cowardly method. ■No man worthy of the name but will demand to take part in tho struggle. Even in the last war, every time a few bombs were dropped in London, or some bombardment of our maritime towns took place, there was an intense reaction throughout all classes to serve. How much more potent will be these terrible stimuli in the future P Our Government which is upon all hands admitted to bo profoundly pacific, is bound none the less to look ahead and face with steady eye the situation which would arise if all our efforts fail. In 1914, tho well-to-do and so-called ruling classes were at first more convinced of the duty to fight than the wage-earning masses. It required tho German atrocities in Belgium to rouse the whole people. Now it is somewhat different. The wage-earning classes are resolved not to submit to Nazi-ism or Fascism, and there is more doubt and division in the other ranks of society. Universal Response But if a Government trusted for its peace record felt bound to give the signal, which they would only do if all saw it was inevitable, the response would be practically universal, and it would run like an electric current from one end of the Empire to the other. In tho first few months 9f tho last war more than 1,000,000 men, the most of whom had never dreamed of being soldiers, came forward as volunteers. Ultimately, nearly 2,000,000 actually demanded of their own freo will to be sent overseas to tho bloody trenches in Franco and Flanders. In far-off New Zealand nearly onetenth of the entire manhood of the country traversed voluntarily more than half the globe in order to fight

nnd die in a cause upon which they had never been consulted beforehand. Nothing like the voluntary effort of tho British Empire was seen in any other country, or has ever been paralleled in history. Then ensued the tragical and agonising experience of vast numbers of ardent fighting men with no weapons. Wo witnessed the sorry spectacle of hundreds of thousands of our manh.iod training in tho camps and marching along tho roads of our island, often without even rifles in their hands, t iiila all tho cannon and shell which we made had to be sent at onco to our comparatively small army at tho front. Flower of Nation But another evil made itself manifest. The flower of the nation volunteered. Whole regiments wore formed out of men whose education and ability fitted them to bo capable officers. All that was most brilliant, gifted and glorious in our country hurried to the lield, and tho wounded returned time and again in virtue of their original voluntary engagement. Thus a great injustice was inflicted upon tho best, and moreover a ruinous, unthrifty uso was made of our strength. Eventually, when about two million homes had their fighting man at the frant, sometimes already wounded once or twice, while other sturdy millions went about their ordinary work at higher pay, there was so fierce a roar for universal compulsory service that no Government, even when backed by Lord Kitchener, could stand against it. His Majesty's present Ministers are bound not to overlook these facts imprinted indelibly in the minds of all who passed through that ordeal. It is- therefore their duty to prepare a scientific, fair and equal plan which, if the nation and Parliament decide to go to war, will enable our full strength to bo realised, not only at the earliest moment, but throughout the struggle and in tho best way. The establishment of a National Register, enabling a survey to be made of all our resources in man-power, has become urgent. Tho whole process of

voluntary recruitment for the Aid Raul Precaution Services in Britain is inevitably prejudiced when many a wouldbe volunteer has to ask himself whether it is any use preparing himself in peacetime for ono task and being sot to do another in war; and when men of military ago who volunteer may bo aspersed by the suggestion that they are installing themselves in safe jobs betimes. No Profits from War Having gono so far, the Government cannot stop short of a complete scheme for national service, which would come into operation on the outbreak of war if Parliament approved. Such measures would naturally have to bo accompanied by legislation "to take the profit out of war," upon tho study of which great progress has been mado in tho United States of America. Tho principle that no man, whatever his calling, shall become richer out of war should be proclaimed, and a special financial bill should bo drafted for this purpose and submitted to Parliament, if an emergency should arise, simultaneously with tho national service proposals. Such a measure of social justice would be tho most, effective answer to those shrill voices which, in the name of tho "conscription of wealth" seek to take advantage of war to establish Communism by a short cut.