THE WAR LEAGUE

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2573, 22 September 1915, Page 4

THE WAR LEAGUE

The_ principal need of the moment in New Zealand is for an effective expression of the state of public opinion with regard to the war and our share in it. We believe there is a strong and deepseated feeling in tho Dominion that it is incumbent upon us to do oui\ utmost, and that nothing short of this is worthy either ot ourselves or our cause. It is not at all clear that tho depth and extent of this feeling is appreciated by either Parliament or the Cabinet. There is an uuea-sy suspicion among a large section of tho public that too many of our politicians in tho midst of this _great crisis are still pre-occu-ped with small considerations of party-expediency. Parliament is a slow and cumbrous machine that moves in new directions only under strong, pressure of public opinion. Unless that opinion is made articulate it can havo little influence in moulding the course of cvei!t-s. In Wellington on Monday evening a number of citizens met together and formed themselves into a War league. The object of the League, as set out in its constitution, is "to expedite and extend the organisation of the people and resources of New Zealand for the defence of tho Empire and the prosecution of the war." Wo commend this movement to the attention of our readers. It would bo an excellent thing for Now Zealand if branches of this leaguo should spring into existence through the country. They would form valu,ablo centres for recruiting and such other organising work as may come to be needed, possibly before very long, and 'they would serve the immediate purpose of bringing men and women together to (.express the conviction, held by so many of us to-day, that nothing less than the ■putting forth of the whole of our united strength in this war will suffice.