The Dominion. WEDNESDAY', MAY 3, 1916. RECRUITING AND DEFIANCE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2761, 3 May 1916, Page 4

The Dominion. WEDNESDAY', MAY 3, 1916. RECRUITING AND DEFIANCE

The conferences and discussions which are taking place' in various parts of the Dominion in connection with the Government's recruiting scheme are proving very useful and informative. New facts arc being continually brought to light and many valuable suggestions have been made. Take, for instance, the expressions of opinion given by members of the Petone Borough Council at their recent meeting. The council has given a good deal of attention', to the recruiting problem, and a. motion was brought forward in favour of the dismissal of single men in the council's employ who arc unwilling-to enlist, and the debate provided an instructive insight into the state of public opinion on an important aspect of _ the more-men campaign. The council was not prepared to adopt the rather drastic action advocated in the above proposal, and preferred to persuade rather than to compel. It was eventually decided to make an appeal to single men in the council's employ to offer their services to the military authorities. It was recognised that some single men have obligations which make it almost impossible for them to go to the front,and members thought it would not bo quite fair to compel such men to enlist without relieving them of ,somo part.of their responsibilities. It was therefore decided to guarantee to provide, for the dependants of unmarried employees who join the colours. There must be hundreds of young men. in the Dominion who would be quite Willing to don the khaki if they could" unburden themselves of at least a part of their financial obligations, and other local bodies might well consider the desirability of following the example set by the Petone Council. There is much to be said for the argument that if compulsion is necessary the responsibility for adopting it should rest on the shoulders of the Government. Most people will agree with Councillor Anderson's opinion that the time for timidity has passed and that every single man capable of bearing arms should now be told plaintly that he must go. This urgent question will come up for consideration by Parliament during the coming session. It is quite certain that the country is ready for an equitable form of compulsory service, and it will be the duty of Parliament to devise a fair and effective scheme so as to be ready for any. emergency. The men who are compelled' to go are entitled to demand just, and even generous treatment, and it is the duty of Parliament to see that they get it.

Othcv important aspects of the recruiting campaign were discussed at the conference hold on Monday afternoon between members oi the Citizens' Recruiting Committee and representatives of the War League. It is satisfactory to know that two Ministers of the Crown were present, for some of the points raised deserve the careful consideration of the Government. Expression was given to some valuable ideas, and a number of useful suggestions were made. The new recruiting campaign has made manifest the incompleteness of the. National Register. Its shortcomings 'were further emphasised at the conference. It is absolutely necessary that. these gaps should be made good as quickly as possible, for the Register cannot, in its present imperfect condition, be fairly used as the basis of a compulsory system should it be found necessary to resort to conscription. Nor doe it afford a lair basis for estimating the number of men available for service. The systematic canvasses .which have been made in certain districts has proved beyond all doubt that the names of a groat number of men of military age do not appear on the .Register! .It would be. most unjust that the. men who have filled in registration papers in obedience to the law should be compelled to go to tho front wlicn called upon, while those who'have not obeyed the law in this matter were permitted to evade their military responsibilities. There may be differences of opinion as to the best method of compiling a com-

pic to register, hut there can only lie one opinion as to tho need for getting this essential work done, and done thoroughly. The Hon. G. W. Russellj gave the conference some very interesting information on the subject of non-registration. He said ho had in his ollice.at least 100,000 names of men suspected of having failed to comply with the law which called on them to register under the Act of last session. These names were now being checked, and if the defaulters have not registered by May 9 they are to be- prosecuted. It would be a positive encouragement to law-breaking if the Government did not take a firm stand in this matter. The people who have deliberately defied the law which required them to furnish the information set out on the registration forms deserve to bo severely punished. The shirkers deserve punishment not only for their disregard of tlkir obligations, but also for the confusion and embarrassment they have caused. Their negligence has prevented the authorities from arriving at a truo estimate of ilie military power of the Dominion at a time when that information is urgently necessary. They have hindered and embarrassed the Government in tho performance of its duty to New Zealand and to tho Empire. There are forms of passive resistance which, when a nation is at war, are almost as bad as active hostility. The Government can confidently rely upon thc_ moral support of the community in its efforts.to mete out due punishment to the unpatriotic citizens who refuse to fill in their registration cards. They have been given every opportunity to comply with the law, and those who suffer the penalty of their wilful and persistent disobedience will meet with little sympathy.