ENCOURAGING THE VOLUNTEER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14000, 5 September 1907, Page 2

ENCOURAGING THE VOLUNTEER

WHAT THE EMPLOYER THINKS. (From Our Own Correspondent.) ■ e i - WELLINGTON, September 4. ©peaking of tho necessity for wider Volunteering. Colonel Collins, financial member of tho Council of Defence, last ilonwiy said that though tho council was endeavouring to do its best, for the improvement of. ■Volunteering-, there were other things required (0 mako success assured, ■tho council wanted the support of tho puolio; it wanted a greater number of the ncoplo to 1)0 Volunteers; it wanted awistanco from the employers. Thcv should recognise what proper defence of the public really -meant (o llictti, of all people; if the country were attacked and there was only a handful of''Volunteers to defend il, their prospect would be.poor indeed, and theirs would bo tho greater loss. If we failed to got 011 adequate number of Volunteers conscription would have to enme, With the intention of clicking tho viowi; of 6omc representative emplovers of labour on tho points here summarised, an Evening Tost reporter interviewed a number of Wellington business men,today. Tho position was well put by ono employer. Ho spoke incisively of what he regarded as tho greatest deterrent to.general Volunteering. It was, 110 eaid, th-sf over-devotion to sport. He was always glad to see an interest taken in athletics, lint ho was sure that tlin pursuit was being overdone just now. That wan lho truo reason wliv so small a proportion of the,people Volunteered. What, was required was' that athletics should be less widely pursued. It amounted to this: that tho_ Volunteers would have to mako their Irainitig part : of. their recreation, as it fihoukl ly>. 'Speakinir of his firm, the merchant; said it did nothing to hinder Volunteering it« emplovoes. and there were come 30 Volunteers in it* employ at present. To allow of their aljondiiiw the Eas(e,r camps The'fivm Ji.id permitted these men (0 leave a day before work ceased for the Easier holidays, and return a day after, it was resumed. did not see that employers could be fnirlv called upon to nav .iteontens for' time nut in' at Volunteer cl'ities. but if (os he understood) the Council of Defence- provisions pravn payment to l'>e men for the time put in the contemplated parades should not be 'difficult to arrange, and. speaking generally, he 'lid no', think employers would 'out any difliculties in tho wav of the scheme.