The Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 1912. FOR HEARTH AND HOME.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 4397, 28 November 1912, Page 4

The Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 1912. FOR HEARTH AND HOME.

The Pahiatua Honorary Territorials’ Association, though its meetings have been few and far between, can be oongratulatixl on having done some really j good work. We refer to the Assoi ciation’s action in writing to the Manchester Guardian and Daily News ro- ’ futing the slanderous statements made in those journals concerning the working of compulsory military trainI ing in New Zealand, and in sending ] copies of the same letter to the Dnily Mail, the United Service magazine, I an<l the Liverpool Daily Post. The statements made by the anti-militar-i ists, ns everyone in the Dominion knows, contained the grossest fabrica- | : tions, and were sent Home with the I object of damaging not only the I cause of compulsory military training ! in New Zealand, but of killing the movement in Great Britain, which is much worse. The reading public in ; Great Hritain were presented with j pictures of hundreds of youths, unI willing to serve, being dragged off to prison and herded among the vilest ! of the vile, whereas the actual facts I were that «i very small percentage of youths had. been fined for failing to iximply with the Act, and of these otdy 50 were sent to gaol, not for failing to serve, but for refusing to pay the I’u es imposed. Fortunately through tho medium of the Press AsIsoeiatioi. Agent in Ixmdon the people of the Dominion were immediately appris'd of fhe shocking misrepresentations being circulated, and the Pnhiutua Honorary Territorials’ Associa-

tion alone of the different defence bodies in New Zealand took steps to place the true position of affairs before the British public. A doubt was raised at the time as to whether Pahiatua’s reply would l>e published in the journals referred to, hut those who thought this did not know the English Press, tho highest tradition of which has always been to throw its columns open for the expression of public opinion and the refutation of misrepresentations. As a proof of this we now have pleasure in publishing a cable message announcing that the Paliiatua Honorary Territorials’ letter has been duly published in the English Press. The Pahiatua Honorary Territorials have thus not laboured in vain, and have the satisfaction of knowing that thereby they have performed a service to thleir country as well as to the Empire. The publication of the I’ahiutua letter at the present time comes most opportunely. Citizens in these distant parts have been pained to nee that the noble work being carried out by Lord Roberts in rousing Great Britain to a sense of her danger and in advocating compulsory military service has so far mot with a poor reward, that great soldier and patriot having met with malignant attacks from the peaoe-at-any-pricers, some of whom unfortunately are Ministers of the Ciown. It will he some consolation for Lord Roberts to bo reassured by reading it in tho British Press that what be is advocating for Great Britain is an unqualified success in New Zealand, and he will be able to use the statements now made in complete refutation of the anti-militarist untruths previously circulated. It now remains for the Government ol New Zealand, through tho High Commissioner, to also refute the statements made by the anti-militarists. This the Government in a letter to the Pahiatua Honorary Territorials has already promised to do. It is to be hoped that the Government will be true to its word.