The Dominion. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1916. "EVERY MAN AND WOMAN"

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2950, 9 December 1916, Page 8

The Dominion. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1916. "EVERY MAN AND WOMAN"

"♦ .It may be truq that; Germany's decision, to organise "the entire . industry of the whole riation" is an indication that she. is finding it impossible to maintain an adequate supply of fighting men, and that her position in this respect is becoming extremely and increasingly difficult. But recent events have proved that she is . still able to fight with tremendous vigour, and the passing of the Civilian.Service Act, which provides lor the mobilisation and organisation of labour on a vast scale, shows that the enemy is determined' to continue the struggle with all the power she possesses. . Jeering at Germany's levy- en masse will not help us to win the war. Our success depends_ upon our willingness and Capacity to organise all our resources—military, moral, industrial, and economic—at least as efficiently as our enemies arc organising theirs. Indeed, to make victory an absolute certainty we should excel them in every department of warfare. We cannot afford to lag behind. If the Germans are prepared to submit to the severest discipline, and to make enormous sacrifices, in, order to enslave the world, shall we riot be ready to make as great, if not greater, sacrifices for the sake of justice and freedom? In this tremendous crisis the State has the right to the services of every man and woman—not merely the physically fit men of fighting age. It is the imperative duty of every citizen to help to win . the war. Some people 1 appear to think that.because they are not fitted for service at the, front the State'has no.right to expect anything from themexcept the payment of_ war taxation. This is a great mistake. Those who stay -at home because they are not fit to fight must be ready to work with brain' or muscle as required. The older men must be prepared to carry on the work on the farm, in the factory, a_nd in the office, which the younger men have had to abandon in order to join the colours. A large amount of valuable war work has already been done by the women of New Zealand, and in the near.future they may be called upon to render further services to their country. When the call comes they will -assuredly be ready and willing.- TheJ,-*. arc just as whole-hearted in their patriotism as the women of Britain and France. , ' . i

The Government appears t'o havo come'to the conclusion that it will soon be necessary to organise the labour power, of the. Dominion in °*i 10 depletion of the manhood of .the country for military purposes. This task should have been put in hand long . ago. The Hon, Gr. W. Russell declares - that every man who can do a day's work is now being held in the country, a policy which will not meet with general approval. The fact that' a man is not fit for military duty does not count with the Department ot Internal Affairs as regards the issue of permits to leave the counfp 7 ' .^. 0 fundamental principle that it is the duty of every citizen to do all. in his power to help his country whenever the ' arises cannot bo too widely recognised. Every one of us has a direct personal responsibility in this matter. In discussing the duty of a citizen in war time a recent writer remarkeel that the : man who thinks lie docs all his duty by helping to pay i a iP I ?TL SIO^-, aI .' al '. ln J yet to learn what the . Christian duty of service means. All who have learned tho lesson will require the Government which represents them to organise the whole nation for defence; for only thus can each one of them fulfil im dl a l^ 4 t ? th P ? vcak innocent," iiie State s right to the services of tho individual citizen is no longer merely a matter for academic discission; it has bccome a question oi liie and death importance, Processor Jacks, in oneof his illuminating articles,- tells us that these' gieat questions about socicty and civilisation are now challenging.our minds and compelling us to look at them from new angles of vision. I his is a. time for putting theories into practice, and.finding out their "u° i °r l ' Wol 'thlcssness. The shock of war has changed the individual s attitude towards the State, and the State's attitude towards the individual. For years past we had been striving to get as much as we could out of the State.' We'had persuaded ourselves that the State existed merely for tho purpose of making life easy and comfortable tor us. Its function was to serve us and do our bidding. We OY '. plotted the State, and she, "like an indulgent mother,_ gave in .to us all round. It was in some respects a rather demoralising state of affairs and it did not tend to foster a spirit ol sell-reliance or a due sense of the responsibilities of citizenship'. With greedy hands we grasped at quiprivileges, and were, much inclined to torgct that rights imply duties. Wow a great, change has taken place it is the State's turn to'take and ours to give. The claims of the

nation overshadow the- interests of the individual. One fine morning in August, 11)14 (writes Professor .lacks), theio caino a rude awakening. We got a messago from the State couched iu language wo had never heard before. "I require you," said the State, "to place your properly and your lives at my service. Now, anil •for some timo to come, I give nothing, but ask everything. Arm yourselves for my defence. Give me your sons, and bo willing that they should die for me. Repay what you owe me. My turn has come." As far as New Zealand is concerned the demands of . the State on the citizen ha.ve been surprisingly small 'when compared with the vast'ness of the issues involved in this'war. The only people who have been called upon to mate really great sacrifices are' the men who have joined the fighting forces, and their parents and dependants. The majority of the rest of .the community are living. as quietly and as comfortably as in times of profound peace. Some of those who, in days gone by, clamourecT .most loudly for gifts from the State, and who cried out unceasingly for more, and still more, favours, are. now the least .inclined to'respond'to the State's calls upon their services. State action for their own benefit was welcomed and insisted upon, but State action with the object of making every citizen participate in the defence of the nation'is'regarded as an unjustifiable interference "with- 'individual liberty: ' But the vast majority of the people of New Zealand are quite prepared to make a-11_ the sacrifices necessary for the attainment of victory, and' thq selfish ones form a very small minority. If tie Government; finds it necessary to organise the man and woman power of the Dominion in order to keep It*'essential industries' going, and to maintain tho food supply, it can reckon on the support of the whole community, with the exception of a section of irreconcilables who are not ashamed to take advantage, of tho nation's peril for the purpose of..furthering their private interests.