ANTI-CONSCRIPTION.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume III, Issue 883, 8 December 1916, Page 3

ANTI-CONSCRIPTION.

A POOR MEETING. DISAPPROVED BY SOLDIERS. Under the auspices of the Canterbury branch of the Conscription Repeal League a meeting was addressed in the Socialist Mall in Mis Majesty's Theatre buildings last evening by Mr C. W. Webber, a member of the executive. The meeting was called for men who had been called up in the first ballot, and circulars that had been sent to practically all the men so affected invited all to be present. There were present in fact a mere handful of people that only half fdled the very small hall, and they comprised mainly pressmen, policemen and detectives, whom rumours of impending trouble earlier in the day had enticed along. Of the "conscripts" on whom so many circulars had been wasted there was

nlmost an entire absence. There may have been a dozen people present who concurred with the views of the speaker—there could not have been more.

For some time before the meeting was timed to start people had commenced to congregate outside the hull, an 1 the pavement opposite the building was fairly thickly lined. Very few seemed to enter the door over which guard was kept and where every man desiring admittance was required to produce his credentials. Generally, things were pretty slow till a body of returned soldiers, their badges prominent, swung round the corner and marched up to the door. They entered, but presently returned again to the street. All the time the crowd grew thicker, but it was obvious that it was only curiosity that attracted them, since only in isolated instances did anybody enter the door. Inside, right up to the time of commencing the meeting there were empty benches.

Mr Webber acted as his own chairman. As he rose to speak, tlic returned soldiers, to whom admittance had evidently been denied, drowned his remarks with "Sons of New Zealand" vigorously sung. Mr Webber, however, was quite unperturbed and continued his remarks. When he became audible he was deprecating the attitude of the newspapers, and made some references to rowdyism. He proceeded to quote from a speech made by Mr Herbert Samuel in the House of Commons just at the moment the men outside elected to set up a noisy rendering of "Boys of the Bulldog Breed." Mr Webber said that public opinion in this country was very largely against the Military Service Act, and that opinion had been stimulated to a certain extent by the result of the referendum in Australia. While those outside sang "Tippcrary" Mr Webber was declaring that the effects of the Australian referendum had been most marked in this country. The conditions which existed when the Military Service Act came into being were very different from the conditions obtaining now. Surely it was the soldiers at the front who were capable of judging rather than the citizens at home. ("We're Here Because We're Here" sang the soldiers outside). The Australian soldiers had voted against conscription. As a matter of fact the soldiers in the trenches more than supplied Australia with its majority. He thought it went without saying that industrial compulsion would follow military compulsion. Referring to conscientious objectors he said that there were many today who believed that war was wrong and that there should be other methods of settling disputes between nations. The majority of the Labour organisations in this country had decided to do all in their power to oppose conscription, and when they considered the strikes against conscription, and that the men only went back to work at the voice of their executive, they would begin to understand that New Zealand was on the verge of industrial chaos. It had been said that the meeting that night was for the purpose of discouraging recruiting. That was not so—it was not a part of the League's activities, and it was not the concern of the league. If a man could not decide for himself whether or not he should go then it was not the business of the league to decide, for him. They had been threatened from all quarters and threats of all kinds had been held out to create a spirit of intimidation. The present meeting was only a forerunner of what would be held —larger meetings would be held and larger demonstrations. If they did not ask for the repeal of the Military Service Act they would be forcing the country into chaos. In response to the speaker's invitation to anybody who wished to say anything to get up and "fire away" one man—an old man—rose and commenced to narrate the history of how he came to New Zealand from Ireland, and was commencing to declare that he had been driven from Ireland by the nation that now wanted his sons lo fight for if when Mr Webber interrupted him. "I am not going lo tolerate that sort of thing here," he said. "Such utterances would injure the purpose of the meeting. The only legitimate way lo act was through the league. He declared that the league had the support of many Catholic priests, of Quakers, of Socialists, and of those who had held opinions against war. As the meeting broke up those outside, who had been quiet for some time, sang the National Anthem.