" OUR TYRANNICAL DOMINION."

Otago Witness, Issue 3014, 20 December 1911, Page 4

" OUR TYRANNICAL DOMINION."

A CAMPAIGN OF SLANDER. (From Oub Own Correspondent.) LONDON, November 1. Some time ago I sent you extracts from a letter written to a northern newspaper by one Gerald Dee, of Wellington, containing some extraordinary statements regarding New Zealand's adoption of universal training. These statements, true or otherwise, obtained a good' deal of publicity amongst a class of journals—and it is not a small class—which delights to find matter derogatory to the interests of the dominions; and, so far as I know, there has never been any attempt to reply to it or to dispose of the misstatements which it contained. The harrowing picture which Mr Dee drew of hopeful and unoffendng youths, of blameless record and character, being torn away from their parental roofs and cast into gaol, all for the sake of conscience, quite appealed to those who in this country recently launched a "world petition to prevent war between nations," and just the other day a very questionable and damnatory pamphlet was issued from the press of T. C. Gregory, 5a St. James' Square, Bristol. It goes forth to the world under this heading : "AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND. WARNING TO EMIGRANTS," and proceeds : —" Do you know that compulsory military service, alias • conscription, is now enforced in above-named countries, for all males between 12 and 55 years of age*/" Then follows the message sent by the Anti-Militarist Society in (Jhristchurch to Mr Keir Hardie, urging the parents of Great Britain to see that "the British democracy does not go to New Zealand to be enslaved." ... In June last a leaflet was issued from this same source giving a similar warning against New Zealand and' Australia, and. adding :—" No kind of conscientious objection to bear arms, as maintained by the Society of Friends, commonly called. Quakers in England for the past 200 years, will be respected. You are therefore especially requested, as co-operative guilds (this was addresed to .the Women's Co-operative Guild Congress) to obtain copies of the Australian and New Zealand acts of Parliament,'and advise all intending emigrants of what is in store for them in the Antipodes in the direction of compulsory military service." The publisher the leaflet hmself seems, by some strange oversight, to have neglected to provide himself with a copy of the act" which he recommends for other people. The point is that literature of this nature is being circulated broadcast in the districts from which we get our best emigrants. • Needless to say, such statements alarm many decent, respectable people who, if they knew the facts, would have no objection whatever to undertaking what is really asked of them in New Zealand and Aueltrallia. Sir William Hall-Jones has made a statement in the Morning Post in refutation of the allegations of the leaflet, but it is questionable whether some further action is not necessary to counteract the continued defamation of the Dominion.