MEN AND MONEY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2625, 22 November 1915, Page 6

MEN AND MONEY

OUR Hap TO THE MOTHER COUNTRY THE CONSCRIPTION ISSUE SIR JOSEPH WARD'S VIEWS Before _ leaving Christchurch on Saturday, Sir Joseph Ward (Finance Minister) discussed in an interview in tlio "Star" a statement in the "Lyttelton Times" to the effect that if men do not come forward willingly to do their duty the Empire xhey will be taken, and which asked if New Zealand could not relieve the Mother Country of her monthly loan to the Dominion of half a million pounds. The first question Sir Joseph treated as relating to the question of conscription. In reply, lie said that it had not been considered by the National Cabinet. As far as he could judge from the enrolment of men in New Zealand there was no necessity for the voluntary s.ystem, which had enabled the Dominion to respond magnificently to the call for men, to be replaced by compulsion. Personally, ho , was not a friend of conscription. Although motions had been passed nrifcs > favour, he did not think that the time had arrived to try to force it on the people. _ If latur on the voluntary, system failed to meet the requirements, the necessity of tho case would call for full consideration of the question; and he had sufficient confidence in the good sense of all classes of the community to believe that in these circumstances the people would readily conform to requirements which concerned the preservation of the Empire. "I think it is better to have the oountry united in ad r ocating the full supply of men under the voluntary system,". Sir Joseph Ward continued, "than to create strong opposition by pressing for compulsion before we ar " rtvo at a time when reconsideration of the present system is forced on; us by its failuro. Anv feeling of anxiety in regard to compulsion being imposed, or any unrest on that account, is allayed by the f-"ot that nothing can be done in that direction without the sanction of Parliament; and no responsible proposal has been made or even sug-gested,.-that Parliament should ■ *><» called together to pass legislation of that character. Every young single man of ase and physical-capacity, who realises what it means to Dossew such n, country as New Zealand, and what, it means to hn attached to the British Empire, should see that it 'is his duty to make some sacrifice —to offer his services here, as men in other parts of the Empire similarly circumstanced offer their services." No part of tho British Empire so far, he added, had declared for consoript-ion. It was the people n first duty in New Zealand, as in all other parts of tho Empire, to leave nothing undone that was required t" achieve victory, and he hesitated to believe that force would be necessary to compel our people to do their duty.Up to the present there had been no signs of failure in New Zealand in that, respect. He believed that would bo none. But if, unhappily, it was shown" that we could not serve tin! Empire without conscription it would have to be faced, as. whatever sacrifice was called for, whether it affccted our convictions ■or not, it would be made, He felt strongly, 'however, that ■'pride of Empire and the widespread determination of the British people; in all parts of the world to bring the war to a successful conclusion would ensure a continued supply of men under the voluntary system. '■ t t As to out financial relationships with the- Mother Country, Sir Joseph Ward said that it must he remembered that this was. a young country, with a small population." People here were willing t,o do all they could to relieve the Mother Count.rv from the extra finau- ( oial resnonsibilities caused by supplying monev for war purposes, but there was a limit to the financial capacity of. the public here. He felt that at, present, it would ho too pinch'to expect New' Zealand to provide the required amount, of loan money for wn> purposes. , If the time 'arrived when it became a question of pressing necessity to help +he Mother Country in this respect,. New Zealand, of course, would do her best, but the time had not arrived—tho ouestion certainly had not been rai?"d bv the Mother Country—and lie did not nnticipite that it would be raised _ It was not necessary to cross a bridge before reaching it. and in the present case, in the meantime, at least, it was best to leave '"ell alone.