National Register

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVI, Issue 21360, 1 June 1939, Page 13

National Register

List of Man Power Needed

Criticism of Public Apathy WAIMATE, May 31. A national register of man power as well as compulsory military training was advocated in a motion unanimously adopted at the annual meeting of the Waimate branch of the Returned Soldiers’ Association to-night. The motion was proposed by Captain N. A. Rattray, who condemned the apathy of the public towards defence-, and said that he had met men in that room who had already offered their services, whereas younger men had not done so. The wording of the resolution was:— “That this branch of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association, while congratulating the Government on what it is doing in regard to defence, is of the opinion that at the present stage of international affairs the only efficient manner in which an adequate defence of New Zealand can be maintained is through the introduction of compulsory military training; and, further, with this object in view, requests Dominion Headquarters to urge upon the Government the necessity of obtaining as soon as possible, a national register of the man power of the country.”

“Looking- Back”

“As members of the Returned Soldiers’ Association, we have spent the last 20 years in looking back to past deeds,” Captain Rattray said. “It was only right that we should have looked back. Most of us, however, are getting pretty old and fairly useless, and the time has arrived for us to give a direct lead on defence.” He referred to a widespread apathy towards defence and proceeded: “The Government has made an appeal for service in the interests of defence. Where are those volunteers coming from ? I have met men here tonight who have already offered their services, but young men are not doing so. It is not a fair thing to ask the few willing volunteers to bear the whole brunt of it. The total strength of the Territorials in Waimate. that is men in training, is seven. That’s all there are. I asked the officer in charge before I came to the meeting. I don't think that is a fair proportion of the young men when there has been an appeal from the Prime Minister. “What is the use of trying to organise the show when the war is on us?” dsked Captain Rattray. “What we want to-day is a national register of every man in the country so that the Government, should an emergency arise, would be able to tell every man what to do. This is an object quite apart from political differences. If war breaks out, we’ll soon forget what political party we belong to. We’ll soon get together. We have to get the young people to appreciate the need for defence. It is absolutely wrong- to expect young men to defend their country, their homes and their families against modern weapons when they have only had two or three hours of training.”

A member expressed the opinion that conscription was not only advocated to bring in the shirker. It had more aspects than that. During the last war some men had wondered if they were in a position to leave or not, but conscription removed any doubts. Many large institutions had refused to release employees without dismissing them, but under conscription they had taken a different attitude. Conscription did not always get the shirker, but it was the fairest and most reasonable way of getting men together. Better Than Fitness Parades Expressing himself as in full agreement with the motion, Mr D. Newall said democratic Governments usually waited to get a lead from the people. In Germany, Italy and Russia, the Governments said they were going to do something, and it. was done. He was of the opinion that a resolution from the meeting that night would help to give the Government an indication as to what it should do. “One week under training is better than a fitness week,” he said. “You saw what a farce that was to Waimate at any rate. A man who goes into training for a week will be a much better man physically than one running around in parades and so on.” Mr J. A. Nash referred to a resolution for the conscription of wealth as well as man power which, he said, had been passed by the annual meeting of the Returned Soldiers’ Association three times, and would almost certainly be passed at the 1939 meeting. Captain Rattray’s motion was somewhat different. It was not a matter of what to do if war broke out, but a question of doing something in readiness for that contingency. Replying, Captain Rattray said he was quite in accord with the conscription of wealth as well as man [lower, but he had decided not to add it to his motion. “In the last war, too many made profits out of the blood of others,” he added. “That question, is one for a decision when war arises, and my motion deals with the position at present.”