LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16591, 14 January 1916, Page 8

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

"SHRAPNEL" AND Mil ASIIMEAD BARTLETT. Sib, —In your ksuo of to-day " Shrapnel"' is figuratively pouring out liis vials oi' Vitriol oil tuo head oi Mr Ashmead BartiuU, thu well-known war correspondent and critic. May I ask " Shrapnel" to point to any one military operation, conceived and earned out hy Sir lan Hamilton (prior to his appointment at Galbpoii), which would stamp him us a strategist? is Sir lan Hamilton not a writer of verses? Ajxd what writer of verses was, or is, other thau a non-prac-tical man? Besides, I question if Sir ian Hamilton waa actually "sent"—that is to say, ordered to Gallipoli. Did it not rather come to hiiri in the nature of a request which he was at liberty to decline, or did ho seek the appointment of Oommandcr-m-Ohicf of our iorccs in Eastern Europe'; However it may have boon, the stern indubitable fact remains that if Sir lan Hamilton, with 150,000 men at his disposal, undertook to "'make good" a front::! attack, that required in the very nature of things 500,000 men, then I say that the criticism, of Mr Ashmead Bartlett is, alas, only too well merited and well timed.s—l5 —I am, etc., High Extlosive. Dunedin, January 12. [Wo have submitted tho above letter to "Shrapnel," who replies(l) Of Mr Ashmead Bartlett aa a descriptive writer nothing can bo expressed but admiration, but as to his standing as military critic there is much to learn. (2) l'xoof that Sir lan Hamilton is a military strategist la not necessary, but it is a germano consideration that ho wrote a book having the title of 'Fighting of the Future.' The work ho was called upon to do at Gallipoli was, however, not that of a strategist, but of a tactician. (3) The reference to Sir lan Hamilton being a -writer of verses is beside tho point, and in any case it is questionable ■whether a person who writes verses is necessarily unpractical. (4) As to Sir lan Hamilton being 'sent,' 'ordered, or requested ' to go, tho British military authorities should kqow their own business. (5) It is questionable whether Sir lan Hamilton had 150,000 effectives at his disposal, and the attack at Suvla and Anzac was not a frontal attack. Five hundred thousand men would have been useful, but were not necessary. It may be said that tho latest biographical reference work, dated 1915, refers to the career and -works of Sir lan Hamilton, but does not mention Mr Ashmead Bartlett." —Ed. O.D.T.] COMPULSORY SERVICE. Sib,—A great many letters have been published abcrut the need of more men to go to the front, and, acoording to tho information that we have received from the Homeland, those men are necessary to bring the war to a finish. I have been out of Dunedin for bo mo time, and m tho parts where I have been I was told that there were wealthy farmers, -with largo families of sons, and "that they would not allow one of them to go to the front. We know that there are exceptions in everything, but i think that wo can take it for granted that the wealthy who have large families of sons are not doing their share. I have a fairly large family of sons. According to the present conditions they are exempt. I belong to the working class. If the Government will see to it that tho rich do their share, I will only be too glad, conditions or no conditions, to eee my sons go also.—l am, etc., Not Eich - South Dunedin, January 13.

Sir—l notice that Mr Holland (the Mayor of Christchurch) intends to call a public meeting to discuss the , matter ot conscription. More power to him. it is a pity the Mayor of Dunedin has not .arrived at a similar decision. Most of yonr readers will stand with the Hon. John MaoQregor in the fine letter he has addressed to Mr Massey. Mr MacGregor always has the knack of hitting the nail of common sense fairly on the head, and ho never gave a better blow than in his letter on this matter. One cannot help comparing it with the vapid inanities of "J. LO. As for my old friend, Mr J. J. Clads, I ®m exceed- - ingly disappointed in him. , hesitate to patch up the party pact, an d, woree luck, that pact is now being used to protect the two leaders from performing a duty which every sane man m Not Zealand sees standing pre-eminent. Why is Mr Clark indisposed to call a public meeting? Is it because ho is aware, as he must be, that Otago is red hot, and only needs the occasion to speak with a united voice. J-tas is a matter in which further delay is criminal, and particularly now that the Home Land has shown how great tho need for prompt and authoritative acticm is. That Mr Massey's present plan will fail is almost certain, because it is_ completely out of touch with public' sentiment. At onr Borough Council the other night the feeling was clearly for compulsion, and every man I know and have talked to here is for it. As a matter of fact I can see from papers from all parte of New Zealand that the only men, outside a few sentimental weasels and sentimental fossils,, who fail to realise the need for conscription are tho members of tho National Cabinet.. And at this moment, too, when our Eleventh goes short, and our Twelfth is all behind, and everybody concerned is sick of begging and praying like mendicants, and wants the hand of authority. position to thinking and virile men is becoming" so acirte that it only needs ono strong man to stand out and call, and tho whole dominion would blaze up immediately. On the Empire keeping her forces strong from now on, And without amy faltering, depend tho civilisation and freedom of the world. Yet timorous individuals are afraid to take the authority the people are prepared to give to'do it. On the other hand, we have the syndicalist and socialistic cry to conscript wealth. We are conscripting wealth, both at Home and abroad, at a daily rate which would make financiers stand aghast in normal conditions. It is our accumulated wealth which has carried us through, and which will bear the burden, I believe, till tvo win, but just now what we want is not conscription of wealth, but more men, so that less men may die. Cannot those who profess to be humane see this? Do they take no stbek of the countless human lives wo have sacrificed, and' will sacrifice, in our "muddle through," "let us pray," and "bide a wee" methods? As Mr MacGregor justly etiyti, to talk about our great fighting superiority is a slur on our noble Allies. Look at Russia in her winter frosts, and what have we to boast of? We aro a fine race, but not the only fine race, as our boys are free to admit, and to sacrifice a portion—and that the flower —of our fine race for fear of offending another portion is a piece of sentimental twaddle fit for old women and lunatics. Will the Mayor of Dunedin wake tiD? Ho has in his veins, as I know, the blood of an anccstry that feared no man, and the city which has done_ him the very high honour of making him its ohief magistrate looks to him to justify his selection, and an expectant Otago is looking to its capital to lead the way to common sense. The duty lies to Mr Clark's hand to stand out and show lie is a liberal man, and allow the City of Dunedin and tho_ province of Otago to voice their democratic aspirations whether he agrees with them or not. I challenge him to put Dunedin to tho test. Dare he? —I am, etc., J. J. Ramsay. Alexandra, January 12.