RECRUITING MEETING

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2758, 29 April 1916, Page 3

RECRUITING MEETING

. 1 OPEN AIR RALLY AT BOULCOTT

STIIEET.

An open-air meeting was held last night at the corner of Boulcott Street, about 400 people being present. Mr. li. A. Wright, M.l'., prosified, and iu the course of his address said that although Great Britain, with her Navy, ruled the waves, she had never abused her power. The rights of small nations »ere always respected. She had proved herself the friend of the United States when the Spanish-American War was raging. At the present time, when Great Britain was in distress, very little help was given her, except by her Allies. Our only- hope of success was in ourselves. Men and women who were not elfgible as recruits could join the canvassing committee and give great assistance to the authorities; Wellington needed 250 canvassors. Other centres had done excellent work, but Wellington for some reason had not responded. Mr. D. Weir said single men should join t'lio colours first. There were hundreds uf young men who did nothing but attcud places of amusement. These should enlist. .If they did not, it would be said of th«m that they were unworthy of their ancestors. If we lost this war everything we had would go up in smoke. Wo would he ruled by (he brutal German power, which was a disgrace to civilisation. A discharged English soldier, whose son was killed at Gallipoli, said he had witnessed the dostiucfcion wrought by Zeppelins in England, and had witnessed the horrors of war. But he was amazed when he came to New Zealand to find the people here enjoying themselves just as usual. New Zealanders did not realise thoroughly that a war was in progress. The Bon. W. Earnshaw appealed to the young men to continue to make good the sacrifice which 55,000 had already made for this country's defence, and referred to the willing sacrifice by so many of our noble mothers and daughters. Thu queution might well be asked, were the young men who were shirking or holding back degenerates or would they, respond to the call of the hlcod to do battle against the infamous Hun? Within a month Parliament .would he dealing with the Compulsory Bill, and ho hoped that that Bill would not provide for any exemptions except that of physical incapacity, and as before the end of the war almost every homo would be affected by the war, we could well leave a true democracy to dc the'right thing by our wounded soldiers and those v/ho had suffered the loss of husbands and fathers.

Sergt.-Major Dent made a strong appeal for recruits. He recited from Ms own experience the life of the soldier. He said we had pledged our word to raise, a certain number of men, and tbat pledge must be kept. He was in favour of the voluntary system, but if it proved ineffective compulsion must bo used. It wa3 said that the wealthy man was not doing his duty. This was incorrect. The wealthy man was at the front in proportion-to his numbers. It wns the most'cosmopolitan army the world had ever seen. . v

At the conclusion of the meeting two recruits handed in their names.