CONSCRIPTION OR NOT?

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2916, 31 October 1916, Page 5

CONSCRIPTION OR NOT?

HOW A QUESTION WAS | ANSWERED. The sewing room of Messrs. Joss, Simkinß and Company had made up its minds to vote a solid '''Yes", on the conscription issue.' The girls had talked the .matter over very seriously on two or three of the nights when they had come back to the factory to sew shirts and knit socks for the soldiers. Not a girl amongßt them that did not have boy friends writing regularly from "Somewhere in Trance, "and they well understood that the quickest way to end the war and bring every girl's boy safe home again was to send men enough to make victory swift and sure. They had read of Belgium and Serbia, and of what had happened to the girls there when German soldiers over-ran the country, and to them it was quite clear that if Australia fell under the cower of the Huns they would as surely lose their lives and honour. They had not come to their decision without some argument, but Miss Reid, the forewoman, who was older and wiser than any of them, and loved by them all for her kindness, had made things very clear, and then left each of the 30 girls to make up her own mind. Surprise was • therefore great when Mary Brown came in a few minutes late in the morning, and, turning from hanging up her coat, declared to all the room that she had changed her mind, and meant te vote against conscription. The girls looked blankly at her. and at each other, hut Miss Rcid made a sign, and nothing more was said. Through the morning the forewoman watcEed Mary Brown closely, and saw she was very' much perturbed. Taking advantage of a moment when nil the girls' heads wore bont over their work, she walked across to Marry, aud, nutting -a hand gentle on her shoulder, said: "Tell me why you've changed vour mind so, quickly." "I've, just been hearing things," said Mary, and pressed her lips together tightly.

"What sort of things P" asked Miss Reid. '

"I've been hearing what's going to happen to us girls here when all the men are gone." "And what is going U> happen, dearP"

"Chinese and niggers an' all sorts are coming, to take Australia. What about us girls, then?" ' "How can Chinese or any other sort come here P" smiled Miss Reid.

"Easy enough; what's to keep them out if we send all the men to the wax? I'd rather have my boy to look after me when tbey come than away fighting the Germans; and I guess ■ the other feir.ls will too when they know what's £oing to happen." "Mary," 6aid Miss Reid, sitting quietly down beside her, "the Chinese and ail the reßt you. speak about have always been there outside Australia, haven't they?" v

"'Spose so," said the girl. "And do you know that there are hundreds of them to every one Australian?"

"All the more reason " began Mary, but Miss Reid checked her. "Wait a minute, dear; do you know why these peoplo haven't come and taken Australia from.us long before now?- Do you know that oven if we had twice or three times the number of men we have we couldn't have stopped them What do you -£hink has stopped them?"

"1 don't know," said Mary. "Why,' Britain has, of course. Britain with her great Navy has all these years, been protecting Australia against invasion. As Jong as the British nation can keep its fleet, Australia is as safe and snug as a baby in its cot. There is only one chance, Mary, of your Chinese and your niggers being able to come and hurt you here, and that chance is-the chance of Britain being beaten in the war. Then, indeed, we'll have nobody to protect us. Don't you see what means? It means that if we are keep Australia safe from the. 'yellow people* and from the Huns, who might be even worse, we have got to help Britain to win this war. We have been told how to do that. We have been told that more men are needed in Prance to heat Germany, and I think myself that the best way for you to keep your Chinese out of Australia is to help to send these men. What do jou say?"

"Girls," said Mary, turning round in her seat to face the room, and flushing red in.the face, "I didnn't mean what I said this morning. Forget it. I was just a'silly fool listening to. a pack of nonsense in the train."—Melbourne "Argus."