DISTRICT ENLISTMENTS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 110, 15 January 1940, Page 5

DISTRICT ENLISTMENTS

GOVERNMENT'S APPEAL FOR RECRUITS - .' f; BAY OF PLENTY CAMPAIGN DISCUSSED In pursuance of an undertaking arrived at with the Hon. F. Jones, Minister of Defence, at Auckland on Monday last, that the Auckland Provincial Patriotic Council would assist the Government in recruiting, acting through the various Zone. Com mittees, a meeting was held in the Tauranga Borough Cham,hers last Thursday afternoon to meet Sir Ernest Davis, Chairman of the Council. Sir Ernest was accompanied by Mr J. 11. Goldsline (Deputy Chairman), Major Shuttleworth and Mr J. R. Usmar (Secretary of the Goun ci f). His Worship the Mayor, Mr L. R. Wilkinson, presided and there were also present Mr F. W. Doitlge, M.P., Mr Dick Brown (Mayor of Te Puke) Mr B. S. Barry (Mayor ol Whakatane), Mr W. F. Mundt (Chairman Tauranga County Council), C. J. West (Chairman, Mount Maunganui Town Board). Mr C. L. Burnett (Chairman r, f the Whakatane County Council), Mr J. W. Sumner (Whakatane County Council) members of the local Patriotic Committee and other representatives of public bodies throughout the Bay of Plenty. Address by Sir Ernest Davis. The Mayor, in briefly introducing Sir Ernest, referred to the great public service he had rendered not only to the city of Auckland, but the Dominion generally. Sir Ernest thanked the Mayor for his cordial reception and expressed his pleasure at seeing representatives from such far distances. "It is a great pleasure for me and the Deputy Chairman, Mr Goldstine, to be present at Tauranga this after noon to explain the campaign which the Auckland Patriotic Council, at the express request of Cabinet, has launched for the enlistment through out the province of recruits and reinforcements for the New Zealand Expeditionary Force said Sir Ernest. Accompanying us is Major Shuttleworth, of Headquarters Staff, who will be happy to advise the local organisation on matters of detail.

"The decision of the Council to undertake this work was unanimous. It was reached at an emergency meeting held on Monday night, to

meet the Hon Mr Jones, Minister of Defence, following which a programme of meetings was mapped out.

"I have confidence that Zone G. (Bay of Ple.nty) will join with the other zones mentioned, and enter wholeheartedly into the scheme, straining every endeavour to carry it to a successful conclusion."'

Other Views. Mr Wickham (Por.gakaAva) submitted that the voluntary method of securing men was quite wrong. He saw no disgrace in the word 'con scription.' What the committee was asked to do, he felt, was worse than conscription. , Mr Goldstine urged that if we believed in conscription the easiest and quickest way to achieve that end was to accept the invitation of the Government to help secure men by voluntary enlistment. If it were found that the men could not be secured in that way, Avhat alternative then would the Government have? It would have to bring in conscription. Having tried to get men voluntarily, and failed, one's conscience would be clear in asking for conscriptio*. Mr Doidge said that if Sir Ernest were to tour the Bay he would find the views held by Mr Wickham were very widely held. However, the Government had declared that it intended to find the men by the voluntary system, and clearly it was our duty to get behind the Government, no matter what our opinions were on the issue, see that the men were found, and that the men who had gone were not let down. Invitation Accepted. The Mayor said that whatever one's views might be as to the best and fairiest way of securing men the fact remained that the Government had declared for a voluntary system, and Ave had to decide whether avc Avere going to support the effort and try and make the voluntary system a success. He then moved: "That the Bay of Plenty Patriotic Zone accept the invitation of the Auckland Patriotic Council to undertake recruiting ( throughout this area, and that the I Zone 'Executive forthwith set up the necessary organisation to enable this (Continued foot next column).

work to be effectively handled in each outer Zone." Mr Barry, Mayor of Whakatane, seconded the motion. His district was willing lo assist in every possible way. If we sat down and refused to assist in the voluntary effort, then we would have no reinforcements going aAvay and we would let down the men who had already gone, the cream of New Zealand's manhood. The motion was carried without dissent.