Hokitika Guardian & evening star WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10th, 1918. MAN-POWER.

Hokitika Guardian, 10 April 1918, Page 2

Hokitika Guardian & evening star WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10th, 1918. MAN-POWER.

It was Lord Kitchener who laid, down the dictum at the outset of the war that “ give me the men and I will hold the enemy in the ihollow of my hand,” But even' Lord Kitchener’s estimates of the numbers required, astounding as they were at the time, were inadequate to perforin the service our great soldier had in mind. When Lord Kitchener set about creating the new army he had millions of men in mind, and had ho survived, doubtless ho would have revised his estimates long ere this. He began by preparing for a. three years’ war when most people were thinking a few months would dispose of the horror. Now we are eight months beyond Lord Kitchener’s estimate of | time, and the end is not yet. Instead, we have Air Lloyd George appealing for more men, and indicating that it might yefc lie necessary to call up the last man to secure the final victory. This is in keeping with the tenets of Lord Kitchener, who argued that it was the Army in being at the finish which would count. That is true, and because it is true, if we wish to see the ■Empire saved, the call for more and more men must be answered loyally and cheerfully. Man-power will count right to the end, and those who wish and hope for victory can only witness the fuiilnient of those wishes and hopes In-co-operating in the task Air Llovd George has set the nation by Ins clarion appeal. Britain is realising the duty in this matter. When the last mail left England n correspondent wrote: “The incessant drain upon the man-power of this country goes on, and the stress of the coining days is now foreshadowed by the new man-power ■ proposals of the Government. Exclusive of munition and aircraft, workers, ship-builders, food producers, ami employees of similar activities, 7,500,009 men, we are officially told, have been contributed, by Britain to the, fighting services, of which host 60 per cent have come from England, 13 per cent from India and Africa, 12 per cent from the Dominions, and the remainder from Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. And now 430,00 q additional men are required for the first-hand business of war on the battlefield. Sir Auckland Geddes’s statement introducing the proposals impressed the House of Commons, and it lias impressed the country. It is especially important as indicating the imperative call of tin hour upon young men. For the sometimes supported proposal to increase the existing military age has been rejected by the Givernment, and the demand, consequently, is upon the men of that age, and preferably the youngest of them. To this end the Government has in view a vigorous comb-out of the trades and a searching insistence upon the services" of those many young men who by one excuse and another so far have managed to preserve themselves in home employ as somehow indispensably engaged there. The chief difficulty is, of course, with the trade unions, but the Prime Minister's recent speech and Sir Auckland Geddes’s various statements to them seem to have satisfied at least two of the- great labour organisations—the miners and the railway-workers—that Ihe needs of the Army must be met. The third—the engineers—are rebellious. It is hoped that the thoughtless impulses of the younger members of the Engineers’ Society—from whom, it seems, most of the opposition comes—will he. overborne by more sensible consideration of the grave facts of t labour but at the moment disaffection exists, and the issue of it is as yet uncertain, The second reading of the Bill has been carried in the House of Commons without a division—after an unexpected “secret session’’ during the debate at which, no doubt, cortain of the complaints advanced from Labour quarters were answered by’the Prime Minister’s revelation of the real facts of the matter and their unquestionable gravity. Other complaints, too, had a voice in the debate, notably that of the chairman of one of the London tribunals, as to the ludicrous blundering of the authorities by whieh men of skilled capacity have been employed in all kinds of unskilled work, to the very great discontent, perplexity, and anger of most of the community.” The present- proposals of the British Prime Minister go beyond all this. Tt is plain to all who care to read that the plight of Britain is serious. The gravity of the situation of th c war should bring home to nil that stern duty supnlnnts e.ven patriotism in this great crisis, and if our heritage of freedom would he preserved to ourselves and future generations, it. must, he fought for as it was never he fore fought for in all the traditional history of our glorious country.

vinoingly a couple of years ago to his countrymen. The United States was more than riper for war then, and hut wanted the lead in. America now knows her part and her place, and she is taking it and filling it with enthusiasm. The speeches by the leading men of America on the first anniversary of the country’s entry into the war, will rouse the nation to the fullest action. Hre this the casualty lists are being published in the States, and folk and homes spread about the country will he realising to the full the stern reality of war. The catalogue of what the United States has done during the year, speaks well for her wealth and organised energy. ’She lias played a tremendous part and lifted a burden from Britain’s shoulders which would have crushed our Empire. But* withal, the essenlial thing to win the war are figlitiug units. The, hordes of enemy have to be overwine by a force excelling their power. America can help tremendously in this respect. She is speeding up now no doubt. Everywhere the words of advice aiid encouragement from Air AVilson, spoken at Baltimore, will he heard all through the States. Combined with the nobility of tho sacrifice of the “Sammies” in France they should he ail inspiration to the nation to meet the situation with tire celerity, courage and enthusiasm that the extremities of the i moment call for.

The New Zealanders are playing their part as nobly in the present great offensive as they have done in any other phase of the war.' For once in a while our special war correspondent, Air Malcolm Ross, lias been on time, and in the summary he has given of last week’s fighting, he has given us rousing news of what our men were called Upon t o do, and the spirit in which they performed the task. The New Zealanders had been at rest for sometime, reorganising after the horrors of Pasollendaele in Flanders. They, probably, had to move some distance to the battle front, and it is significant that they had to fill, a breach in the British line at an emergency call. The open fighting took on a new phase, entirely different from forward trench work, and they appear to have revelled in the change. It. was a class of fighting which gave room for their own initiative, and they appear to have distinguished themselves in their work' from the very outset. Certainly ATr Malcolm Ross’ account makes light of the situation as the men were disposed to view it-, hut war pictures .are so vivid nowadays, that something of the scenes they had to pass through can he conjured up. Our men have been splendidly successful, resisting all attacks, and turning the tables on the enemy by sorties, which brought in prisoners and captured guns. file toll of it all is now being brought home by the record of the casualty lists. That is the inevitable dark side' of war. There can he no victory without sacrifice—hut our men face the ordeal nobly. There is the honour and renown, and their services in this greatest of crises must never he forgotten.