THE "PEACE" PROPOSALS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2964, 30 December 1916, Page 7

THE "PEACE" PROPOSALS

.VIGOROUS-SPEECH BY MR. E. :,,'.. ■,:,...;-.'-:.-SEWMAN i: M.?. - o ; , •'"■'"' : ".'Speaking' at the "send off".-to Sergt.- ;' '"Major Bertranr at" Thursday "'• •• nighty- Mr.'Edward'Newman cbngratu- - ' ..lated'the : members of'th'e MaVtori De-'■i'V-i'eii'ce- Rifle Club on the' splendid spirit ;: that' had ;been r shown by: thb" members "■ --and- by young men generally through- •' ''but the Dominionin regard to the war. • 'This 1 was demonstrated by the fact that ■'■''■' after: about" 6U,000'-ineii have'gone' men -.are - still volunteering for." ; service ;. 'abroad,""arid;in ; some districts the balloii ■.' inay-'not ha've'.tb; b'e 'brought' into use, at-'all:'- But this, would not ."satisfy : '' the' small party of "discontents" who are now clamouring for the repeal of ','- 'the Military Service"' Actof last ses-" ' ,-sion. -'-Ho wished to point .out" that even if Parliament'met-he was con■vinced that the' Act would 1 not be rc v pealed, and as the personnel of the ; ' • ."• House will remain unaltered fbt nearly "■" Awo years, in'all probability'until after= the war,, opponents of the fsystem. /■ ■• nifght' 'as : well accept, the inevitable, and ■' 'fall. in'' : and 'do their duty to their country, along with other people. '. He emphasised the point that anti-cdnscriptionists-could render'the Act '- .'entirely inoperative by-volunteering In . -sufficient' numbei's''to'enable'the' Gov- ';■'■' \ eminent to fulfiTits 'undertaking >io the ;, '"Mother Land in the'^Yay 1 of Reinforce- ':'- 'nients.' But this-was not' what" these too sensitive'gentlemen Wanted:: Tliey ''.'; would 1 -riot volunteer themselves. They ""■"-. iobjected to compulsion.;-They would :'. : rather that the' women"and-'.children "'■'■ of "'New : Zealand.-should : be -subjected to the.treatment accorded tothe. women I" ": of' Belgium , than that their/'prccious '"views" on compulsory ~ service" should '"'? be outraged. In his;opinion, the man who 'raised opposition to "our Serviced Act at' the present time was ■an enemy to--the-Dominion and.iTCm- ' pire, and should be' l firmly .dealt -with. . Wherever they' wei'e put they should * bekeptuiitil the war is over,. Because intentionally or unintentionally, they are playing-inta.the'.hands of the Germans now. It would do incalculable 1 harm if it could.he reported abroad that this Dominion was divided, on. the' ■question of,._seeiug the war,,out. He ;-. said:the tinie may. come when the civil ": /population-, should be. organised, as is ' being done, in-Germany,,, and referred .'■to-'Mr. Lloyd; George's, proposals for' ~ ■"■' the Home- Country. There, .it was sug- '-.. . gested that all:-,meii..between ; 17"and ■•■' 56 "■ should place. themselves under -. the ■:. .orders of the. Government.,and. work at any occupation-and. in any locality ■ that 'they were, required. -This was how the people at' Home were meeting this great crisis,-and surely We in New Zealand should.-be' equally self-sacrific- •-■ . .ing. : ■.->.■■-":>..•. - " ._"'•' He. wished to-refer briefly-to the , so-called peace proposals of-the enemy. He regarded them as absolutely bogus —worked. out v probably to ■ stiffen the backs-of-the German'people, wlio .were getting war-weary. Was there to be peace without punishmont for the destruction of Belgium and Serbia ? The enslavement of- thousands of respectable, men and women who' ' had'been sent to Germany under brutal -,- German officers and-men ?'.- Who could tell the tale of - the 'misery of these, '' enslavements? Could .we'imagine peace •with'the Lnsitania and the. murders of Nurse Cavell and. Captain;Eryatt un-•'revenged?-Peace with the .British Navy still a'floa't and the German fleet '\ -uncantured or.destroyed?. Such a pro--rmsal^was.madnessV-Ourfenemies must .piivj.fnr the crimes they have committed. -Then, r we must;have such'guarantees, 'as would, render .such a.war as this- impossibly for,, another.century at ■" all; b'p done . until the/ : ..m!litarjv,clas'ses -jwhich no«'" rule". 'of '•' existence* 'roust-he pretiarrd to ■• --.T-fight' until-t-his'object is gained, if;'-«fr would do justice to the FonojsitiriiV who come after us. - He believed that'' aft°r the w'ar the Brit'sh'flag would still fly suprenie-oii'lan'rl and ;s«a. and tt-onid remain the symbol of honour, liberty, and freedom to _ all ■ alike, of all .-creeds and colours;-rich, and floor j ■',- -.great and..small. ... ;> r --.- r '.•."-- '-.".'