RECRUITING RALLY

Otago Witness, Issue 3239, 12 April 1916, Page 51

RECRUITING RALLY

The rally sounded by the George Street School File and Drum Band, mak ng their first public appearance in their now uniform, gathered a large crowd to the Town Hall steps on Saturday evening, and, in spite of the cold snap, the picturesque pungent oratory of Messrs Steve Boreham and Mat Bradley, Soc.alists both, and speaking " the language of the people," held the assembly together interested right up to the moment when the playing of the National Anthem put a period to the meeting. Introducing the speakers, his Woreh p the Mayor expressed pride and satisfaction in the circumstances that for the latest draft of reinforcements Otago had sent four men more than the quota. His announcement that Mr Boreham had lost one of his sons at the front and had another still serving evoked sympathetic applause. Mr Steve Boreham, who epoke spiritedly and with certain dramatic force, invited the eligible to realise that service was a duty not only to the Empire and to their relatives, but to themselves. They had to choose between the freedom of the British Empire's glor ous constitution and the rule of Huns bloodier than Attila know how to be. Drawing upon personal experience for a contrast, he told how in Rangoon, for hitting a black fellow while under the British flag, he had been fined 60 rupees, " and." he added, gcrved me right " but in an Essen billiard room he had seen a "popinjay" lieutenant strike and spit in the face of an adult marker for some trifling reason. And yet there were " proletarian plugs" and "Socialistic blather-blowers" who said they would be treated as well under erman rule as they would be under British! To the " war-married " the speaker said there was no excuse for any fit man to stay at home. It was the duty of the married to fight for those dear to them. He charged the young women to have nothing to do with any man who was not prepared to fight for their protection. In this war Capital and Labour were as one. He urged all eligibles not to ask what others were doing, but to real'se their own duty and enlist at once.—(Applause.) Mr Mat Bradley opened with a kindly tribute to the memory of the late Captain Martincaux, a V.C hero who had just gone to his last reward. The speaker acknowledged the sobriquet of Socialist, and said that, while a Socialist, he had no time for murder, -war, or compulsory systems, but, realising that the was right and that the voluntary system had failed, he was for compulsion right up to the-h'lt. —" Hear, hear.") Let employers shut out eligibles, and the latter would'be eonscrptcd in three weeks, as thny would have either to serve or starve. Unfortunately, this would not affect the young man whose father could afford to keep him, and that was why he (the speaker) was a Socialist. As between onnscr r>t : on now and conscription when the Germans ruled us, he submitted that it was better to risk the dev : l we know than the devil we did 'jot now. —(Laughter.) The man in New Zealand who said he had no quarrel with the Germans was in a country he bad no ricrht to bo.—(" Hoar, hear.") At the close of a recent meet : ng a man had gathered a crowd at "frlio fountain. and had told the young men thoy enouTd not enlist unless thoy wore promised £1 a day. Such a man. ho considered, should be arrested for discouraging recruiting When compulsion was adopted, continued the speaker", " Cod _forg r vo Bill Massey if ho pays the conscripted man as much as he pavs the volunteer!" In conclusion, ho appealed to the eligible in the crowd to eomo forward.

During the evening four rccrir'ts camr forward" 3 The George Street School "Rand. winch had played aicnentaWy at Intervals, and the speakers were by acclamation upon the call of the Mayor.

MEETING AT WAEEPA. A public meeting' was held at Warepa on on the 4th to consider the Government s recruiting scheme). Air VV. Xieol (member for Richardson Hiding, of the CluthaCounty Council) presided, and there was an attendance of 18, including ~nrec ladies and four Visitors. 'the Chairman expressed disappointment at the very poor attendance, and stated that he had been requested by the- conference which met at Balclutha recently to organise recruiting in his riding. He had written to six local bodies, and had received answers from only two, and those two had declined to give assistance. The speaker stated that as far as his own township (Kaihiku) was concerned, there was only one eligible man left, the others having "all enlisted. Mr Malcolm, M.P.. paid a tribute to the men from Warepn who had volunteered so freely, and said that it was the. duty of every eligible man to offer his services. The speaker suggested that a committee of three be formed, and stated that if these gentlemen could not see their way clear to undertake _a. personal canvass, the Dimcdin Recruiting Committee might assist by sending them two or three returned soldiers to. attend to this department of the Government's recruiting scheme.

Several other speakers urged the necessity of an organsation in the district to further the interests of recruiting, and a committee was appointed for this purpose, consisting of Messrs R. Ayson. CalJender, and Shearing to act in conjunction with the local school committee.

SPEECHES BY MR MASSEY

MASTERTON, April 4. Tho Primo Minister addressed four recruiting meetings in tho Wairarapa to-day, and concluded with a vigorous appeal in tlm Municipal Hall at Mastcrton. Mr Wilford, M.P., also spoke in the hall and in the open air.

Mr Massoy said the Government was determined to give the voluntary system a thorough and exhaustive trial, and it had not failed >et. Referring to the appeal to local bodies for assistance, he said it was impossible to complete the rolls without their aid, and whether tho voluntary or compulsory system was adopted the information they would supply would bo invaluable to the board. lie trusted that those who volunteered for branches of the service other than infantry would follow the lead of the mounted men in tho Featherston camp, who said they would serve where they were most needed. If the men displayed this spirit there would be no shortage in the reinforcements for some time to cone. The voluntary system appealed to him, as through it they secured men to defend them and do justice to the country. There wore thousands of single men who were eligible but who had not yet responded to the call. This was why the newspapers and others were clamouring for conscription. He believed in national service, and he wished the country to know it. Nothing mattered now but the war, and if those who failed to volunteer were deprived of citizenship after the war it would serve them right.

The Prime Minister and Mr Wilford addressed thousands in the open air afterwards and received a great reception.

SUGGESTED STATE ASSISTANCE TO FARMERS.

A short time ago Mr George Witty, M.P., brought under the notice of the Prime Minister the case of a young man in his constituency who is very anxious to enlist, cons.dering that it is his duty to do so in the present great world cr.sis of the Empire, but who found many difficulties in his way, the principal being that as he holds a considerable extent of country it is impossible for him to make arrangements to meet the calls that would be made upon him during his absence. Mr Witty suggested that in such cases the Government should do someth.ng to assist, and among other things advocated by the member for Riccarton was that the State should take charge of such properties, place reliable returned soldiers in charge, capitalise interest charges, and generally manage things so that patriotic soldiers should not suffer any monetary loss through their action in going to the front. Mr Witty has received the following letter from the Right Hon. W. E. Massey:—“l have your letter of March 28 and enclosure with reference to a patriotic young New Zealander who is anxious to go to the front. I quite appreciate the difficulty in which many men who desire to serve their country at the present time find themselves owing to their financial and other obligations, and I have not the slightest doubt that in such cases as that of your correspondent the difficulty is a genuine one. Your suggestion with reference to the Government taking over the mortgages where there is plenty of security _and capitalising the interest raises a most important question, and I shall have pleasure in bringing it before the board at its next meeting for consideration.”