A WOMAN'S VIEW OF RECRUITING

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2594, 16 October 1915, Page 3

A WOMAN'S VIEW OF RECRUITING

Sir,—The question which' the Rev. F. Bennett recently asked ,at Pahiatua re the depletion of the Maori race through sending them to the war suggests a very practical problem re our system : of voluntary service. . Our voluntary service system is likely to do us English more harm than even the extinction of ;the race,.as in the ease of the Maori. Viewed from the standpoint, of the future, our voluntary system is an emin- i ently unsuitable one. We ought to send I to the war the willing man and the shirker, not deplete our race of all those I men who can hand down to their children those qualities_ '"hat have made our ■Umpire, what it is. I appeal to all women, to all thoughtful men, to all members of societies such as the Society for the Protection of Women and Children and the Society for the Health of Women and Children to think this over. What sort of protection for women and children will there be in New Zealand if largely peopled by descendants of shirkers ana those who are morally and physically unfit? The proportion of willing men and shirkers in our contingents ought to be at least half and half. Up to a certain point, and as a spectacle of Imperial unity,' it was good every way that our best should come forward voluntarily. That point has long been passed,,and we women should now combine, in the best interests of the Empire and New Zealand, to send tiio proper proportion of nould-be shirkers as well to the war. It will have to come, and should come quickly. Recruiting meetings (all honour to those who hold them) are "lovo's labour lost" very largely. I.have taken the trouble to wander through the crowds at them and mote who go to them. They are mostly atteuded by those under 20, those over 40, by women, and by thoso manifestly physically unfit. Of course the newspaper reports of them reach some of those Tcally concerned (tlio men | of military age), but only those already "willing to go" probably read tho reI ports. Will not someone' form an association of women pledged to see to it that all men do their duty to the Empire, and that our men when going to the war may not be disheartened by tho thought: "I go to malco New Zealand secure for the shirkers' children"? As I have said, there are times for strong language. From platform and pulpit wo are told that we are fighting not men but devils. While we have our voluntary system, must not the Devil be laughing up his_ sleevo when he hears that, and bo saying to himself: "Anyway,_ there will be a nico set of undesirables in Now Zealand to do my will in _ tho generations succeeding the war"? That is why I say voluntary service, beyond a cortain point, is an undesirable system. —1 am, etc.. GRACE FOX. October & •