RECRUITING SCHEME

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2729, 25 March 1916, Page 6

RECRUITING SCHEME

THE ONE QUESTION

personal canvass essential to SUCCESS I ! • DEFENCE MINISTER IS EMPHATIC Tlie need for personal, effort in the work of the Auckland and Wellington recruiting organisations, in order that all the eligible men may be canvassed individually was urged with emphasis by the Defence Minister yesterday. "The one question is: Will the local bodies who have not yet come into line with the new scheme do so now?" said Mr. Allen. "Neither Auckland nor Wellington is working on the Government scheme," lie added. ."They are not completing their rolls, they have not divided tlie cities into areas, they havo not entered upon an active personal canvass, they have made no preparation for an active personal canvass, und.tliey have made no preparation for a compilation of the roll which will be required in the event of compulsion being brought in. ■ ■ "That is" .the work, we ask them to do. Of course, thero is hard -work ni it. It is not pleasant work, but it is work that has to be done if we want to win this war. It is no use putting it on to tlie military.-• It-is-the citizens' work,. the work of the; citizens who can not go to the war themselves. It is, hard graft, perhaps,, from one point of view,' but; it' is ■ work which shouM be taken up as a'pleasure and a privilege. That is the way I look at it. Show me on paper tho names of sufficient men to fill'the next six reinforcements, and then I will know that we_ are safe for the next ten months. It is no use fiddling with the thing. The position is too serious. I.can't.do all tho recruiting. work, nor . can the Defence Department. The people- must find the recruits. _ Until they are found there is no security. If we fail to fill up the fjaps by our reinforcements our army fails. Our army must bo kept up to its full strength.. That's the only tiling wo want. I don't 'undervalue the work done on the platform, but it is this other work that the Rocruiting Board wants to have done now. To be perfectly plain about it. I don't think either Auckland or Wellington are doing it now:"

Mr. Allen said that some success had beon achieved with the scheme .in Dunedin, and he looked for good results soon from Christchurch, where, at the desire of the Mayor the Citizens'. Defence Corps had undertaken the per--sonal .canvass task." RALLY AT PETONE 'AN ENTHUSIASTIC GATHERING. The Empire : Theatre at Petone was nJlea to overflowing last evening, when a big recruiting rally was presided,over by the Mayor (Mr. J. W. M'Ewan). several returned soldiers occupied seats on the platform'. A parade of ; the -Boy Scouts, Senior Cadets, Hutt arid letone Railway Section of tho National Reserve, and tho Petone Unit of the latter was held through tile principal streets of tho town, in which the Petone Municipal. and Salvation- Army Bands assisted.

