NEW ZEALAND AND THE WAR.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1737, 14 July 1917, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND AND THE WAR.

NO MORE HEX TO SPARE' Sir Flames Bell, leader of the I'ppcr IlmiM*. replying to criticisms re limiting the reinforcements, mid ■nine new is-ties had been raised by I lie particular -dago that had been '■cached in the drawing of (lie ballot. lie referred to the remarks, that bad been made concerning the depletion of man power in New Zealand as far as the agrieullural in-fill.-try was concerned. This had nothing to do with the particular stage to which we had now reaehed. The First Division consisted of single men, and the number of single men available after due exemptions was on the verge of exhaustion. It was not for them to say that the single man should fight for . his country while the married man should go free. Was (lie suffering of a wife parted from her husband any greater than that of a mother who was parted from her sou? He related the history of the pledges given by Parliament regarding Reinforcements, making reference to the facts that in August, 1911, New Zealand had made an offer of an 9 Expeditionary Force, and on the I lirst and second anniversary of the declaration of war had passed rcso- j hit ions expressing its inflexible dotermination to carry the war lo a victorious conclusion. We had slat- - ed that wo would make any sacrifice, and had expressed an indexible determination, and surely the time had not .arrived when our efforts should be sacrificed and our determination become flexible. He referred to the “Saturnalia” that had been held in Wellington that day, the complaints about want of travelling facilities, the crowds of motor ears, and stressed the reluctance of (he people to sacrifice anything, tie was more than a solemn party to the engagement entered into by the Government regarding Reinforcements, and if it was to be thrown lo the winds, then let someone else* he I lie man, or the men, to break the word of Now Zealand. Any man born in New Zealand and feeling j proud that it had attempted to do its duly as far as its obligations to the Mother Country was concerned, could not break (lie'word anil pro- i mise we bad made. This country was the first to outer German soil. We occupied Samoa without resistance, hut that was a mere accident, because of (he absence of the great fleet Germany was preparing to defend Samoa with. But we were the first country lo enter German soil in this hemisphere. We had that to our credit, and were we to bo the first to quit and have (hat: to our everlasting shame and disgrace? What we had done would he done lo the end, come Americans, come Russians, come anybody else, lie believed that I bore never would be a lime when the people of New Zealand would say there were no more men to spare. (Applause).