WAKE UP

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2635, 4 December 1915, Page 6

WAKE UP

WAR QUESTIONS DISCUSSED OUR READERS'OPINIONS HINTS FOR MINISTERS (To tho Editor.) WILL THEY HEED THE CALL? Sir, —Your paper of November 17 had an article headed "A War of Attrition," "Defence Minister's Views," in which'the Hon. Mr. Allen'says: "I can't understand this cry of never mind the expense. Wo must mind the expense. This is a war of attrition. Wo must use our resources so as -to wear down our foes by exhausting tLeir resources in men and money and food. Men alone will not win this war for us." Reading to tho end of tho Roll of Honour, my eye noticed advertisements under "Sporting," in which owners and trainers are reminded that entries for various meetings close on certain days. With Mr. Allen's views still in mind, and thinking of the Bill passed last session largely increasing the number of race meetings to be held in New Zea« land, the question arises, "Is our National Government doing its duty to the country in doing nothing whatever to reduce the expenditure this encouraged, a part of which for benzine, oil, and tires goes to the United States of America, where I believe our trade balance is now on the wroiig side?" There is an expenditure not only of money, but of the time of those men engaged at or attending races. Is this using our resources to wear down our foes?

Turning to "Local and General" in the same paper, a paragraph states: "Tho Teachers' Superannuation Board held its meeting yesterday. Retiring allowances were granted to fifteen, contributors retiring on account of ago or service." i Could not these fifteen, over age no doubt for thG firing line, as well as others in other - Government branches, retiring for the same reasons, be retained in the service for the period of tho war, and thus free younger men for service ?

_ Coming , back to tie first pago mentioned', there is an article headed "Stato Advances," "An Excellent Record." Tho article says, inter alia, "For the month ending October last the advances under the three headings were as follow—total £915,150." The question here is, is the Department scrutinising the applications with that _ care that the present time demands, which is recognised by the Hon. J. Allen, and no doubt also by all the members of the Government? The doubt arises because in a paper on the West Const there appears an,advertisement by the' Manawatu County Council advertising a loan for £600 to form footpaths and streets in the township of Sandon. Sandon, a small village that in the last 25 years has gone backwards rather than forwards. Is this a. necessary expenditure ? Could it not wait until after the war? Could the Government, if it knew the facts, conscientiously allotv this kind of expenditure, while saying "our resources must be used to wear down our foes" ? I take it the Hon. J. Allen voices the opinion of tho Government.

Sir, there is a large number of thinking men in this Dominion waiting, wondering, when something is going to bo done in tho way of organising our resources audi men. Tho National Government would bo astounded at the support it would have, if it suggested a decrease of sport and amusement, a curtailment pf our Civil Services, and an organisation of our men, to keep tho firing-line supplied, and the industries that jiie country depends on, going. There is, sir, a great work waiting to 'be taken in hand. Can you not emphasise the need' to begin before the necessity is forced on us? Articles such as you have given us from time to time—none lately, however—do great good preparing the way. Can you not continue and help rouse from his slumbers the big man who must' deal with these big questions?— I am, etc., ONE OF THOSE WAITING. From Somewhere in the Country. IS THERE A WAR ON? Sir,—As. an Englishman who has lived some fifteen years of adult life in Australia and oyer seven years in New Zealand, I was very , sorry , indeed to read the remarks by "A Wellington Citizen" which appeared in your issue of the Ist inst. 1 agree'with your correspondent, Mr. W. L. Edmanson, to-day, where he deprecates such criticism; hut I go further, and say that "Wellington Citizen" is not fully truthful.. In fact, his veracity seems to be about on a par with' his narrowness of mind. "Wellington Citizen" also appears to me to have paid a very fine compliment (unintentionally) to Australian physique. He says, with great self-pride, no doubt, that the troops in Melbourne marched out daily with bands were of a type equal to our New Zealand drafts. Later on, he says: "Here (in New Zealand, I presume) we have in' our forces a large percentage of country men; in Australia there is a big preponderance of men from the cities." Obviously, then, tho men from the cities. in Australia aro of a type equalto our New Zealand country men. Did "Wellington Citizen" mean this?

Well, anyhow, what does all this matter?' The heroes of "Anzac" know one another, and are prepared to trust their lives to ono another through all the horrors of war, and in times of pain and suffering in field and other hospitals they are pals comforting and cheering- each other, to the utmost.

I know both countries intimately. Australia from Sydney to The Boulder; New Zealand from Auckland to The Bluff. ' I know the peoples of both, the climates, the conditions of life in both, and so I know that most of "Wellington Citizens'" remarks for tho purposes of comparison aro sheer nonsense, about equal in common senso from a practical point of view to jealousies which have existed between Sydney and Melbourne! Auckland and Wellington—all arising' from parochial narrowness of view. "Wellington Citizen" evidently does not know New Zealanders, for if ho did ha would not expect them to appreciate such remarks as he uttered. I notice, Sir, you charitably spare him by not mentioning his name. If he will proclaim I'll then deal with his lack of voracity—whoever he is.—l am, etc., R. J. WHITE. [This correspondence is now closed.] LACK OF INITIATIVE. Sir—You were good enough 011 a. previous occasion to givo publicity, and editorial approval, to a suggestion of mino that military and semi-military marches through the City, led by military bands and martial music, should be instituted, _ say, twice a week, with a view to assisting Tecmiting, and infusing and maintaining martial enthusiasm into and among the people. Despite .vour valued support, no notice was taken of this sijggc,stion. The fact is there is no initiative on tho part of tho _ leaders of, respectively, tho Patriotic Societies, tlio War League, the National Keservo authorities, or tho Defcnco Department. From tho departure of ono .Reinforcement to tlm sailof another, thia City, so fat as

