THE RELIGIOUS OBJECTOR.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 14051, 22 July 1916, Page 4

THE RELIGIOUS OBJECTOR.

HlSf DUBIOUS PRIVILEGES. "WAY DO EVERYTHING BUT FIGHT, \ lIOUSI-: AGREES TO COMPROMISE. ; -SDMIv CAUSTIC CRITICISM. (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) . ' " ' " "" WKLLT N'tITON, this day. The .report of the conference between 'Hue' managers' <n* the' two Chambers on differences d; opinion respecting amendments'hi the Military Service Bill was presented to the House yesterday. The principal one was that Mating to the Religious "objector, whom the conference agreed to exempt from actual combatant service, providing he served in a rioheombatant capacity, including service in the medical corps and army service corps, this service to be given, hot merely 'in New Zealand, but wherever the military authorities reqliir'ed it. When 'the. Premier explained what the conference had 'agreed upon, Mr Wilford remarked, "That overrules the resolution of thi^House." ' Sir Massey explained that instead of military . * sel'Vice a religious objector' could, under the" amended amendment, he-called upon to perforin non-combatant . service, anywhere he is wanted. Mr. Wilford.: Both words are equally obnoxious.- (Hear, hear.) Tlie Premier Avent on to say that while to & certain extent the scruples of the: strictly . religious objector -were, to be; Rtiielied : ,..^here was not the slightest pes-' sibility untirr the new proposals for .the shirker. /to "escape. Mr^ W'iiiijrd : Oh, yes,- there is. : gitp-.p^sV-he is< asked to put up barb-wire' eii-i ,'ts^Qsieiit-s between -the front trenches! onVrtlTe;GeThians. •(Laughter.) -~ ■ ! Mr Massey declared that hit might; even be"ewmp?lled to put Up those barb'- : wire ffntangleoipnts. He might be com. peTleel to jejiu /the ambulance -corps or -j /the finny .«?rvica corps. ' • ' Mr Anderson : There- is' a very great/ deal of difference between that" and al ' bayonet • charge. . • J^lv Ybfjj'ug^ ;,Hc. tis after- a, soft job. (Hear. he'r^v) „.;■' Mi* •■^iA3s^y.,ptiipt.ed'r-out. ; tlia.t ' siteh a iiinn ;1 ia:d : . to- Jo mnii y hazardous . things ih -co'.tl .'bTopH .without, any excitement ■siVcli ;ris Vlpoiiged. to' a bayonet chafcge, th'rowiifg grenades, and , that sort " : Ot tHing. srjyhqAv if T had to .take my ch&riC« I v^oitld' : - .rather, have the excito-Sfee.nt.--of n^Tri-ybh'et' charge," added the T^M^^vjio went- on to 'sav that the ampndmpnis by the Council had been so '«inl?ridi'tl iis fo be .made harmless 'from tlie point of- vktv of the House, »• • ■ ' - Mi* . Wi>:ot:d: Never give;, in if von think yoii. are right. . '. -M-r MaSs.ey : T am not suggesting that lU&hbers 6? the Legislative Council would • be so unreasonable-', as to insist on their ameridhi.erits fit the .risk of losing 'tho Bill . Mr WiJford : Have the Council not already insisted on all its- amendments? Mr Massey: I don't think so.- At all events I' move that the amendment be agreed to. .OPPONENT. Mr Wilford said he -would divide the ■IJouse on -the questibh. Tlie Uppers n&fflje'M'd succeeded in doing what it hl S£& ,^kmader eight amendments and sfcpfc. to/all., of ' t-hem\ werfe not dfof£f? representatives of the people as were the memtiefs. of the Lower House. ftsLjmu&i determined opponent of exemption. - Be hoped the House would stand to its .former resolution. Quakers had no .£ig)?.fc . *o ,t h is way out. '■ If the Germans wore landifiij 'here to-morrow, nobody . would .;vhllow anv man to say he 1 \voHfd T ii6t fight, •If the' 'German^ succeeded 13.000 miles away, New Zealand was just as concerned. The House was heiri£ dominated by the Council, though the House by nearly two to one em'pdsed exemption. •- < .