THE "PEACE EVANGEL."

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1813, 28 July 1913, Page 9

THE "PEACE EVANGEL."

AND DEFENCE ACT. MIXED MEETING LAST EVENING,, Half a dozen speakers—ollo of them a[ lady—were on the subject ol' anti-militar-ism at the Empress Tiieatro lust evening. Tho building was comfortably iillod when tho meeting opened, but a large number of people—including about a third of those who occupied trails downstairs — loft wliilu tho speeches wero still under , way. A hostilo and (sometimes noisy element was present in tho shape of a body of young men who occupied scats in tho gallery, but tho chairman (Mr. P. J. U'Kogun) only onco thought it necessary to issue a threat that ho might seo lit to invoke the aid of the policemen present in maintaining order. The chairman read an apology from Mr. Holland, who wrote that ho was pro-, routed from' attending by a slight accident, otherwise ho would liaro been pleased to assist "in agitating against tho crime of conscription." (Applause and uproar.) 111'. O'Regan added that tho meeting had been called to protest against compulsory military training, and that he was pleased to preside orer it. The speakers of tho evening, Mr. O'Regan included, covcred a great deal of familiar ground, and were chiefly remarkable for the diverse standpoints from which thoy approached their subject. Mr. O'Regan. wound up a speech in which no denounced compulsory' training as undemocratic and utterly unjust, by declaring that tho squatters and laud monopolists who owned this country ought at least to have tho decency to pay for this eyetoiu if they wanted it. , Mr. Robert Hogg, who followed, declared himself iio't an anti-oonscriptionist, bu„ ail anti-militarist. Ho dwelt unon tho huro expendtturo incurred by modern nations in maintaining armaments and-.as-sorted that tho whole thmg was organised in t'lie interests of plutocrats and capitalists who wero exploiting the workersi n every -country. Hq was lmuisolf, no on atheist, but ho invited tfaose amonßbt his hearers who were Christinas to tako tho anti-militarist standpoint on tho □round that their religion condemned war. Vrr Jlow? said that militarism had been successfully established in New Zealand for two reasons: because Sir Joseph Ward and others had put tho Defence Act on the Statute Book,. and because tire workers had been caught naimW. Ho moved: "That this meet. i U cr being convinced that compulsoiy military training imposes an unneceMan and increasing burden o'i «,e this country, and involves an nn«ar ranted injunction of individual libe J, and liarental rights, pledges itself to agitate by all lawful and oonstifcuti°ivol means for tjhe abolition of the Defenco A Mrsf Donaldson, who waß the speaker asserted that tho burden of defence was being cast upon defenceless children. She argued that war nations was no more respectable or desirable than tho squabbling of neighbours contended that a citizen army.should lie on a volunteer basis. Tlio stiengui 01 such a force, she said,.should rest upcm people having a real interest. in tho.r rmmtrv <ind 0- sound hoinc-liie. So far those on tho platform hail been ilcclared that tho firov election was Labour's answer to tho policy of militarism, a statement winch was received with loud dissent and disapproval b.v llie young m Mr UP A&«,- » ™ ral * r . tho , So " ing. Mr. Freeman, a member of tlio ho--oiTh? iM«?n was put to the meeting and carried 011 a show of hands.