THE CALL FOR RECRUITS.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5363, 22 February 1916, Page 6

THE CALL FOR RECRUITS.

VOI.UXTAimSM v. COMPITI.SION

' The. Mayor (Mr J. .]>. Crewe) lias | received a circular letter from the Recruiting Board, comprising the Prime Minister (Hon. W. F. Massey). Sir Joseph Ward, and the Hon. .T Alien. The .circular says. The Recruiting Board has had under review v«rious resolutions which have been passed from time to time by local authorities of the Dominion in favour qf compulsory measures being taken to secure recruits for the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces. The Board, after most careful consideration of all ithe issue involved, has decided to give the voluntary system of enlistment a, fail - and exhaustive trial, because it is confident that a proper appeal has only to be made to the manhood of this democracy to offer thair services willingly to ensure the steady flow of men necessary to fulfil our obligations and to preserve our national independence. Hie Board is cor vineed that, given the active ajid sympathetic assistance of the local bodies and public men of the Domin-ion..-we can play our honourable part in tbis great world-struggle in defence pf liberty and justice without any resort to compulsion. We would ask you fo l>ear in mind that the Imperial Parliament only adopted an, exceedingly modified form of compulsion after a most exhaustive ami systematic personal canvass had failed to enlist a great number of eligible men who were in a position to respond to the call to serve. The Recruiting Board is now providing the ways and means to enable a similar personal appeal to be made to the manhood pf military age of this Dominion, and : t is strongly of opinion tliet no form of compulsion should be coi'sidered until the method now suggested lias been thoroughly tested and proved to be inadequate for our needs. But we wish to direct your attention to this further aspect of compulsion : What is to be the basis on which compulsion is to be enforced, should the time ever arrive when such action becomes necessary? The only data available to the Government at the present time is that obtained by the National Registration Act. But there was practically no on the man who failed to give the information directed by the Statute or who delib- | erately refrained from doing so, therefore the Recruiting Board must rely on a systematic and thorough personal canvass over every jxsrtion qf the Dominion to verify and amplify the information contained in the National Register. If this Is not done, in the event of .compulsory measures being enforced, the man who has failed in his duty .either unintentionally or deliberately, in connection witii the National Registration Act, will still be able to evade his resjxmsibllity. The only effective method by which the available information with respect to the men of military age can be satisfactorily checked in order that compulsion, should it ever,come, ' may he enforced cm a fair and equitable basis is by the local bodies anil citizens in each district undertaking | the work of personal canvass, as they j have the necessary local to enable the da to compiled from the National Register to be made as perfect as possible. The Recruiting Beard feels that'this is a work that, for the

time being, should supersede all other duties, and it therq c ore appeals to every local body, to every public man. an dto every citizen to give the now recruiting scheme the fullest supix»rt, and particularly to see that the personal canvass is in no way relaxed until a definite knowledge has been obtained o fthe position of every man of military age in New Zealand. The National Government must have a trustworthy stocktaking of it-t manhood of military ago, no that it may be in a position to prepare for any eventuality in this crisis.