BILL AND JOE TO LLOYD G

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1821, 2 May 1918, Page 1

BILL AND JOE TO LLOYD G

•“A generous sacrifice of men/' accompanied by “an orgy of profit* eering,” is the description given by The Lyttelton Times (Christchurch) of New Zealand’s, war activities. This paper expresses extreme disgust at the Dominion’s conduct in taking advantage of the mother country’s necessity to heap up worldly riches. Sir Joseph Ward estimated that the increased prices given by the Imperial Government meant £3,750,000 for New Zealand, and he said that these prices would not have been paid if he and Premier Massey had not been on the spot. A generous sacrifice of men We are still prepared to make; We’ve sent a hundred thousand, How many more can you take? Human life to-day is cheap But our produce now is dear, We give you all the men you want, But we'fight for our profits here. Our married men are asking Before we send them away, For a truly equal sacrifice, A soldier’s allowance and pay For all. Grasping and sordid They are, and we feel very sore That they should prove so selfish With the enemy at the door. How in the world do they think That we of the finer clay Can possibly eke out an existence On a common soldier’s pay, And induce our monied men Should they, perhaps, prove lax, If we cannot grant them interest Free from income tax. It’s time, you’ll grant, we flitted To where we may wine and dine As befits the men of our stations; Away from those who whine Of the hardships of women and children Left by those whom we send To fight the battle for freedom Where shells shatter and rend. But wheiHhe war is over, And those men who fought and bled • Ask us awkward questions About what we’ve done and said; We look to you to help us To keep them quite content To struggle on and bother not As to where the profits went. —Shell-shock.