patriotic incitement of tlie kind to really reach the hearts and souls of the people, is as dead as dish-water. It is now advertised that No. 1 Regiment, National Reserve, is to parade for inspection and battalion drill at tho Nairn Street Reserve at 3 p.m. oil Saturday next; hut, strange to say, each unit thereof is to find its own way up there in driblets, and anyhow. Here is a lost opportunity! Sviiy do not the National Reserve authorities assemble all the above units at some central placo in tho City, with a baud, or two, in attendance, and march them up to tho reserve? Tho band, or bands, could play there while the inspection and drilling were taking place, and, on their conclusion, tho regiment, headed by the band, or bands, could be marcAed back through tho City again. Thus, perhaps, some good might result to general recruiting, as well as, doubtless, recruiting for the National Reserve it-self, and public interest would be reawakened in both issues. AVliy, also, are those units of the Ist Regiment who are lucky onougli to liavo arms of a sort, ordered to dispense with them on an important occasion of this kind? Tho fact that all are not armed does not matter a bit, other than that perhaps it might be an object lesson to the Defence Department to hasten th-e arming of all the reserve.— I am, etc., RESERVIST. December 2. [Our correspondent's suggestion is a good 'one, and wo regret that we were imablo to publish his letter earlier. The idca ; however, can still he givon effect to, if not to-day, on future occasions.] A SUCCESTED NEW TAX. Sir, —It is strange that tlio Government, while straining every nervo to raise money, should have overlooked an obvious means of increasing tho stamp duty by taking the banks by way of duplicate slips, butts of paid-in slips, etc., which - are certainly receipts for money in the purest business sense of tho term. There-must be many thousands of such vouchers given in New Zealand in tho course of tho day, and even a few pounds per diem would be an assistance to the hard-up Government. Of course the banks would howl, but let them howl. It is grossly unfair that a hard-up person like myself should pay twopence on a receipt, and the banks should go free.—l am, etc., VACUUS VIATOR. AT. ALL COSTS, Sir,—Excuse pencil, ill in bed, can't hold a pen. Your paper is what I look for every day. A friend gets it off tho train, I like to read your leading article, your views on the war, and your letters. What you say of that man Ford is quite right, and if he hadn't made a lot- of _money no one would have noticed ship, will contain about tho worst cargo of mischief that's left America yet.

About 50 years ago we had the Bible in our schools; thoso old yellow leather covered ones, and I. remember David knocked the bully out with a stone. This sort of thing has been goine on ever since. _ Even in school we had our bully and just like this Kaiser bully he would make anyone fight his battles, until one came along and gave him a good hiding. Then the smallest boy in the school would be pecking at him. Now. Sir, this cren.t world bullv is about to get his hiding. Ho has cot all he can to fiaht his battles, and is nearly, done. Did tlhat bully think he_ would build his kingdom on the ruins of Great Britain ? Sir. tho world bo in chaos, trade and commerce ruined, and everv place in a. worse stato tlian_ before Britain started to build our' Empire. It is for us to stop this at' all costs.—l am, etc., BRITISH. M r aikanae, December 1. PASSING ON THE WAR TAX. . Sir, —I was under the impression that Mr. Massey had said when lie proposed to tax Mr. Big Brewer, that lie would not allow it to be passed on. Evidently I have made a mistake. Mr. Brewer now informs us that the. product of his .monopoly will cost us so much more after the Ist of the month. They are not content with the extra war tax, , but have added a little more for thoir trouble. Can they say that hops are costing them more to-day? No! Brewers to-day are using American barley imported in ship loads so that they could dictate their own price to the growers in this country.- More loyalty! The brewers' own 09 per cent, of the freeholds of hotels in Wellington. They demand and get big. rents free of all rates and taxes, and many thousands of pounds at the expiration of each lease for further goodwills. Would it not be possible for Sir. Massey to step in and grab some of this "unearned" and use for war purposes all the goodwill money for the next five years? At a low estimate it would yield £1000 per house in Wellington per annum.—l am, etc., HOTELKEEPER. "BRITISHER FIRST," x Sir, —I read with much interest your leading article in to-day's issued headed. "Britisher First," but I venture to think that there is another side to the question, viz., that by tho death of Mr. Keir Hardie Britain lost one of her greatest assets. He was a man who believed that the teaching of Jesus, that evil could never be conquered by force but only by good, was not intended to be merely a lofty sentiment devoid of all practical application to life, but really offered another and tho only practicable way of overcoming evil. Such men are rare, and his whole-hearted devotion to truth was, in my ; opinion, of more real value to the Empire than is the spread of the "British first" idea, which seems but a variant of that very dangorous doctrine, "My country, right or wrong." .The teaching ,that there is no higher object of devotion than one's country is Bernhardism pure and' simple, and a flat negation of Christianity. In* the old days it was .the false prophet who stood by that maxim and fell by it. Tho true prophet at the risk of his life asserted the principle that unflinching loyalty ito God is the only secret of national success, and history proved him right. It is strange indeed if after so many centuries wo have still to learn that God and Empire aro not interchangeable terms.— I am, etc., R, H. HOBDAY. November 30. [This letter is referred to in our editorial columns.]