PEACE COUNCIL'S VIEW.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 3, Issue 55, 29 March 1912, Page 13

PEACE COUNCIL'S VIEW.

AUSTRALIAN SYSTIvM AS BAT) AS NRW y.CALAM) O.Xi:. Apropos uf the above, Mr. C. R. N. llnckie. organiser National IV;k< Council, writes as follows to the.- Christchurch 'Tress": — '■fii your issue of Saturday is a statement by Sir Joseph Ward <l!s- ---<• laiminy; any desire on his port that lads should bo seal to prison lor refusing to bo corn-oil into joining ilic army uni'.or conscription ions. Now, while; we fully ;; ppreii.'ik , tin -spii il that prompts this expression ol cipijiioti on his part, we ciuinot but wonder thut he. knowing, as his iitternnres show he did, the feeling in the conn try against such a measure ns the Delcrx-e Act, should hnve ever dreamed ot placing it on the Statute Hook, and so erwiiing the necessity of Inning to resort to a punishment which on the tare of it is abhorrent to him and the "We •would warn Sir Joseph that- ho will niflko a yravo nii.stako in link- rin.n with the Act on tlio lines by him, vix., adoptinji; the Australian system, which we hold strongly to be as pernicious as imprisoniiK-iit itself. Tlie> method tlwre is tliat tin , objector, on conviction, shall be liable to a fin© of anything from £5 to £100.. and in addition may be committed to a place of detention in Mie custody of any prescribed authority for the time corresponding in duration to the nine which, in the opinion of the Court-, vvonld ho taken up in rendering personal service. This is unadulterated pi-rsecuti<>,n, and is mooting with strenuous opposition in Australia. Wβ should oppose ,«ucii ;v system being introduced here with ?. 11 the at our command, and v, o warn parents now against allowing suvh a flagrant infringement of their libf rtics."

"We recognise that the odium of imprisonment of our respectable lad:] is unpleasant to the authorities, and th;>b they would much prefer to enforce mission to their military rulo by nicre stealthy nwane , , but we can assure tlwm that we will iave none of it. Miltfa ry rule is always obnoxronis, even in th-n open, but when , permitted to assnrao any such fom> as that suggested, it would become viW