The Sun MONDAY, JANUARY 3, 1916. THE FLY IN THE OINTMENT.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume II, Issue 592, 3 January 1916, Page 6

The Sun MONDAY, JANUARY 3, 1916. THE FLY IN THE OINTMENT.

While the Kaiser was drafting his New Year message to the German Army and Navy, extolling their prowess and promising defeat of the Fatherland's foes, an enemy submarine was repeating in the Mediterranean Sea the Lusitania tragedy on a slightly smaller scale. It is on such "glorious victories" as the sinking of the Persia that the German Direction relies to sustain the waning confidence of the German people. The Kaiser's declaration contains a note of veiled doubt which is entirely absent from the New Year messages of France and England. The King's message refers to the splendid qualities of the land and sea forces of France as offering a sure guarantee of ultimate victory. The French President, in his exhortation to the troops, holds out no hope of a half-way solution of the great problem—there must, and will, be no faltering in the task of annihilating German militarism, and the complete reconstruction of France. Lord Sydenham, who is recognised as one of the world's most expert military judges, sums up the situation: "The Allies confront the New Year with calm confidence." There is one fly in the ointment, however. The principle of compulsion, as affirmed by the Imperial Government, is not regarded with any favour by much of official j Labour. No one expected that 'any form of conscription would be viewed by the British industrialists with anything but the most pronounced antagonism. The idea is abhorrent to Labourites the world over. They contend that conscription of men must be accompanied by the conscription of the wealth of the country. The chief arguments used against compulsion are that it is one means of obtaining cheap fighters, that the temporary expedient may easily become a permanent institution, and that the conscripts may be used to quell strikes. There is also the objection that as the ever-in-creasing deficiency of exports as compared with imports threatens to involve England in financial disaster, it would be the height of folly to deplete the ranks of the workers further by forcing many of them to bear arms. This is the most impressive reason advanced by Labour against the proposal to enforce compulsory service, but it must appeal to reasonable and thinking men of all shades of political opinion that the first thing to be done is to ensure the defeat of the Germans. This can best be effected by overwhelming the enemy by sheer numbers and weight of metal. If England cannot obtain men enough to guarantee conclusive victory on the Continent, nothing else woidd be worth while. Of course, demagogues like Ramsay Mac Donald and Philip Snowden will do all in their power to inflame the minds of the workers against any form of compulsion, even as they have used their best efforts to discourage recruiting among the workers. Rut Mac Donald, Snowden, and others of that ilk are not leaders of Labour in any real sense. More representative men of the movement outside the Independent Labour Party have virtually promised that they will accept compulsion if they

can be shown thai without it England lmist fail. That assurance is encouraging, but, judging by the i attitude of the South Wales miners' to their leaders during the late j strike, it does not guarantee that the rank and file can be persuaded to fall into line. In fact, the signs point j to the contrary. Still, if Lord Kit- j chener is afforded the opportunity to speak to the men in person, and : can show the urgency of the case j for conscription, he may be able to j swing the workers the other way. The position, undoubtedly, has anxious possibilities.