GERMAN PLOTS IN AMERICA.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16543, 17 November 1915, Page 5

GERMAN PLOTS IN AMERICA.

LIEUTENANT FAY'S CONFESSION. NEW YORK, November 15. Lieutenant Robert Fay has confessed to dynamite plots, in which bombs were placed on munition ships. He has implicated, other Germans. The detail's are secret yet. GLOBE TO RESUME PUBLICATION. GOVERNMENT STATEMENT ACCEPTED. 'ONDON, November 15. It is understood that the Globe has unreservedly accepted the official statement respecting Lord Kitchener, and that it will be shortly allowed to resume. AUSTRALIAN REINFORCEMENTS. UNSATISFACTORY RECRUITING. SYDNEY, November 16. Despite recruiting rallies in New South Wales and Queensland, enlistments in. the commonwealth are still unsatisfactory. Last week's enlistments were insufficient to maintain the 9000 men monthly necessary to reinforce the troops sent. COLONEL REPINGTON AGAIN. MORE GRATUITOUS ADVICE. , (Times and Sydney Sun Services.) LONDON, November 15. (Received Nov. 16, at 5.5 p.m.)

Colonel Repington, military correspondent of The Times, writes': "The War Committee should begin reviewing the military and naval Home defence. The success of our arms depends upon the assured security of the British Isles. It is necessary to close promptly and effectively the war on the German colonies, because it takes troops that are required for more important undertakings, and gives the enemy time to develop local resistance. Our principal military operation is to defeat the Germans in Belgium and France, where the centre of German gravity is. Victory is denied us in France because we have wasted our strength on secondary adventures. If Constantinople fell it would not decide the war. The main decision lies in France, and all else must be subordinated.

COWARDS AND SHIRKERS. EVADING SERVICE IN AUSTRALIA. SYDNEY, November 16. (Received Nov. 16, at 11.25 p.m.) The statement is made that a result of New Zealand's action to prevent men of military age from leaving has been to cause a stir in a certain class in Australia. There is a mild rush to secure berths for America. WORK AT MORNINGTON. Material for making housewives lor the rciuforcenieiits will bo given out the Morning Council Chambers at 7.30 thus evening, and all who can help are requested to attend, as they are urgently needed. Several hundreds have stilt to be made. Gifts of flowers, sweets, scones, cakes, vegetables, eggs, pickles, jam, and preserved fruits are required lor Hospital Friday on iSovember 26. Tnose ladies who are willing to donate potted meat, shortbread, oaten cako, or any otner kind of Scottish cakes are requested to send their names to the chambers this evening or on Thursday alternoon. These! gifts will be greatly appreciated, as it is to do a Scottish day. MEDICAL UNIT'S EXPERIENCE. Writing from Suvla Bay to a friend in Hastings, an Imperial army surgeon, under datu September ib, says, in tho course of h.s letter: "Wo were in severe action almost immediately. It was a very trying time. Considering how necessarily exposed we were, it is marvellous how lew casualties our little unit sustained. In 24- hours we lost 10 —three dead and seven, wounded — hard lines on non-combatants! I never felt so acutely uncomfortable since my arrival, over 12 months ago, in this lovely garden of roses, and I hope not to have such a lively, or, ought I to say, deadly, experience again." KILLED ON PAPER. BUT ALIVE AND WELL. An Ashburton soldier, Sapper W. T. Lill, who left New Zealand as a' trooper with the main body, and was transferred, in Egypt to the Ist Division ii'ield Engineers, has written to his parents, who reside at Willowby, complaining oi not having received any letters from them. The mystery concerning the destination 6f the correspondence that has been constantly sent to him was solved 011 Wednesday by the arrival of nine letters from the Dead Letter Office. Each envelope bore tlie legend in blue letters: "' Killed—return to sender." These letters were sent by members of the soldier's family during the . months of' April, May, and June. Jby the same mail there arrived a letter from Sapper Hill, dated Lemnos, September 21, in which he stated that he was resting at Mudros.

