The Manawatu Herald. Tuesday, April 16, 1912. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 1031, 16 April 1912, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Tuesday, April 16, 1912. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

An anti-militarist deputation, in - troduced by Mr John Robertson, M.P., waited upon the Minister for Defence last week in Wellington, in respect to compulsory military training. Mr Robertson’s socialistic friends are opposed to the present scheme, which they condemned in no unmeasured terms. We are more concerned, however, with Mr Robertson’s utterances. He told the Minister that “ the body of people opposed to compulsory military training, was much larger than was generally supposed, and in his own electorate he was surprised at its extent . [The italics are our own.] He believed that if public opinion could be accurately gauged, the result would be surprising. The Press of the country had practically conspired to represent this system as being acceptable to the people, and had taken action in a way that was calculated to voice it to the people ot the country. The Minister and other public men were apt to be misled as to the actual way in which the Act was viewed by the people as a whole.” We cannot, of course, speak for the southern end of the electorate, but Mr Robertson is certainly drawing upon his imagination in so far as his utterances apply to this end of the constituency. In this centre there has been absolutely no opposition to the scheme. On the contrary, the young fellows are quite enthusiastic in their drill, and we have not heard one citizen or parent raise his voice against compulsory military training. During the hustings we heard one extreme socialistic flaxmill employee, who resides outside this area, ask candidates, with sickening persistency, whether they would be in lavour of calling out the military to quell a strike. Excepting Mr Robertson, the other candidates spoke in favour of the present scheme, and on the ground that if this country is worth living in it is worth delending, and their views were met with the approbation and concurrence of their audiences. That the opposition in this electorate to compulsory military training exists only in the fertile imagination ol Mr Robertson is endorsed by the criticism of his remarks in this connection on the part of our Devin contemporary, which says: ‘‘We challenge Mr Robertson to give specific instances ol the ‘discontent in Iris own electorate’ to which he referred so pointedly! Eet him indicate specifically half-a-dozen discontented ones ot Devin who are brave enough to admit it, Why, it is obvious to anyone who looks in at the drill hall of the Territorials in Devin that the young men enter upon their duties with a zest. We have had the personal assurance of one young man of twenty years who returned to Devin from the big camp last mouth that he ‘had had the time ol his life,’ and that amongst the whole of the big dralt from Devin there was only one growler (whom he named). ‘But ,’ he added, ‘is notorious in Devin as a coot who has been growling ever since he could walk !’ There is our clear indictment; and meanwhile we await Mr Robertson’s specific cases in controversion.” It is pleasing to know, however, that the Minister for Defence views the question in a broader and more patriotic light than do the extreme revolutionary socialists, The Minister also makes himself quite clear in respect to the attitude he would adopt should occasion demand iuteiference in industrial trouble. He says ‘‘that while the Territorials should in no way take part in industrial disputes, if, however, as the result of such disputes society was in a state of anarchy resulting in riot and disorder in the community it would then be his duty to assist in seeing that law and order were

maintained. It was clearly the function of the police to safeguard the civil rights of the community, aud only as a last resort, after the failure of the usual protectors of public order, would the question of usiug the military arise.’’

Our Palmerston evening contemporary, referring to the remarks made by a local J.P. in respect to persons travelling on the Palmerston - Foxtou train while uuder the influence of liquor, says : “Many who have had occasion to travel on the Foxton line will welcome the protest raised. The behaviour of a section of the male passengers, particularly on a Saturday night, or after a holiday, is positively disgusting. It has been our painful experience to witness more than one exhibition of drunken brawling and its consequences on the train that carries many respectable residents to their place of week-end relaxation. One occurrence especially comes to mind. It was that in which intoxicated “flaxies” invaded a first-class carriage, aud, heedless of the presence of two boys of tender years, introduced talk of a disgraceful nature. It is fair to state that they were immediately checked, and there was no recurrence of that phase of the nuisance. No part of the train has been secure from the advent of individuals in an irresponsible condition, and we look first to the department to remedy the evil. The occasional presence ot an inspector would have a wholesome effect.”