APPEAL FOR MORE MEN

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2497, 25 June 1915, Page 7

APPEAL FOR MORE MEN

; WITH OR WITHOUT EQUIPMENT ■ -■ MOTHER COUNTRY'S CALL STATEMENT BY FEDERAL PREMIER. r„ ~ „ , Melbourne, June 24. Ail the Federal House of Eepresen* t&tives, the Prune Minister (Mr. Andiew Fisher) stated that Ghent Britain nimoTi sfc forty-eight 'hours appealed for more men, with or without equipment, r - Carty Salmon asked Mr. Fisher , in view of the grave significance of the call for men from the Old Country, the Government would consider the cessation of party warfare and the formation of a National Ministry • Mr. Fisher replied: "There is 110 party warfare on this side of the House. Men of tho age and with spirit seis only the country's danger. Men of other thoughts *do other things." ADDITIONAL CONTINGENT FOR THE FRONT. Melbourne, June 24. It is stated that in view of Senator Pearce's statement that every man is wanted, the Commonwealth will probably raise an additional contingent, consisting of three infantry brigades, one in New South "Wales, another in Victoria, and a. third amongst the remaining States. MR. HCILMAN FORECASTS A RECRUITING SCHEME. Sydney, June 24. In tho New South Wales Legislative Assembly, Mr. Holman (the State Premier) announced that he had a recruiting scheme in his head,, involving the co-operation of the members of the House. Asked whether an endeavour should be made to relax the censorship in order that the fuller news would 1 stimulate recruiting. Mr. Holman replied that ho was not prepared either to take or to suggest action to obtain such an alteration. He was inclined to think that the censorship had. been .most beneficial. - - ■ - HON. JAS. ALLEN'S VIEW DOUBTS ACCURACY OF ABOVE MESSAGE. ~ NEW-ZEAMND'S SHARE. "I have had no such communication, and I don't believe Senator Pearce has. That is not theway.tho. Imperial authorities deal - with! 'these questions." This statement was made yesterday by ; the Defence Minister (the Hon. Ja6. • Allen), when his attention was drawn by a reporter to the statement attributed tH Senator Pearce, the Australian Defence Minister, by a Press Association cable message. "It is true," he continued, ' that we are increasing our contribution of men by 1000, but this is because we iro increasing the rate of reinforcements for mounted infantry;to mako it the same as for We are making Ibis increased rate right from the start, and the reason is because our mounted men are being used as infantry. Wo are not doing this becnuse the Imperial authorities Gave asked us to do it. They have never asked us for a man, with tho exception of. 100 modical men to serve with the Royal Army Medical Corps. Never once have tHoy asked us for anything. Anything extra that we have done lias always been on our own initiative. They don't need to ask New Zealand what she is prepared to do. New Zealand offers what- sho is prepared to do, and what she can do. If we thought the Mother. Country wanted us to do more, we would do more—even t-o the last mail we have got. "I am much more concerned about munitions of war and food supplies for our men at the front than I am about men. I wish we could help in the supply of munitions. In this respect we asked what we could do. We hay# offered men for tho munition works in England. They could not accept that, and now wo have asked whether we can make any shells here for them. I- am waiting anxiously for a report upon a shell that has been made here, hut I don't hold out much hope that wo can do anything in the way of manufacturing shells in Neiv Zealand. But there are some things we might do. We might, for instance, help in the manufacture of wagons, ambulance wagons, ammunition : carts, and so on, and we are awaiting the answer of the Imperial authorities as to whether wo can help in that respect."