ORGANISATION FOR A FIGHT TO A FINISH

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3154, 4 August 1917, Page 8

ORGANISATION FOR A FIGHT TO A FINISH

Sir,—ln my letter of July 1G I premised to.sketch a constructive policy of organisation. It is clear that wo are in for another year of war, if not more. Uo cannot, therefore, like Mr. Micawbcr, wait for something to turn up, nor get rid of our obligations, as 1,0 did by f.'.tS" 1 *? '\ n ? ie ot '"""I. and saving, Thank God! That's settled." Pious declarations of "inflexible determination" will avail us nothing linless they aro backed by planning and preparation, and sacrifice. Tho victory of Messines was achieved by the bravery of our troops, but would havo been impossible without the most careful preparation, co-ordina-tion, and co-oporaiion. New Zealand's policy should bo marked, by tho same features. In formulating that policy wo must consider what wo ought to do, what we can do, and how wo can do it. What wo ought to do is to keep up our reinforcements at fuH strpngth, and at tho samo time to maintain our essential industries. Our contribution to the Imperial Array is small, but in a fight to i» finish the last ounco of punch tolls. Our tittle Army is not a niero negligible drop in the bucket, but rather a partiolo of the yeast that leavons the whole mass. New Zealand's example does encourage tho rest of the Empiro, and a weakening on our part would produce a corresponding disheartening effect on those Dominions which are Eeeking to revive recruiting and to introduce conscription. Can we do what wo should, or are wt faded with the alternatives of sacrificing either our reinforcements or our essential industries. That is a matter on wEich. the reports of the National Efficiency Board may be expected to enlighten us. I believe that wo can do both, but only if the country is organised on a war basis, and the services of every man and woman available aro utilised to fill the places of the men who go to the front. This organisation must be undertaken by the Government. Voluntaryism will not fill tho bill. -The Government's national service soheme in England is said to be breaking down, .largely because it was purely voluntary. The scheme of the doctors for mobilisation depends on legislation. All dilution of labour by utilising women and boys and unfits requires legislation and regulation and the cooperation of Labour. The first thing to realise is that to win the war we must conduct it on business lines. At present we have neither adequate preparation, co-ordination, nor cooperation. We cannot afford to muddle on with Ministers pulling differont ways, with' Departments in friction, as if they were competing firms, instead of branches oftKe same business in harmonious cooperation, with the game of battledoro and shuttlecock going on between Buckle Street and Headquarters at Palmerston North; with, all the red tape, delay, and extravagance that wonld ruin any business house that suffered itself to'be. enmeshed in it. The war, as Lloyd George, with his foresight and courage has shown, wants to be ran not by politicians with a view to votes, but by experts, with a view solely to efficiency. The first step, therefore, is for the Government to reform itself. Instead of filling up vacancies in the Upper House and Cabinet by politicians, whose main qualification for tho administration of the country's affairs is political service in the past, l-he Government should associate with it the best business men in the country; experts in sffipping, produce, supplies necessary for the troops, business organisation, and methods. These business men should control their departments absolutely, and not merely be in the position of making recommendations liable to bo over-ruled by soldiers knowing nothing of business methods. What is sound policy in England should bo equally sound in New Zealand. The next step is, instead of bringing fresh Departments under the Defence' Department, putting tho workers into uniform and giving them military titles, thereby increasing the red-tape methods, expense, and inefßoiency of operations, to roverse the policy; to demilitarise every branch of service now uilder the Defence Department that can possibly bo entrusted to civilians. Limit tho work of the Defence Department to training the soldier and managing the fighting. Place recruiting, medical examinations, records, pay, accounts, supplies, stores, food and clothing, transport, under capable business men, and let them appoint a capablo business civilian staff. Last week's cables show that England's experience has been tho samo as New Zealand's, viz., that business connected with recruiting and medical examinations is handled more efficiently and more expeditiously by the civilian than by tho War Office. We had a civilian organisation dealing very effectively with recruiting and medical and dental examinations, and thereby relieving a number of soldiers for the front, bnt the Government saw fit to supersede the civilians. The clerical work connected with tho Department could bo much more efficiently conducted by civilians than by soldiers. This change would release a number of men for the front, and result in n, wonderful increase of economy and efficiency. Wo must then utilise as instructors and camp officials all men who aro too old for active service, but who have had military training, or who havo undergone a course of training. Capable' men aro at present giving instruction outside tho camps who might just as well bt employed in them. A number of those who went through a course of instruction in the National Reserve could also bo utilised for this purpose. Of course Buckle Street would jibe at the idea, but tho bulk of our army has been oxloinporised from civilians, and if wo want to keep up our -reinforcements, wo must utilise every availablo man. We should also make uso of men above military age for our Territorial officers, if that syßteni in to be kept up. There ought not to bo in New Zealand on homo service a singlo man who is fit to go to tho fron,t. Now for the industries. Take each occupation in turn and ascertain what positions require filling to let nicu away, and how sutablo men and women can be found for tho vacant posts. Suspend all retirements from the Civil Sovvice except thoso caused by ill-hoalth, ascertain what Civil Servants are in retirement aud bring thorn back to suitable vacancies or place them in chargo of some of the demilitarised dep.-y-tinents. Minimise nil transfers of Civil Servants from one place to anotlior. Find out what teachers have retired and are still fit for work, what married women teachers are available to return to the ranks, and bring them back to the schools. The medical profession has been taking itself in hand, and wp know that it, is just about down to the limit, but tho Government is very slow to move in the matter. Some scheme of mobilisation as proposed by tho British Medical Ass Or. ciation must bo given ell'cct to by legislation. All medical students must be retained . to complote their studios. A similar step will have .to ba taken with the dental profession. In the same way, if (ho Government Departments in which men with legal training lire required aro to ho further denuded of their skilled men, then the legal profession must bo called upon to mobilise in its turn and t» supply the necessary men for such offices as the Courts. Crown Law Office, Public Trust, and Laud Transfor Offices. TIII3 can bo done by firms amalgamating or making other arrangements? for pooling their work, by one partner currying on while the other serves tho State, by retired solicitors taking Sfato appointments, and so on. Tn all these matters Ihp professions ennoerned will doubtless sot up an advisory board, as tho mpdicnl profossion lias snsrRostrd, if tho Government will only give us a lead and set the necessary machinery in motion. Of course tho agricultural industries are those that require most consideration, and have been most neglected. What is wanted here is to ascertain: (1) What class of labour is absolutely essential and should be oltogcther exompted, i.e., ploughmen and skilled shepherds have been suggested. (2) What: class of labour can bo replaced or diluted by labour . not hitherto trained to such work. l?or instance, could we do with a smaller proportion of the shearers and slaughtermen, or must we keep them all, (3) .Wliat fwin .work can bo >

