The Southland Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro. FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 1912. THE DEFENCE ACT.

Southland Times, Issue 17014, 12 April 1912, Page 4

The Southland Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro. FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 1912. THE DEFENCE ACT.

The Wellington deputation which waited upon the Hon. A. M. Myers, Minister of Defence, to obtain from him a clear and definite statement as to the new Ministry’s policy with regard to the Defence Act had every reason to be satisfied with the answer they received. There has never been the least doubt as to the position taken up by Mr Myers himself. As he explained to the deputation, he has always been a consistent advocate and supporter of the compulsory principle,, and there w T as no reason to believe that his personal views would be affected by his accession to the position of Minister of Defence. The misgivings in the minds of the deputation, and in the minds of a good many other people, arose from the fact that there Is in the Cabinet an element of weakness with respect to the Act. Several of the new Ministers have strong socialistic tendencies and among the Socialists of the Dominion, or at least among a section of them, hostility to the Act is. very pronounced. It was not unreasonable to suspect that these members of the new Cabinet might possibly have been so far affected by Socialist opposition to the Act to waver in their support. The clear, emphatic and fearless statement made to the deputation by Mr Myers clears away all doubt. Mr Myers spoke not only for himself but for the Cabinet when he said that so long as he is Minister of Defence the law will be enforced and will have the whole moral support of the Government. It is exceedingly satisfactory to know that there is to be no vacillation in this matter, for we believe with Mr Myers that the system which is now being introduced has the approval of the vast . majority ‘ of the people of the The agitation against the Act is confined to a very small number of good people who are animated by admirable motives and who pursue beautiful ideals, but who completely fail to appreciate the stern facts of the age. In their hatred of war, a hatred which is shared by everybody, they would disarm their country and leave her an easy prey for the first invader. Furthermore, they would evade their responsibilities as citizens of the Empire and throw the whole burden of defence upon the taxpayers of Britain, most of whom are less able to bear it than are the comfortably situated men and women of this Dominion. Numerically this minority is negligible, and the agitation which it has fostered has nearly run its course. The great bulk of the people stand by the Act. They have willingly complied with its requirements and the new force has come into existence with surprisingly little friction. The great military camps which have been held all over both islands have been signally successful, and actual experience has persuaded the people of New Zealand not only that military training is necessary in order that the country may be reasonably prepared to meet attack, but also that it is eminently desirable from the point of new of the physical wellbeing of the young men. We sometimes hear the opinion expressed that the old voluntary system would have been quite sufficient for the colony’s requirements had it been properly encouraged. It is noteworthy that the opinion generally comes from those who have never been volunteers. When the voluntary system was in

operation they left the work to ‘‘the other fellow,” and we may be quite sure that had our defence system still been voluntary these people would still have been among the bystanders sneering at more loyil and patriotic men “playing at soldiers.” The voluntary system failed in New Zealand not for lack of encouragement but through the operation of the same causes which have made it a failure everywhere. It is a failure in* Great Britain to-day despite the most strenuous efforts to make it successful. It is a failure in the United States, where the army is insignificant in point of numbers and open to the gravest suspicion in point of organisation and efficiency. Of all the . great Powers Great Britain and the United States alone cling to the obsolete and inadequate voluntary system. We have now in New Zealand a system which provides for the training of all young men at small cost and with a minimum of inconvenience to the community, and it is in the highest degree advisable that the system should be a success. That it. will be a success there is no doubt, but a necessary condition is the loyal and unflinching support of the Government of the day, and it is exceedingly gratifying to have from the new Minister of Defence such an assurance on the point as was given by Mr Myers to the Wellington deputation.