PRACTICAL PATRIOTISM

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2956, 20 December 1916, Page 4

PRACTICAL PATRIOTISM

The settlers of the Wairarapa have set a very fine example of liberal-handedness and public spirit since the outbreak of war, and their latest action is quite in keeping with their previous efforts. It will be noted from a report in our news columns that the Executive of the Wairarapa Branch of the Farmers' Union has taken practical steps to frapple with one of tho most urgent ifficulties which confront the farmers, big and little,' in the way of enlistment with the Dominion's Expeditionary Forces. There is a. tendency on the part of some people unfamiliar with country _ conditions to belittle the hardship imposed on owners of farm property who may be called up for service under the military ballot. To those who know little or nothing of the difficulty in these days of shortage of farm labour of securing capable and trustworthy persons to manage farms, and who know nothing of the deterioration and loss which must follow on unskilled management or neglect of farm lands, the obstacles to enlistment on tho part of the farmer of military age may seem largely imaginary. They are, however, in many cases very real and very difficult to overcome. Moreover, it is against the interests or tho whole Dominion that our country lands should bo allowed, to fall off in production. But while these difficulties exist, it is recognised by the farmers themselves that ownorship of property should bo no bar to service in the military forces. A certain proportion of skilled farmers and skilled farm labourers must be kept in the country on'economic. grounds. It would be the height of folly—suicidal, in fact— and prejudicial to Britain and her Allies, if we wore to deplete our farming population to such an oxtent as to materially reduce our output of primary products. Still, as stated, some must go, and it is to make it possible for these to leave their farms with a minimum of personal and national loss that the Executive of the Wairarapa Farmers' Union has come forward with a proposal which, if properly handled and developed, should prove of great service to the nation. The proposal is to constitute a Board of Farmers—to be approved and appointed by the Government on the recommendation of the Farmers' Union—who shall undertake the supervision and management of the properties of '' farmers or farm labourers who may be called on for military service. The matter has been very carefully gone into, and has received the approval of the Government, who no doubt recognise the difficulties with which a farmer may be faced in arranging for the carrying on of his farm 1 while absent on active service. The idea is, of course, to put the arrangement on a proper legal and businessliko footing, and, so far as tho Wairarapa is concerned, no trouble has been experienced in finding experienced farmers of recognised standing willing to act on such a Board as is proposed. Other farming communities might be expected to follow this excellent example, and if the matter is taken up whole-heart-edly, it should prove of great practical benefit. The steps taken by the Executive of tho Wairarapa Farmers' Union are especially worthy of commendation at the present time, not only for their practical value, but because of the very plain eviclenco they afford of tho anxiety of the farming community to play its full part in tho prosecution of the war. _ Thero has been undue readiness in some quarters to suggest that tho country districts have hung back in the matter of military service. This is not Lho case; a very largo proportion of the men who have won such fame and honour for New Zealand on the heights of Gallipoli, in Egypt, and on tho battlefields of France came from our country dis-

tricts. The proposal now advanced goes to show that instead of placing obstacles in the way o£ the owners of property,_ big and little, going into the firing lines, the farmers' representatives have_deviled a practical means, involving considerable self-sacrifioe, for overcoming those obstacles. We congratulate the farmers of tho Wairarapa on their 'fine public spirit no less than on their admirable proposal for minimising tho difficulties of what is undoubtedly an embarrassing feature of our system- of universal military Eervice.