"A BETTER WICKET."

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 851, 24 June 1910, Page 4

"A BETTER WICKET."

DEFENCE PREFERABLE TO L£ND BILL. Mr. E. M'Nab, who was presonfc_at tha annual sinoke concert of the National Dairy Association at Palmerston last evening, responded to the toast "The Army and Navy." Ho said that no section of tho Now Zealand community had given an earlier and more universal support to defence than the farmers, and lis found tho greatest hostility in the centres. The Teception of tho news in England that Now Zealand had embarked on universal training surprised him, and i.' England did not follow suit very soon there would be trouble. They never yet had met an armed nation, and the fixsi time the.v did would he our next war. He would like that some colonial could go to the Mother Country and tell them how the. free and independent New Zealanders had been pressed to adopt the system. The English enthusiasts could , not themselves arouse the masses. The Hon. T. Mackenzie ivas an ardent supporter of what he (the speaker) advocated in his campaign before he left for Europe. After his firet speech in that campaign, Mr. Mackenzie had said to him: "Mao—he calls me Mac behind the scenes—Mac, you're on a better wicket now than when you were on the Land Bill." (Laughter.)