doDo l>y unfit men, by boys, by women; e.g., how far couid women do the milking; what training need they roqoire? (i) To what extent can returned soldiers undertake'the work of de-parting soldiers on farms. At present there is a great deal of talk uljout putting returned soldiers on. tho land, .but one, hears of coses of returned soldiers being put on scrub lands whore they • cannot mako their rent, while farms in the neighbourhood are crying out for men. Surely it must be better to get the returned soldier, especially tho inexperienced one, ti> work on tho existing farms under supervision to begin with. ' By this means 'the existing farms would bo kept going and our production maintained, while the reuirnod soldier would get experience and 1)0 earning some, lnouey with which to start for himself. If everyone's services aru to be rtilised for war work, horse Tacing must 15e suspended for the period of the war, and all the energies at present dissipated therein concentrated on. war work. Tho labour and material directly and indirectly connected with racing must t>e very substantial in amount, .and. could well be utilised for war work. Hut tho great bulk of tho men are now earning a living in more or less uixxluciivi! work. We cannot therefore 6eo it through without calling upon the women. This should be tho main feature of our reorganisation. A register of women should be compiled and they should be enrolled for homo service. As each boy on attaining 20 becomes a member of the reserve, bo tor the period of the war each girl on leaving a secondary school, or attaining the usual leaving age, if she does not proceed to the university, or earn her own, living, should be trained for war work, whether she comes from Hobson Street or Taranaki Street. Occupations suitable for women sTiould be scheduled and training schools established as in England. Many occupations will readily suggest themselves.Grocery, draper} - , fruit shops, tram conductors, management of lifts, driving of carts and motors, management of jarcels and ticket offices at railways, clerical work in. the courts, telegraph and post office work, postmen, stationers, hairdressers, reporters, confectioners, tobacconists, clerical work of all kinds, milkiug, and the lighter forms of agricultural work. There is probably scarcely any kind of farm work that the athletic girl could not do at a pinch. One of the most important questions to be faced by the Government is that of dealing with the cost of living. We have prices rising, and at the same time food stored up on the wharves that we are unable to send away. No doubt the problem is a difficult one, but no teal attempt has been made to solve it, and what is said in the June number of the "Eonnd Table" about the English Government applies equally to ours: "They missed the great opportunity of putting wages and profits on a fair and equal footing at the beginning of the war, and trusted to the policy of laissezfaire which has proved so disastrous in many other spheres. From the moment that the Government coldly announced their intentions in March, 1915, of leaving food prices to the lav? of supply and demand, Labour's confidence was lost." Now at last the Food Controller etate3 that his policy is to fix the price of necessaries, the supplies of which he could effectively control from the producer to the retailer. Prices are to be fixed on the basis of pre-war profits. Efforts are being made to prevent speculation and to eliminate unnecessary middlemen. Cannot we do likewise? What does the Board of Trade say? Borrowing in New Zealand, eo as to relieve the Mother Country should be another plank in tho Government's programme. Taxing amusements and luxuries so as to encourage .economy should be "a feature of the Budget that we are expectin?. [Mr. von Haast's ?etter Teached us before the Budget was preseated to Parliament.] Making adequate provision for the soli diers and their dependants by means of a /graduated income tax and such othertaxes as will reach war profits in lieu of the excess profits tax, which was unfair in its incidence, and often hit the lean man rather than the fat man. This is another vital matter on ■ which the C?ovcrnment should concentrate its attention. Six o'clock closing is demanded tnroughout 'the country, and should be accompanied by a supply of good beer in. the carup for the soldier. This programme will be enough to go on with for the present—l am, etc., H. P. .VON HAAST. July 31, 1917.