CAPTAIN SAFKDERS. , Mr H. Saunders, of Nelson, was advised by the Base Records Office on Thursday that his son, Captain Harry Saunders, was dangerously ill at Netloy Hospital, England, suffering from 'nephritis and bronchitis (says the Colonist). Captain Saunders left with the Mam Expeditionary Force, and has come through the fighting on the Gallipoli Peninsula without a scratch. Although on two occasions lie has been back at Alexandria through sickness, once with pleurisy, on his recovery he returned to 1 the front. Ho left New Zealand as a lieutenant, and after being at the Dardanelles for some time he was promoted to a captaincy. CORPORAL M'NAUGHT. Friday's mail brought a letter from Corporal Cyril APNaugiit, of Wanganui, concerning whose condition, owing to h.s nonarrival on the Willochra (sa-ya the Chronicle) considerable anxiety had been experienced by his relatives and friends. His letter, though brief, dispels all doubt as to his welfare. Oorporal M'Naught was left at Suez owing to an attack of fever, and ho says that although he has been down with a pretty bad bout of typhoid he was, at the time of writing, well on the way to recovery and was looking forward to catching the next boat for home. ■ JOTTINGS. Advice has been received (says the Poverty Bay Herald) that Miss Mabel iiyde, of GiSDorne, who has been visiting xaigland and helping at a munition laetory, has gone to Malta as a nurse. Word has been received that Basil Fncker, son of the late Harry Fricker, of Grcymouth, who left New Zealand with the Juiy reintoreemente (says the Star) was among those drowned f in the Marquctto disaster. Kecent advice from Sergeant Allan Anderson, of Dannevirke, son of Mr G. I. Anderson, shows (says the News) that he is still acting as ship's provost sergeant on the troopship Minnetonka at the Dardanelles. Writing in September, he men? tioned that Turkish guns captured were being sent to Belgium, as the ammunition made there exactly suited the Turkish guns. Among the latest to enlist in Wellington is Mr A. Kvenson, the Wellington representative Rugby player. For niany years Evenson was one of the leading members of the Athletic team, and he did his share towards assisting them to win and retain the championship in the lasjb few seasons. He is an ex-Patrick's College boy, and is very well known' in Rugby circles throughout New Zealand. At a meeting of the Newmarket branch of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, etrong exception was taken to the way in which the Railway Department was said to be treating some of the men. who had joined tho Expeditionary Force (says the New Zealand Herald). It was stated that quite recently two men who enlisted were told when they applied for leave that leave could not be granted to "casuals," and they had therefore to resign their positions in the service.

NATIONAL SERVICE. 10 THK EDITOK ' Sib,—Mr J. J. Ranisay, and his fountain pen, bids, fair to rivai Tennyson s lamous urooic. xie writes oil all' soruj 01 subjects, constitutes himee.ii an autiioivty on many tilings, extols Jus abilities a«j a controversialist, tells us he is a success as a journalist, and assures us new " sure of his lacts " iorgctting sometimes that it ,s tne judgments on'the iacjs, ana not the facts themselves, that tell. One, indeed, is tempted to woncier how this worid couid get aiong without inm. The Eible-in-tichools is ''oft'" —no doubt it went oil' at his telling—and the season of big gooseberries being not yet on he breaks now ground— it is cunicult to tell where lie will not break out -sometimes. Ho knows all about land lor Iruit culture, takes a fatherly interest in tne Land Board —on occasion j teiis us he has a son who, he rather indelicately iterates and reiterates, has volunteered and gone to the front; "and is vehomently and hysterically asking that every other lather s—and mother's—eon who does not volunteer ako should be compelled to go. Mcthinks, however, that Mr Ramsay's pen runs away with him at times. At any rate one is never very sure where to find him. Of course it is said that consistency is the refuge of fools. I note JMr Ramsay's comments regarding a run subdivision, or want of subdivision, up Central way, and I have an idea they are quite different from the stand taken by him, under similar circumstances, not so very long ago. And in regard to Alexandra iru.t lands, which ho thinks far too dear, he supports his contention by tho statement that the only local applicant was a man who is' presently provided for, and -who does not require to depend on the fruit land for eome years. What other class of man, may I ask, can be expected to embark on the fruit industry on virgin ground? Again, in regard to conscription, it may be inquired whether jthe views he now advances so aggressively are consistent with his attitude towards compulsory military training, and towards Mr Allen's naval suggestions and proposed volunteer expeditionary force, in the prewar days. While Mr Ramsay is ''making sure of his facts" I want to refer to his panic-stricken advocacy of conscription. Mr Ramsay saye, in effect, "My son is at the front; he volunteered; if other people's eons don't volunteer, now and en masse, they must be compelled." Well, as it happens, I also have a son at the front, and another is going—all I have cot; while 1 myself am ready for service to-morrow if -wanted. And while I regret as much as Mr Ramsay or anybody eke that there is a lack of readiness to volunteer on the part of some, not of any one class, bill; of all classes, yet the appeal for conscription must be based on higher ground than that "my son," or , anybody else's, has volunteered. It must be national service on patriotic grounds. The present system is inadequate and haphazard, and operates unfairly. Many have volunteered and gone to the front who could have served "the State better by staying at home; others have not gone who ought to have gone. It is not altogether a question of shirkers or slackers; it is a question of making the best use. of our national resources. Tho call from the trenches has appealed to the responsive; the willing horso has borne the load, whereas tho call should have been evenly distributed and the sacrifice equal. The volunteer system can hardly be pronounced a failure

