THE PRIME MINISTER'S APPEAL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2669, 14 January 1916, Page 4

THE PRIME MINISTER'S APPEAL

We give prominence to-day to an appeal from the Piujie Minxster to the manhood a£ New Zealand. Mr Massey places the duty, of the men

of military age and indeed the duty of men of all ages in a clear light. There are stirring passages in the appeal made by the head of the Government to the young men of the nation, and they should cause hcart-search-ings amongst those capable of service who have not yet eoiue forward. To quote one of those: The call comes to .every man in this country, wiio is in a position to do so, to prepare to take his place in the fighting line! The cry comcs to us from our sons, brother.-, and kinsmen in the trenches: "Come over and help us!" • It rings through every note of the official it is eelioed by the sick, the wounded, and by the men who have returned invalided from the front; the graves of Gallipoli appeal to us silently, vet eloquently, that the sacrifices made there, and the heroic Jives laid down on that shell-swept Peninsula shall not have been given in vain. No man worthy of' tho name can remain deaf to such appeals. The Empire needs the faithful and de\oted services of all its citizens, if it is to prove victorious in the stupendous task to which it has set its hand. Never in all its glorious history has it called upon its peoples in vain. Shall we fail it now? It may bo saicl that the voluntary system' of enlistment here is having its final trial. We must not fail— wo cannot afford to fail If the response now docs not meet the demand of 2500 men _ a month, then there is 110 alternative left but some form of Universal Service. Mr. Massey plainly is doing his utmost to win success under the voluntary system. ' This manifesto rings with earnestness and patriotic fervour. It deserves the thoughtful attention of everyone.