THE CALL FOR MEN

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2727, 23 March 1916, Page 6

THE CALL FOR MEN

VARIOUS APPEALS SERIOUSNESS NOT REALISED LATEST RECRUITS Fifteen fib men wore enrolled in Wellington yesterday. They uie: James Mally, motorman, City (Homo Service). A. Aitken, miner, Lyall Bay (Infantry). Charles W. Saunders, saddler, City (Mounted). C. W. Quilliam, student, Now Plymonth (Infantry). . Henry Gacley, labourer, Palmerston North (Infantry). Robert Boyd, traveller, City (Infantry). K. C. Pegg, farmer, Hayward's (Infantry). . A. 'Pennant, bushman, City (Infantry). V. H. Heath, clerk, Kar-aka Bay (A.M.C.). P. Grasis. sailor. City (Infantry). H. D. Campbell, bushman. A. L. Hodge, farm hand, Karori (Mounted). ' M. Stewart, cook, City (Mounted). P. S. T. O'Noiil, driver, City (Mounted). B. 'C. Ballenger, motor mechanic, Northland (Engineers). Over 1000 Maoris. New Zealand's position in relation to the war was referred to by the Prime Minister and Dr. Pomare, at Patumatioe. Dr. Pomare said he was engaged in an active recruiting campaign among the Maoris. Over one thousand Natives bad loft New Zealand, and had given a good account of themselves. Mr> Massey said it was difficult to tell how long the war was going to last. Ho know that the. outlook was very much better now than it was three months ago. The Empire had to go on. Thero would be no wavering and no slackening, and it was the duty of every physically fit man to enlist. The women were just as enthusiastic, energetic, and 'patriotic as tho men, and the duty would devolve upon them to carry, on the work of the country while the men wore away. Our first duty was to win the war. We were going to win whatever the cost. '• Tho British Army had been maintained for a- hundred years by the voluntary system. Whether the country.would continue that system he could not say. Ho felt that many men would be induced to come forward by the fear of compulsion. Now Zealand had maintained, its obligations, and had sent away its reinforcements not a single man short. A fortnight ago tho last Reinforcements, consisting of 24U0 men, had left. On Sunday he visited the training camps, and it was wonderful how well the quality of the men had been maintained. He was surprised with the.physique of the soldiers he saw. Scheme Should Have Fair Trial. Speaking at a meeting of representative citizens in Christchuroli, Mr. W. A. Veitch, M.P., is reported to have said ail had their private views as to recruiting. But there was no doubt they must see that the' scheme adopted by the National Government got a fair trial. He belioved that if it received a fair trial it would meet with success. Many people refused to canvass, as they feared insults. This was, however, but a small matter to face, compared with tho fact that the men' at the front were facing bullets. Some men said they lived in a free country, and they objected to conscription because they valued their freedom, but they were not going to fight for their freedom. These men mu6t realise that if wo did not have . temporary conscription wo might have Prussian conscription. It was no use discussing abstract principles in this matter. Whether we had voluntaryism or conscription, we must realise the seriousness and importance of the position. He sometimes thought that if a few shells were to fall here it would do good. Men 'holding public positions must do their duty in this crisis, even if it meant sacrifice of popularity, position, wealth, or even life itself. Covsrnment Lead Wanted. Comment on the position of single men has beon made by the Mayor of Auckland. "I am-satisfied that somo further effort must to persuade single men to enlist," said Mr. Gunson. "The City Committee is seriously considering a suggestion that it should ask the Recruiting Board to furnish a list of single men in its district, so that a special effort may be made to reach them." '

Several letters have been received by the Mayor in regard to the proposal by him that- employers should ultimata to single men in their employ the necessity of answering the call for recruits. Several of them suggest that the Government should sot the example in this matter, remarking that there are numbers of men in every Government Department whose places could, and should, be filled by returned soldiers. Mr. Gunson remarked that several Departments, particularly the Post _ and Telegraph offices, had done exceedingly well, but there were still a large number of single men in the Government service who might be released. While this condition was accepted by the Government,, it was obvious that the private employer could not be called upon to take action in the manner suggested. Though the problem of. filling positions by returned soldiers was not so easy as it seemed, there were many men who had returned who were quite competent to fill the positions of many men who should be enlisting. Creat Issues at Stake. "In this land, so far as I can see, I do not think the people realise we are engaged in a great war," said ChaplainCaptain Blamires, at Wangamii. "As I came through 'the country I saw ablebodied men selling and taking tickets on the railways, able-bodied inch conductors on .tram-cars, and doing numerous other kinds of workj which in Great Britain women are doing. NewZealand, so far as I can sco, is not yet awake to the groat issue at stake., notwithstanding the large number of men who have gone_ forth and their proportion of casualties." ' New Zealand's Army. New Zealand has sent to the front and has in training, for the war about 35,000 men. Ten contingents have left, four others have been mobilised, and the fifteenth now is being enlisted. Some idea of. the labour these figures represent was supplied by the Commandant of the Forces, Brigadier-Gen-eral A. W. Robin, in Christohurch, when he was asked how the machinery of the organisation was working. The public, he is reported to have said, had no conception of either the vastness or '■be minuteness of the undertaking. Viewed as a whole, it was a great work, but there wore a thousand and one affairs of minute proportions which had to bo attended to with ■ the utmost rare, as a small oversight might liavo big effects.

The public, the Commandant added, seemed to lie inclined sometimes to blame tho staff, but the critics did not know what the staff had to do, and' what it had done. For instance, tho Main Body, after a little delay, for which tho enemy was responsible, was sent away in good time. After that reinforcement upon reinforcement left the Dominion, each witli its full number of men, and each within practically fifteen minutes of time-table time. There was never a time when thero were not thousands of men in the train, iue camps, and ttio control of those in-

Btitutions alone called for more work and more anxiety than outsiders, perhaps, could Ijoliove. The establishment of New Zealand's Army, its training, and its transport to the seat of war had made a heavy demand on the resources, but he was sure that it would l)e admitted that the work was well done, i