THE CALL FOR MEN

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2716, 10 March 1916, Page 6

THE CALL FOR MEN

ENTHUSIASTIC MEETING AT KARORI RINGING SPEECHES A Tecruiting meeting was held in the Parish Hall, Karori, last evening. The liall was completely filled with an enthusiastic crowd. _ The Mayor of Karori (Mr. Burn) presided, and expressed pleasure at the fine attendance. He remarked that the time had arrived when it was necessary for every available man to come forward and do his duty. He appealed to families who were not yet represented in the ranks' to follow the fine example set by others. The first address was delivered by Dr. A. K. Newman, M.P. for Wellington East. Dr. Newman said that in the early days of the war there was no difficulty in getting men—men came forward remarkably freely. How those early men had done at the front was well-known. The name of Anzac was famous. Now, however, men were not coming forward so well. A force of 3250 men was needed every month, which meant about 30,000 -a year. "With the most easily available men gone to the front, it was only natural now that recruiting should slacken. Therefore, the Government had set up a Recruiting Board to endeavour to get the "men New Zealand needed. With 50,000 of our best_ and bravest gone to the war, was it fair for the rest to stay at home? No! tho place for those who were not yet in khaki, and were eligible, was alongside their countrymon in the trenches. It had been_ said that the biggest thing the recruiting agents'were up against wore the fathers and the mothers. Well, it was not fair of the parents to aet in that way. Ho had only one 6on (only one thing in the world to he proud ofl, and it hurt in a. sense to part with him, but he had wanted his boy to go; he had not wanted him to be skulking about here; his place was at the front. The Part tho Women Play. It had been said of recruiting meetings that they did not get at the young men; but the fact was that these meetings did a great deal of good. They created an "atmosphore." Canada said she was goingto get through this war without conscription. Let New Zealand make up its mind, too, to get through without conscription. The women could do a great deal to assist recruiting. A woman had no right to have a man about her who would not go to the front. Some young men were getting married to avoid conscription, but it would be a duty of those concerned, later on, to see that, all married men of a year or two's standing were sent to the front. (Hear, hear.) He told of a young woman who married a man who had wished to postpone the event because she would then have the right to nurse him if lie returned injured. (Apnlause.) "I know wo are going to beat the Germans, or this is going to be a, German colony." (Hear, hear.) ' Now was the time to fight. It would bo no use putting up a gun after the Allies were beaten. Tho only sensible thing for those who did not wish to live under tho German flag was to enlist and take their part to-day. Thero were about 230 men in Karori who had not yet enlisted, and the people of the suburb should see that those young men were spoken to on the subject. If the suburb was well divided up the task of interviewing the 230 would be light. Ho trusted that, the task would be accomplished. (Applause.) One In a Million. Mr. W. Perry, who has enlisted, and is soon to go into camp, said that it was a mail's high duty to fight for his country, and this indeed was a fight for existence. To-day found the Germans in possession of a large portion of the North of France, Belgium, Poland, and Serbia. We had been encouraged to look forward to our Spring offensive, but it did not come last year. Now, however,- an offensive had come—from the other side. No one knew what the fa to of Verdun would be, but if it fell, it only meant that we would "have to tighten up the belt another hole, and go on with the game." (Applause.) History had a nasty knack of repeating itself, and it must be remembered that not all the Continent had been able to tear Silesia from the iron grip of Frederick the Great. _ History must not be allowed to repeat itself regarding Belgium, Serbia, and Poland. It might take all the Powers of the Continent to free those lands, but they must be freed. It would bo impossible to address such a meeting as this in Germany, beeauso Germany had every available man under arms. We, too, must mako sacrifices, and every man, whether married or not, should consider the subject of making provision against the time when his turn arrives. He entreated the audieuco by the memory of their kith and kin who had fallen; by tho memory of tho New Zealanders who had fallen heroically on Gallipoli; by the agony of the little nations, whoso blood cried out for vengeance—ho entreated those who could go or could send anyone to do so, and help along tho effort to deal out justice and retribution to the Kaiser, who had steeped the world in this war. _ Mr. Perry reckoned it would cost Britain a million men to win through on the Western front. 110 was prepared to be one of that million, and lie wondered if there wero not others present who should not also bo prepared to be one of the million. (Loud applause.)