The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. TUESDAY, JULY 27, 1915.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLV, Issue 3992, 27 July 1915, Page 4

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. TUESDAY, JULY 27, 1915.

The. Demand for a National Register.

Thu reply which was given )>v the Minister. for Defence to the deputation which waited on him in Wellington yesterday on the question of tlio advisabloness of having a national register compiled and of offering greater reinforcements to the War Department makes very interesting reading. Jt will he seen that the national register proposal had Mr Allen’s entire sympathy, and it may bo taken that sooner or later, tin 1 principle will he adopted in this Dominion in the same way as has been the case in the Home Country and some o£ the other Overseas Dominions. Seemingly the only reason why steps in that particular direction have not already been taken in this country is that the response to the call for troops lias continued to be so eminently satisfactory. But. as the Minister pointed out. the day must come when' the resources of this Dominion must he the subject of a national register. If, too, Mr Allen’s remarks mean anything at all they mean that he foresees the necessity not only for a register of all men lit for active service hut also for a register of labor as a whole. What the Minister must liavo in mind is that, in duo course, people of this Dominion will require, in conjunction with the other Overseas Dominions, to do much more for tho Mother Country than supply troops, doctors and nurses, and produce. There can be no question, wo should say, that it will soon fall to thi s country’s proud lot to give additional assistance in the way of the supply of very large orders of clothing, saddlery, waggons, etc. Whether New Zealand will also take in hand the manufacture of munitions remains to seen, hut it is, we should say, quite likely that it will lie found that, in some shape or form help in that direction will also be found possible. As regards the question as to how many troops should be despatched in each lot of reinforcements Mr Allen made it clear that this Dominion has already done better than any of the other Dominions. But, as wo have emphasised on previous occasions, it matters not that it should be the position that, so far, this country lias sent more men to the Front in proportion than, sav, the Commonwealth. It may so happen that, at any time, if there should boa big spurt in recruiting on the other side or elsewhere, New Zealand might then find itself with a lower average of troops to pojK illation. Surely in such an. event that fact would not he used unfairly against this Dominion? The main point is: “Are wo, the people of this Dominion, doing enough?” and it can be answered only by the people of this country themselves. In this regard it would seem that the Minister gave the deputation some information of a confidential nature which must have been in tho direction of showing either that the War Department did not require heavier quotas of reinforcements at tho present .timo or that our own Government consider that it would be better to delay the making of offers of additional troops in the meantime. As to that particular matter Mr Allen has, iii the past, always stressed the point that in tho same ratio as this Dominion increased tho strength of its forces at tho Front so it would require to increase its reinforcement quotas and tho result of liis workingout of tho position has been that it has been made to appear that this country would, sooner or later, be in the unfortunate position that it would not he able to maintain the numbers which it would need to send under such a scheme. For our own part we can quite see the force of the argument that if at all possible the Colonial troops should be kept in one or

moro largo bodies and.stops.should be continued for the periodical, re-build-ing of the loss of strength duo to wastage. Still it may not bo found convenient to maintain such' an. elaborate system throughout the war. As far as can be gathered from. Mr Allen’s remarks, then, tho real position must ho that .Britain will, he able to make use of all the help that this ami the other Dominions can provide, but it is felt that it. would he unwise for this country to unduly accelerate tho rate at which it is sending troops to tho Front. This reading of the Minister’s remarks would seem to in.clicate that it is officially held that tho war is not likely to come to a very speedy conclusion and, what is more, that it will ho- some time yet before .John Bull and Co. will be in a position to throw Ibt' whole of their great weight against the enemy.