The Dominion. SATURDAY, JUNE 10, 1916. RECIPROCAL REASONABLENESS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2793, 10 June 1916, Page 4

The Dominion. SATURDAY, JUNE 10, 1916. RECIPROCAL REASONABLENESS

The Government has every reason to be satisned with the spirit in which the details of the Military Service Bill were discussed in Committee of the House of Representatives. At first the opponents of the measure gave the impression that they intended to fight it clause by clause from beginning to end, but second thoughts appear to have shown them the' unwisdom of such tactics, and, though they made full use-of their opportunities of criticism, they cannot fairly be accused of making an organised or continuous effort to block the Bill. The House as a whole discussed the various clauses from the broad national standpoint. Members realised the greatness of the responsibility thrown upon them, and the imperative need of more; thorough organisation of the military resources of the.Dominion. They also knew that public sentiment was strongly in favour of the foundation principles embodied in the measure under discussion, and that the country resent anything in the nature of party bickering or futile_ trilling on such a monstrous occasion. Some of the most uncompromising opponents of the militarist spirit accepted the Bill as an imperative necessity. As Mr. Isitt said during the third reading debate, with the hand of the Hun on the throat of tlie Empire we must brush aside sentimental objections to interference with British liberty, when it takes the form of the liberty of the'slacker to refuse to perform his bounden duty. A special word of congratulation is. due to the Minister of Defence for the extremely able and tactful way in which he has piloted his Bill through the House of Repre"' sontatives. He struck' a high Imperial note in his speech on/ moving the second reading of the measure, and started the debate on right lines. Mil. Allen has at times irrifcafcd his best friends by a certain abruptness of manner in the face of suggestions and advice in conflict with his own views. His brusqueness has. occasionally been mistaken for lack of sympathy and has created a feeling of rcspntment in certain quarters. But i(i recent times, with a lessening of the worry a,nd strain inseparable from the heavy burden of work and responsibility cast on his shoulders as Minister of Defence, he has shown a readiness to meet members and tho public in a most reasonable spirit. In the handling of the Military Service Bill ho has displayed a most commendable willingness to give sympathetic consideration to rational criticism and well-intentioned suggestions. He trusted tho House and tho jaouse trusted him, and, with the exception of the small group of irreconcilables, Minister and members worked harmoniously together witlrthe laudable object of making the Bill as perfect as possible. Mu. Allen knew when to speak, and when to keep silence; he knew when to make concessions, and when to stand firm. He was patient, courteous, and considerate, and the result has shown that. reasonableness begets reasonableness. He has succeeded in getting his Bill through with a niimyium amount of friction, and no Minister could have handled the House with better judgment or secured better working' results. His readiness to take members into his confidence and his sincere desire to allay misgivings contributed very materially to the smooth passage of the Bill through the Committee stage. Mr. Allen's frank disclosure of the mind of the Government regarding the constitution of the Military Service Boards, whose duty it will be to hear appeals for exemption. undoubtedly shortened the discussion on this clause. Tho Minister rightly declined to accept the suggestion that particular classes, or! interests', or parties, should be represented on the Boards. No section of the community is to be spc-1 cially represented, nor will any sec-1 tion be specially excluded. Fitness'

for the position should be the solo consideration in making these appointments. In reply to a suggestion that Labour should be represented, Mn. Allen replied that lie would be quito prepared to agree, to the selection of a Labour man if he possessed the.necessary qualifications for tho position and could be relied upon.to do his duty faithfully in a judicial manner and in accordance with the spirit and intention of the Bill.. The success of the.new. recruiting scheme will, depend in- a large measure upon the way in which tho Boards perform the highly important task entrusted to them. They are to be given' a wide discretion, and in considerintr the cases brought before them they will be expected to take a rational, common-sense view of things from the standpoint of tho public interest-.

Another matter which received a good deal of attention was tho position of the "conscientious objector." The Bill makes no provision for his exemption; bufc.the Minister endeavoured to meet the a Eection of the House by giving the "conscientious objector the right to appeal on the ground that military service is contrary to his religious beliefs. The House, however, preferred to "stick to tho Bill," and tho amendment was rejected by 29 votes to 20. The general impression appeared to be that the amendment would open a very wide door and create serious complications. In England recently Mr. Justice Lawrence declared that these conscience cases were lamentably numerous, and there were agitators who supported one another in. their, objections. The conscientious objector is admittedly a difficult problem. It is hard to. understand the conscience which is prepared to take all the benefits of citizenship in a free nation and refuses to perform the primary duty of every able-bodied citizen to fight for his country.when the need arises. Mb. . Justice Darling puts a very pertinent question when he asks how a-, conscientious objector can reconcile it with his conscience to take advantage of the laws which protect life ancl property, which depend •wholly on force, being administered by Judges* who depend entirely on the police, and which depend in the last resort on- the military. The "Mother of a Soldier," in a letter to an English paper, has some plain words to say to those people who talk so much, about; the "hardships" of the conscicntious. objector. . She asks: What about the hardships of tho men who have actually fought, worked, lived, and died in the open in all weathers, the extreme heat of summer and the rain, snow, and winds of winter—men who have done all this for conscience sake without a. murmur 1 Is it fair or ' just that the conscientious fighter should risk his life .in order that the conscientious pbjector may live in safety and comfort without taking any .personal r'sks? .Most. people think it is. not, and this feeling explains the action of the House in refusing to give a general exemption to any particular section of the community. The majority of members evidently thought the fairest plan was to deal each separate claim for exemption. on its own merits and in the public interest.