Untitled

Hokitika Guardian, 18 July 1929, Page 4

There is a very persistent agitation on the part of a section at least of the Presbyterian Church to secure special consideration for two students of that faith who have been fined by a leading Magistrate for refusing military service A deputation waited on the Minister of Defence last week, and received a plain and ' unvarnished answer. Most people will agree with the outspoken review of the position by Mr Wilford. However, the deputation was> not to be put off and appealed t othe Prime Minister. Sir Joseph Ward has now referred tlie matter to Cabinet. We do not expect that Mr Wilford’s dictum on the matter will be disturbed seriously. The young men are catalogued as “conscientious objectors.” There is no objection to that attitude in New Zealand, providing such folk will accept alternative service, but they refused flatly to do so. These young men are being trained to he leaders of thought for many people, but their attitude towards the law of the land does not sue:(rest they are ant pupils for their railing. A good deal of unnecessary fuss is being mad* l about these eases. Had such a sit- \ nation occurred a short time ago when the nation was in peril, and these students refused military training or alternative service in the nation’s good, they would have received very I

short shift. We do not know that the circumstances arc greatly altered. We siiould say the nation lias learned its lesson to be forearmed, and that military training for the common good is as essential now as. ever it was. If not, why not scrap the Defence Act a.together and settle down to a peaceful trust in all matters. It must be either one thing or the other. TT it is to be defence, then the position must not be played with. The country must be in earnest about its system of defence, and if military training be an essential part of it, then all concerned and liable to service must do their part at citizens of the State. Sir Joseph Ward waft once severely criticised for giving the Motherland a battleship. That action took place in such a time as the present. There was peace, and nothing untoward loomed ahead. One of the causes for Sir Joseph Ward’s pre-war political defeat was his offence in giving, as many said, unnecessarily, a costly battleship to the nation. But what was the sequel? That warship was one of the most prominent ships in t.ie Great War and took part in all the chief engagements round the English coast." if there had been one ship less on some of the occasions, disaster might have followed, dir Joseph was keen to see the Navy wel? prepared, and by that action helped greatly to save the situation. So with military training, it is part of the scheme of preparation to. train growing citizens in preliminary work to create the foundation of a defence force if emergency arises. That is the law of the land, and it is for the citizens to comply or take the- consequences of their refusal, which is a negation of law and order.