Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star WEDNESDAY APRIL 18 1917 NATIONAL EFFORT,

Hokitika Guardian, 18 April 1917, Page 2

Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star WEDNESDAY APRIL 18 1917 NATIONAL EFFORT,

It seems passing strange indeed that in a fortunately placed Ule like New Zealand in these dreadful days of war that its people are not content with their happy lot, but mos^needs engage in a local war which will bring a good deal of suffering in its train ; but what is worse, retards the efforts of the Dominion to help the Empire to win the war. There are strikes and rumors of strikes current. Now this should not be. We are quite satisfied that public opinion is behiud the Government in any step considered necessary by the authorities to enforce an industrial peaoe. The effect of a general strike at this juncture is too far-reaohiug for »uy self-respecting country to tolerate it for any length of time. Certainly if the object of the strike is to rebel against the Military Service Aot, the country should not put up with this open dc-fianoa of the law for a single day without taking steps to assert the authority which is the Eeourity of the public liberty we boast of. It was probably with the very best of intentions that Hon Ministers bunied from Wellington to the soenes of the industrial coofl cts on this Coast, What they have clone may be right and proper, but they have not taken tho public into their confidence, nor indicated the lines on which they are parleying with the men who are defying the war regulations and imperilling the part the Dominion should be playing in this war. The course of action taken may be quite a propsr one to take in pormal times, but' those conditions are uon-exiateut now, and to dally ia to show a seeming weakness which is being taken advantage of. Being in a Btate of war, this ciuutry like nil parts of the Empire, should be run on war line?, and a little dictatorship would.be good for the national welfare, It is the duty of the Government to demand the fullest national effort at this juncture, and if there is not an adequite response then to enforce. This oourse of action should permeate the whole nationa 1 life of the country, and what ia demanded from one, should be exacted fiom all Realising that war is war, the people will readily submit in the aggregate to a controlled position of affairs where

each is necessary for the national well being. The National Government baa done its duty by the country in enforoicg the Military Service Act aid the coascription of men for war purposes. By this one act it lmß saved the fair name of Nc 7 Zealand. It is the duty of the Nvionul Government now to maintain the excellent name New Zealand has earned by not per mitting the law to be defied, or the war working energies of the people hampered to the least extent, Tbo Government, in fact, have a supreme duty to discharge just now in maintaining the law ot the laud, and that taek should be performed as tha work up to the present has been done with steady persistence. Whether we are at the cross roads or not, it is not for the Government to falter in its plain duty, for behind them will march the gret t foice of the public who will m: ke any necesrary sacrifice to uphold the law of the land iuviolate.