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Hokitika Guardian, 23 August 1917, Page 2

It is only a few days since the people of Now Zealand expressed by an open public vote their inflexible determination to see the war through. The motion was carried with much applause, and fervently expressed hopes for a speedy victory. But it requires a good deal more than talk to win the war. .Some of the heads of nations have been prominent in speech-making, but then? was no real progress till they got down to bed-rock, and began the real process of warfare. . The same applies to our dealing with the war iii New Zealand. The folk must do more than talk, they must act. Just now the way is open for very real and practical action. The country stands* in need of money—a huge sum—to see the war some distance along. The country is appealing for money by way of a loan, offering a liberal interest, and stating special terms. It is styled a liberty loan, because with the winning of the war our liberties are very much bound up. In the following paragraph we reprint what an Australian thinks of the dire conditions of the present day. His pessimistic view of the outlook suggests that the time has fully arrived for the whole Emprie to put forward its final strength and draw on its splendid resources to make the way to victory sure. The present'appeal for money is for all to hear and act a-g best they can. A vast sum has to he piled up in a few days, and help is required from all possible sources to attain the principal sum aimed at.

A note of warning to those casual Australians who believe that the war was almost won was sounded in Melbourne the other day by the Director-Genera 1 of Recruiting (Mr. Donald Maekinnon, M.L.A.) in the course of an address delivered outside the Town Hall. Speaking with vehemence, he declared that before the struggle was ended we in Australia would have to throw into the firing line every fit man between the ages of 18- and 45yoars. “And we will he lucky,” he added, “if we have not to include lads of 17 yeafs and men between 45 and 50 years. '“We are living in a fool’s ppradise,” said Mr. Maekinnon. “Our newspapers tell us ouly the new’6 that we desire to hear, and we are kept in ignorance of what is really transpiring on the other side u» the world. Now the Germans are building submarines of 5000 tons. It Is quite probable that they will challenge the 'British Navy andythq.t these vessels will succeed in breaking through the blockade and sinking all the remaining ships of the British mercantile marine. How can any decent Australian hang back,” queried the Director-General in disgust, “when they read of the most recent outrage of our enemy—the despatch to Constantinople of 5000 Serbian girls of tender years to appease the lust of tho brutal Turks. One would think that they might have been moved, but, instead they rushed to the racecourse to put a lew shillings uu a quadruped. “The Allies are not winning,” said Mr. Maekinnon. “Thu present hour was the darkest in the Empire’s history. France had a terrible blow. Russia, too, was practically useless, and there was Hie danger that the huge stores of wheat which would have been mad© available to the Allies bad the Australians succeeded in getting through to Constantinople might now fall into the hands of the Germans to sustain them for many months. Like a drunken man Russia was reeling back from the blows of the conquering Germans, and despite Mr. Lloyd George * optimism, he was convinced that sue could not be depended upon for one moment for any further, assistance. Ho liad no desire to play the part of ari alarmist, but be wanted to warn the people of Australia that they had never been in such dire peril as they wore today.