-,'., r 4; .STIFF PROPOSITION. - ' Mr". Allen hoped, the House would, uhanimoiisly agree to a faor, reasonable compromise; , He appreciated the spirit ihwliich Mr -.Wilford had dealt with the question. The Council had .not got all its own way. ■■ A very big alteration had been made, the conference cutting, out the provision that men would only serve in New Zealand in civil employment. Now" they would have to go right to the front;-*- -'The* po'int was, is this clause- . safe/from the point of view d" stopping any chance, for the shirker? . ■• Mr Wilford : That's tlie whole point. Mr Allen, continuing, said a man would have tc> prove to the Exemption Board his' absolute belief that it was Contrary to d : vine revelation to bear aWh'S for' his -country. This, would be a pretty .stiff, proposition. The pay of non-combatants would not be higher than that of the Expeditionary Force. Britain Svent- farther than New ZeaZand in. recSghising the religious objector. , He Earnestly wished. to have behind the QovfeiTinlaift in, .the . administration olf |theAct all respectable people in the country. A deputation from all religious bodies except one ih Wellington, including Bishop Sprott and Dr. Gib'b - Mr Wilford : They're not men of the world. " ■ v Mr Allen -said, the deputation were in favor/ of the Bill. They wanted comjhilMoh, but did not wish to be placed in -the. position that some of them would have to'rcfuse to employ .a. man beca-iise he would not accept military service, and that the man be put/into gaol. ..:..-.•. - Mr Tsitt declared that the clause had been so whittled away that it represented veryliitfo to the section whose views he deplored, 'but whose virtue he .-admired. ' Tlie- deputation • comprised representat;ves of churches just as' zealous over helping to win the war as the .member Y -tor Hutt, but they reoognised the necessity r>f meeting the "religious objector. ' : Mr McCombs contended that it Svas fhe religions objector who> should 'object, yiofc members of the House, Who; in his opinion,- had had all their own way in the in'atter, He' considered the House had gone' ? to extremes, and was acting under .'pan.fc. Mr/Statham pointed to the anomalous position createel by. a new .amendment, liy which the Quaker Was to do everything but shedding blood, in opposition to all his professed tenents. Such a religious objector would need to have a very - eln'stic conscience and principles. The whole proposal, in fact, became farcical, -rtn'd lie would' not support it. THE' PRRFTCCTION OF DISCONTENT. ;Mr Hemes said ho understood the J.Tpper House was United on tHis--qu'es-t&on, and it had, therefore, beeoine a rnatter for cdrnprbmise. Mr Hornsby-: They won't run the risk of di'opp'ihg the TJill! Mr Herries : No, I don't believe they will, but a. WinSidprable difference of opinion has arisen, and it seems to me as if we cat get a reasonable compi*orms**^ it should he adopted, by tbi.s House. . Wc have allowed th'c'm id put in irreligious objector clause, althdtigh I think it will b& Very difficult (for thb i^jigiotift objewtor to l-rtke advjirttage of it/ .x 1 ■ ■ ■ ; Hon: member: That is the whole matter. Tt is -a farce. , ife Herries : Wha't AVe want id do* Is to get the «Bill through, and I thhfk this is a reasonable' compromise.' Thh tj(U;stion is,- will Ave get* anything better?; Tlie-Upper House may deelaro this fs the c last" word. I -know there are gehtlcraeii ir> this House who would do ;ihytliii<g to wreck .this/ Bill. Mr Wilfoi'd I nm not one. • Mr Herr 1 es : No. rib. < I know that, hut there are some members. Will, I don't know w^iat members. But I think if we satisfy neither side the thing must be perfectlv right* We have certainly got it in the middle wa-v now. (Laughter.) ' / " „ . THE HOUSE. AGB.FJF»S TO AMENDMENTS. Mr Payife, in the course of an argument fior'the religious objector, exclaim t'd that if this HousC had been as'tolerant of other people's religious ifec- ings us he as an- agnostic was, then we would have left this clause in as it came down (irst -from the other Hpu«D. Mr Herries objected to any provision whatever for the religious objector, while : Mi ; Poole expressed a hope that the Bill V -OfUl'd be alloweel to go tlirough as amended. A division resulted in the conference amendments to the Bill being agreed to •l-MfViAf 1 1:4.; ->•>,, . .... *