A FIGHT FOR OUR LIVES

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2574, 23 September 1915, Page 5

A FIGHT FOR OUR LIVES

'AS LONG AS HIE HUN FLEET ' : FLOATS. . Lieut. H. T. C. Knox, the Chiel Lei> trurer for the Navy League, writing to the local branch hon. secretary, saya that "manj people who prior to the war were unfriendly are now joining the organisation. An immense number recruiting meetings have been organised by the League all over the country, and many new branches have been formed, including a very strong branch'at the ; Channel Islands. I lectured at.-the Ladies' College, Cheltenham, to (300 girls, and 400 of them became members," which' means that we get at once into 400 new homes. Last week I had tea- one afternoon with Lord Plunket, _ who you will remembor took the chair at the splendid mass meeting you arranged for nie in the Wellington" Towii HalT on January' 28, :1909..; Lord Pjunket and Mr. H. D. D. M'Lean are working hard at -the -new hospital for- ihe'-New--Zea-land wounded. ... " "You will hardly believe me," he continues, "when I tell you that we have at this moment a big strike of 200,000 South Wales coal-miners. The only charitable view to take of the'action of these men is that they .cannot possibly understand that after twelve months of war we are-still fighting-ifor our lives; and that statement will remain true &o long as the Hun fleet floats. The existence of our Armies in Flanders, the Dardanelles, etc., depends upon the supremacy of the British Fleet ; and that Fleet, which is still our 'all in all,' depends upon an unlimited supply of the breath of Empire, coal.; This is the moment that the Welsh miners have ohosen to/imperil the, existence .of the Empire." In connection with the above it is interesting to know that. Lieut. Knox, at the risk of his life, spent half a day in a Wilhelmshaven dockyard in-the attire of a German labourer,. and during' tljafc time made good uso of a.pocket camera. At knock-off'time-theposition became a ' little ."sultry/ 1, especially when a Gorman military guard, looked him ovef, but ho managed to affect tho manners of the German labourer bo: well. hn Jtttk a-groKcl srorb-