RACING AND RECRUITING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16541, 15 November 1915, Page 6

RACING AND RECRUITING

RETURNED SOLDIER'S STIRRING SPEECH. STARTLING INTERLUDE AT CHRISTCHURCH MEETING. SHIRKERS SEVERELY SLATED. (From Our Own Correspondent.) CHRISTCHURCH, November 13. Just before the fourth race started at Riccarton to-duy, Captain Simson, •by permission of Mi- W. ¥. M. Buckley, chairman of the committee, led aoout 100 returned soldiers into tlio birdcage, and to tile large crowd assanbied on citiier side of ths railings delivered a short but st.mng recruiting address. Captain Simson s.;id he had left his appeal until the last day in order that no oug would accuse him of not being a sport. " I am," he said, "addressing the stewards, because they are responsible for the gathering here! I wish to tell them they are not only stewards and trustees of racing, but they are also trustees for every young man and woman in New Zealand. You are racing here to-day, and the whole Empire is at the point of a crisis.—(" Hear, hear.") I will not be any more bitter than I can possibly help, and I will not say some of the harsh things I would like to, but if it were •lot for Headlines in the newspapers you would not know there was a war on.— ('• Hear, hear.") You,*as stewards and as old residents of New Zealand, are responsible for this .gather.ng fo-day. You cannot expect the 'men in this crowd to think seriously of the war while you hold race meetings and charge for admission. —(Loud applause.) I know what the men arc putting up with at the front. If you think you are running your racing for patriotic purposes and entertaining us and getting funds for the war and for soldiers' comforts—if that is going to clear your conscience, then you are making a very big mistake."—-(Loud applause.). " You have not taken this war seriously yet," cont.iHicd Captain Simson, addressing the crowd. " You may make .any excuses —the defence authorities, the local camp, Mr Allen, and so on. If you were men at all you would go barefooted into the camp for the privilege of fighting for your King." Returning to the stewards, Captain Simson said: '' We are not going to fight for you for 5s a day.—("Hear, hear.") You can't give us enough money for that." A Voice: "Rub it into the squatter." Captain Simson (to the crowd): " I say every one of you who are fit for fight are absolute shirkers. —(Applause.) You are absolutely indifferent, callous rotters; but I do not blame you altogether." A Voice: "Give us conscription."

Captain Simson: "I will give you that, and a lot more. It is the older men of New Zealand who should give you the lead, and tell you what you should do. —("Hear, hear.") They should make you go, and make their own class and all classes go. Recruiting is at a dead end in New Zealand. You have ignored the appeals of your King, the press —every appeal, from Parliament and your dead and wounded countrymen."

" You' on this side," said Captain Simson, then addressing the grand stand enclosure, " if you are not fit for service, should find out every young man that is, and your duty is to provide for him .and his dependents."

"My appeal," said Captain Simson to the stewards, in conclusion, "is this: Whether racinjr should go on for the next six months or not is your affair. Ignore that, but in doing so remember that you are dealing with an ever-increasing number of returned men."

Hearty cheers were given for the returned soldiers, followed by groans " for the men who send their horses out," the horses for the next race having appeared a moment before.