The Evening Star MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1939. CONSCRIPTION THE ONLY WAY.

Evening Star, Issue 23380, 25 September 1939, Page 6

The Evening Star MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1939. CONSCRIPTION THE ONLY WAY.

The response of young New Zealand to the call for recruits for the special military force being raised for service at home or abroad was magnificent—on the first day and thereabouts. As time presses on, however, it is becoming apparent that the enthusiasm is not going to be sustained, certainly not to an extent which will permit the force to be kept up to strength if it goes overseas on active service. The northern military districts must be credited with a much better showing than the southern military district, and, to put the matter bluntly, the disinclination of the young men of Otago to respond to the appeal —this particular area (No. 11) is still 200 men short of the required registrations—is nothing less than humiliating. During the Great War the four main provinces, with diverse districts attached, were expected, rather unfairly, in view of the discrepancies in population, to produce the same numerical quotas, and there was a time when Otago was hard put to it to register its share of volunteers. But this time the anomaly has been avoided, and there is no shadow of excuse for the early lagging of the southern district. It would be a pity if some people were encouraged to jump to the conclusion that our young men lacked the courage to face possible danger or the fortitude to put up with hardships, even in defence of their own liberty. Surely that is not the reason. The most palatable explanation seems to centre on an ultracautious approach to the whole situation, aided and abetted by more than a tinge of selfishness and failure to realise the significance of the broader issues at stake. It has been .said that New Zealanders who neither travel nor read deeply are inclined to be insular. As a general conception of the national character this summing-up may be an exaggeration, but it certainly does appear that the security and pleasant living conditions obtaining in our isolated isles are more than ever creating a false impression which stands in the way of our course of duty to the Empire as a whole. The Government, with its farreaching though no doubt well-meant legislation, has contributed to the spoiling of this youthful nation in the British Commonwealth. And, in spite of ail that it has done and is doing for the younger generation, it is not getting the response it deserves in its call to arms. The principle of give and take is not understood, nor is the meaning of sacrifice when sacrifice is so urgently needed. As far as recruiting is concerned Australia, from all accounts, is not experiencing difficulty of the kind that is facing the southern military district of the Dominion, while in Canada (so states a cablegram published to-day) the response to the recruiting call is so great that rejection of skilled workers and married men with children has been ordered. The quota has already been exceeded, and the number could be doubled. At this rate conscription in Canada should not be necessary for a long time. But it is necessary in New Zealand now. It is understandable that the New Zealand Government should not be keen to introduce conscription, but, in view of the fact that it is going to be difficult to reinforce and maintain at full strength the quota of troops required, it should no longer have the slightest compunction about introducing the measure. There is every reason to believe, moreover, that men of military age would actually welcome it, for at present a tendency is evident to regard the position in the light of, “ Why should I go away and fight while So-and-so stays at home?” Once the step is taken and young New Zealand finds itself in khaki under a universal system no qualms as to the quality of the service given will be possible.