WHAT SHOULD BE NEW ZEALAND'S WAR POLICY?

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3134, 12 July 1917, Page 6

WHAT SHOULD BE NEW ZEALAND'S WAR POLICY?

Shy—Your leading article dealing with subject of New Zealand sending forward large quantities of men, talks of my amazing misconception of the position because I advocate sending fewej men to the front. The matter is a most vital one for New Zealand. '

The First Phase of the AVar—Early last year 1 devoted months of work to an enlistment campaign, organised the public meetings hero, went south on a short mission. During these mouths many farmers said to nie: "If you take the men tp the front how are we to run our farms?" My invariable reply was: "If Germany wins you will be robbed as ; "nave been tne Belgians. AVo must have ; men." I have no doubt that was in March, 1916, the only possible courso for us to follow. Our existence as a nation ; was at stake. The final issue of Ihe war : was doubtful—to stop the German conquest came before anything else. lam sure the policy was right—in that phase of the war. , The Present Phase of the AVar—To-day the aspect of the war is entirely changed. There is now no danger of a German conquest. In the Western front the | German army,. though not defeated, cannot now and will not be able to advance however long the war lasts. Russia (now a Republic) is now whole-heartedly in the struggle to beat Germany. Her 170,000,000 will next summer be cnor- ' mously stronger in the field. Tho United \ States') 100,000,000 people have come into tho war-the richest people in the world « —with the greatest manufacturing plants to create munitions, aeroplanes, and a r mighty fleet. How long the war will ' last no wise man knows. Germany can fight for a long time yet before she is conquered. No sane man can doubt that Germany will be beaten. The Coming Phase of the War.-lhere is a. quite new aspect of the war. 1 learnt during my .visit to England this new fact-world-wide shortage of food. All Europe is more or less at war, for the neutral nations-Holland, Sweden, J Switzerland, etc.-are keeping arge stand- • ing armies. The manhood of Europe is fighting, not producing food North America, Canada, United States, and Mexico are engaged hi war. Asia Minor, ■ South Africa, Australia, New Zealand aro at war The result is a. World-wide short- ■ ace of' food-a shortage that will grow niid grow the longer the war lasts. -My ' view is that New Zealand's duty now is - not to fiiid moro men to send to the front Our best method of employing our able-bodied men that remain is to grow all the beef and mutton and cheese and wool that Great Britain, France, ana I Ibilv need.- . Take Great Britain: it still contains a large number of fighting men kept at 1 home and not being sent to the front. Whv? Because they are more vMn\ >•' ) mak'ing munitions, in building ships to defeat the submarine peril, m digging ' coal, etc. Britain released soldiers from > the front to help agriculture; thousands of men from the training camps were set ' free from drill to grow food. For about < three years the nations at war have been ransacking the earth for food. Tho United States is conserving her food. I believe New -Zealand, having sent or having under arms 55.000 men, has reached a stage of the war when it is her duty J! to grow'"food for Great Britain.' If wo c send thousands more men to the front c •we curtail the supplies of food to Great Britain. All our beef, mutton, cheese, and wool iu the coming year is wanted for Britain. To-day Britain is releasing •■ten mors to carry the New Zealand produce which she needs. I have thought a great deal over the . matter—studied all the facts. After patient study of the position I am positive the best way New Zealand can hcln to win the war is to send away very few more men to the war, but to strain every nervo , to produce food: every ounce of food we can, for Great Britain will sorely need it < all and more. New Zealand has had to buy wheat—first from Canada, next, from Australia, and more probably to follow. If wo send away thousands more men we

| must buy more wheat. Is that a wis* policy? One of our Ministers (Sir Joseph Ward), just returned from meeo. ing and consulting with Britain's Miniu* ters, plainly hinted to a deputation of ministers that it was time we faced this question.—l am, etc.,

ALITCED K. NEWMAN. P.S.—lf Britain needs food more than men, as I believe, is not New Zealand obeying the clear call of duty if she sends more food and fewer men?—A.K.N. [Dr. Newman says "No sane man can. doubt that Germany will be beaten." It is equally snfo to say that no sane man can doubt that Germany will not he. beaten if the nations lighting against her were all to do what he suggests New Zealand should do. As to tho food supply, no doubt that is a very serious question, but much less serious than losing tho war. And what justification is there for assuming that Now Zealand cannot maintain its producing power at a high level while still fulfilling its obligations in the .utter of reinforcing our troops at the mint? England is fctill sending forward reinforcements (temporary leave being given to agricultural workers) while at the same time it is increasing its producing power enormously. In his great speech at tho end of April, Mr. Lloyd George stated that in spite of labour shortage they had l>eea able to bring into cultivation in tho three or four months between December and April 1,000,000 acres of fresh laud, which would mean an additional two million tons of food for the people of Britain grown within their own borders. "We aro taking steps now," he added, "for tho harvest of 1918. We have already got our plans. If those plans are earned out there will be 3,000,000 fresh acres of land under cultivation, and we can guarantee that without a ton of foodstuff from abroad no one can starve us out." It will be seen from tnese figures, and on the responsible authority of the Prime Minister cf Great Britain, that instead of a food shortage in the Mother Country next year she will for the first time-withia recent times be practically self-contained in the matter of food supplies. Another remark made by Mr. Lloyd George is worth repeating just now: "If you say 'Well, we can pull through with" an effort,'" he said, 'some people answer 'Well, let somebody else make the effort, I will do the pulling through!' But to ensure success each and every one of us must' do his share, and I want to emphasise that at the pain of repetition." There is a hint in this for those in New Zealand who now talk of doing the "pulling through" rather than setting themselves to maintain the effort required of us.]