so far, but the time has arrived when in 4 the interests of the State, as well as of the | individual, the selection of men should bo ' y put upon a methodical basjs. Every man r i of military age and fitness should be listed, ) and the quota from each district selected ■'■ by ballot, a measure of consideration being , ' shown to tamilies who have already doQu " their duty. The liability to national ner- ' vice should be imposed upon all And if •.; this were done it would be welcomed by many whom wo at present designate, as "1' shirkers. I know many men, can name' , } them, who are in a state of constant worrj as to whether it is their duty to volunteer. They do not want to shirk their duty, but they have tics and responsibilities, oDligations to fulfil, paternal considerations to give heed to, and they want to kjiovv w here' their duty lies. If the State was in a position to say to them, "It is up to jou, we want you, come along," it would be a tremendous relief to them, and they would go with alacrity. The feeling ie growing m favour ' of national service; •it cannot bo much longer delayed; and that Mr Massey will ,' have a special session of Parliament called to deal with the matter may be taken for granted. • t '.

And if we are to have national service for the fighting line, what of those who have no sons to send? Why should we send our sons to defend the wealth and of those who send nobody? Conscr.prion, -5 or national service, must not be one-sided. The shirking 'and slacking has not been in men alone. The national service and equality of sacrifice, as far as it was possible, must ', apply to wealth as well as men. I regret to hav,e to say it, but I am amongst those who believe that this war will enake the British Empire to its very 'foundations.. It is for this reason, and this reason only, that I support national service in men and resources. We as a people do not realise the_ seriousness of the titanio struggle in which we are engaged. We do well to take stock of our resources in # men and means, ' * and. to utilise them to "the best possible r advantage. National service must come. ' 5 The eooner the better, unfortunately.— V; am, etc., Ex-Volunteeb, A November 15. ' :

Sib,— I see that " Orr (navvy) " com- ,% plains that you do not publish his letter in \ lull. Anyway in to-day's issue jou have 5 allowed him plenty of scope for abuse. I *> see he ventures to say that some of iibe letters purporting ito como from workers are from members of the " parasitical" class. For his information I may state \; v that lam a labourer working in St. Kilda, t"\ so I hope he will not class me as a parasite. + * He states that, in taking Mr Ramsay •"; aright on equitable conscription, the well ,\>' crowned shirker should be brought into 4f, line with his wage-earning brethren. That is just why lam in favour-of conscription /' —to make the rich as well as poor "toe ■ '<■; the line; and allow no shirking. If "Orr '$ , (navvy)" knows anything, he most know "f, that it is very hard for a single man of "5* tho labouring class at the present time 1 to get a job, especially about Dunedin. He V. must know full well that the employers "»'? have the power to put, on eoonomio con- >.* i scriptiou, which! they are doing to a cer; ]'} tain axtent at present. Economic con- '''k scription cannot 'force the wealthy man's '- $ sous to volunteer as it is forcing hundreds > < of the working class ;to do. Then why •K•. / not true conscription to force <3iom to fall -."<$ into line? "Orr (navvy)". says the wealthy tf man who will not volunteer is a bigger ". "waster" than thej' working man, as he Shas more to protect; yet he is making a big noise opposing the system that would ' 1 make the wealthy man do his duty. I , , see he states, in summing up Mr Twomey'? A"? letter, that a working man is a slave al-! * \ ready. Let me inform him that, so far ,V as New Zealand is concerned, it is his , own, l A j fault if it is so. New Zealand baa one of •"-> $ the best laws working people can ever *>♦/> hope to get in any country—namely, unr- '% versa! franchise. If the people will not "v. use it to tfieir own advantage, they them- ,*3 selves are to blame. One of the best laws "•* ever passed in England, tho National .Of suranco Act, had to bo made compulsory .v - £ to bo any good. In conclusion, I would" "J*? like to ask " Qrr (navvy)" what his sons. «-,, v (if any) are- doing to beat the Germans/" 'J* Does he, like most navvies, carry all his ■ '"> family under one hat? If so, that ie per- $ haps why he opposes conscription, as it ~4' may affect him personally, j I can tell him ' ■ >j$ that my only son who was , old enough *"r has gone; and thatl am, prepared to go v 'i, in my turn. That is why Tam in favour />' of confcription.—l am, etc, ' , '/• St. Kilda, November 16. Worker./ '^%i