In_ opening, Mr. M'Ewan apologised for the unavoidable absence of the member for the district (Mr. T. M. AYilf°r(l, M.P.), Captain Hardham, V.C., and Father JrMenamin. The speaker stated that according to tho National Hegister Petone had 1250 eligible young men. Tlio monthly quota was 13, and so far they had 10. Ho hoped that before March 31 tho number would reach 20. ; (Applause.) "To those ™-opposo conscription," said Mr MEwan, "I would_ say they - should I come out into the light as apostles of the volunteer , system." .. He. hoped that no young man present would be too shy to como forward and assist in keeplng up the quota. : At'his invitation the audience rose ei; masse and sang the National Anthem. " A. R,. Wright, M.P., expressed his gratification at the well-organised meeting, which, he stated, was. the finest and most enthusiastic of the kind he had-attended. ■ The question much aski mi vas '• "^ r ' len would the war end? They.might read the utterances of public men in answer, but they tailed to gather any definite informa- 1 tjon on the point. M. Libeau, the French Jlmister, had recently said, Without illusion we could see the end of tho, war, ' .but after all, continued the speaker, these were but the words ot a statesman, and they failed to brim: any oomfort. He was not a prophet of evil, but tho war was not won yet and we hadla ''long way to go." (Hear, hear.) ■ Mr. Wnght referred to ' the powerful organisation of ■ the enemy, but ho lie would never see the! time when Britain would lay down her arms m an inglorious peace. He was suro we never would. (Loud applause:) Jiverything m Germany was under the control of the military authorities, and even the ministers of' Lutheran churches were told to: preach a doctrine to the peoplo that would belittle tho British Empire. In these circumstances the only thing to do was to go right at them, and; "flatten them out " (Cheers and applause.) In referring to the sinking of neutral ships, Mr \\ right mentioned that the perpetrators of such deeds were made heroes and presented with Iron Crosses. The speaker quoted the story of a younc who, at a recent recruiting meeting m Wellington, had stated that he had nothing to fight for-all ho possessed being the suit of clothes lio was rsTft had L ° b6en nf 'i 'i <to only P° ssoss « ?> x iLi eS) a single man " But although he had no mother, sister, or relative Mr. Wright maintained " ,f a^ 0 «ie women of the Empire that man had much to Thn E n" n ,? r ' 1 (Prol , on S e d applause.) Iho speaker also spoke of tho subtlety and treachery of the enemy, who hail accepted our hospitality, and theii, like Judas Iscariot, kissed us, and sold usfor less than 30 pieces of silver In conclusion,. Mr. T\ right paid a tribute to the parents of those who had eono into action praised the deeds of our cSL S ,i 6a "'poll, and added we would spend every shilling to 1 carry on the war to tho last, so that peaco'and prosperity -would remain throughout the °T? r ?v ter - (Continuous applause.) Mr. D Wen- quoted tho words of Captain Hardham, V.C.; "This war is yours, mine, and everybody's business, and everybody should got into it." (Applause.) Many thought it was not a working man s war, but tho speaker Tei w- S words of Messrs. Hughes and Fisher, who said a'l mon should got into it. Mr. Weir appealed to the single men, and what he termed semi-single men, meaning those who had married « iru 'g tbe war. (Laughter and "No ") Ho believed that the men between 45 and 50 were gamer to go than mnay young men. (Hear, hear.) He was sorry to notico (hat when tlie invitation hail been extended by tlie Mayor for volunterß, scvoral young men had left tho [hall. "For what reason?" said the [speaker. "You know, and eo do I." (A voice, "What about yourself,") Mr. Weir: "I'll go with yon to Dr. Ross and take my chance against you." (Cheers.) Tlie, voice continued until it was promptly counted out. Mr. Weir related the story of a solicitor who gave young men in his employ every chance to enlist, but they failed to respond. Finally they were dismissed, and "when the parent of one of them complained that tho lad had beon sacked because lie Would not p;o to the front, tho employer I answered, -'No.. Tliqj jv:ere discharged

in order to give tliem an opportunity of going to the front." (Loud applause.) The Hon. IV. Earnshaw, who stated that lie desired to speak as a working man., and not a Legislative Councillor, stated that the Mother Country had called upon her oversea children to help her in the crisis and would it not bo craven in any boy if ho did not respond when his father or mother asked him for help? 'Die speaker claimed that tho present struggle was a Labour war as Germany l\ad set out to control the world's industrial markets. In this icspeet she had captured a lot of trade that should have been liold .by the people of New Zealand and Australia.

"Ws there (continued Mr. Earnshaw) any eligible young man present who could give a good reason why he should not enlist?" (A voice "If I give you my reasons I should be arrested.") Mr. Earnshaw, who referred to Petone as a working man's town, continued to stress the point that it was a worker's con-, flict, and added that lie considered the Government should send qualified men to assist in the manufacture of munitions, so that even tho ones as old as he himself could do their share. (Loud applause.) The meeting was interspersed with musical selections, and concluded with a patriotio picture. AUCKLAND ENLISTMENTS. By Telegraph—Press Association. Auckland, March 24. A total of 46 men enlisted to-day. In 9.11. 24 were accopted and 13 deferred. Rowland. Jeweller, 90 Manners Street, is the firm who are giving 15 per oent. (3a. in the .£) to soldiers or their friends when purohasihg anything for them. Badges, wristlet watches, engagement rings, etc. See Rowland about it.—Advt.