The Waipawa Mail. Published Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. THURSDAY, APRIL 20th, 1916. CURRENT TOPICS.

Waipawa Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue 7710, 20 April 1916, Page 2

The Waipawa Mail. Published Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. THURSDAY, APRIL 20th, 1916. CURRENT TOPICS.

‘‘Fighting Men First.” m In connection with the loss of the transport Marquette a great deal has been made out of a statement contained in a letter written by one of the nurses aboard the ill-fated vessel to the effect that “the nurses -stayed on the decks cheering the Tommies until only a few of the men remained to help the women into the boats.” Lieut.-Colonel McGavin, Officer Commanding No. 1 New Zealand Stationary Hospital, has written to the Hon. James Allen to refute the story, and in the course of his statement says:— ‘ ‘ The implication that the men neglected the nurses and permitted them to remain on the ship while endeavoring to save themselves is in direct opposition to the facts. Many men imperilled, and some possibly actually lost, their lives in gallant attempts to assist the nurses. This statement has naturally caused no little indignation amongst the members of my company. The nurses did not refuse to go to the boats. Had they done so, they would have been placed in the boats by force. They did not cheer the ‘ Tommies.’ I myself saw that all the nurses were clear of the ship, and then signalled to the men of ray company who were standing at their alarm posts on the forward main deck to come aft in the hope that they might be able to get into the remaining boats. I then went down to the hospital cabins, two decks below, to ascertain that the patients had been brought up, and that my men posted there had come, on deck. This must have occupied some four or five minutes, as the great list to port and the downward inclination of tlie head of the ship, which dived a few minutes later, rendered descent and ascent of the companionways difficult and slower than usual. The nurses were, therefore, all off the vessel some little while before she sank.”

Conscription or What? To the Labor mind the word conscription has an odious sound. It savors too much of Prussian militarism and interference with the liberty of the subject. But grave crises demand drastic remedies. The position was very clearly and concisely put by Mr T. M. Wilford, M.P., to the workers of Petone the other day. “Do you believe in conscription?” he was asked. In reply, he said: “As a principle, no; for expediency, yes. ’ ’ National ideals (he went on) must give way to national existence. What is the national ideal of New Zealand? The answer is compulsory service. “Every true Britisher must be prepared to sacrifice any national ideal for national sacrifice, and such a sacrifice is a small one indeed. I do not believe in the military service of Great Britain, which was merely a tail to Lord Derby’s kite; but New Zealand will refuse, I am sure, to be ‘a conscript appendage’ to Germany. Freedom within the law is our watchword. Outside the law would be lawlessness. A slacker’s liberty is not in danger. If conscription is to come his liberty to escape every national obligation may be in danger. That is quite another thing. Certain sections of Labor fear conscription will hit at industrial unionism, but let every Labor man remember that unless we get the men the Germans will introduce that very conscription they fear and introduce it for all time! Is there any man in New Zealand willing to become a German slave for what lie calls the liberty of the subject, aud willing to lose every liberty Labor now possesses by maintaining the right of Labor to shirk? I believe in ‘being’ before ‘well being.’ May we get all our recruits by bettering our Pensions Act without conscription is my desire and sincere wish; but if we cannot get the men otherwise than by conscription then conscription must come, and I tell you men here to-night, in these circumstances, my vote will go to get the men. Why should my son fight for those who live at home in ease and decline to fulfil their national obligations? Which is more democratic— For all to serve alike or for those to go who choose?” Spare the Rod. Some pointed home truths were ventilated by the headmaster (Mr G. Flux 1 ) of the Wellington South School in his report to the meeting of householders on Monday evening in regard to the tendencies of present day educational methods, and as they have wide application they are worth quoting. “As this will probably be the last opportunity I shall have of making a report at an annual meeting of householders,” said Mr Flux, “there is much in my mind, born of long experience, which I should like to say. For nearly a half-century I have been engaged in teaching in New Zealand and the Homeland. . . If I live till August I shall have completed 32 years’ service in New Zealand, all of it spent in the employ of the Wellington Education Board, and twenty 1 years in this school. I have seen great changes in administration and methods, and sometimes I have grave doubts as to the wisdom of some of the changes. The strenuousness of the work of teachers has greatly increased, while the tendency, I fear, has been in the direction of weakening the fibre of pupils by making the acquirement of knowledge easy. . . .

I seem to see a time when we shall have a generation of children lacking in self-reliance, self-restraint, and endurance.” Mr Flux also referred to the lamentable lack of control in many of the homes of the pupils. The worst feature of this matter was that the very parents who failed in this direction objected to teachers trying to make up the deficiency. * Therein lay the secret of the failure of many young people -when they got at grips with the world.