UPHOLDING THE LAW

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 15 July 1929, Page 4

UPHOLDING THE LAW

ALL law-abiding citizens will have read with pleasure the reply of the Honourable T. M. Wilford to the representations made to him on behalf of so-called ! "conscientious objectors" who are opposed to rendering military Service. Even if it were not true that it was the stated intention of one of these objectors to i "bust up the Defence A>ct" the fact ' remains that the law exists and should be upheld. Whether it is night or wrong is a matter of opinion. Bf it i s wrong

it is for Parliament to say so.' No support should be given to Unconstitutional methods to defeat the law. Not only have certain Presbyterian Church officials resorted to these questionable methods,'bufc they have been backed up by other representations from the Labour Party which preaches constitutionalism but appears to be only too ready to abandon it. It is to be regretted that the ; Prime Minister in his reply to the Labour deputation gave the impression that it would have been better had the representations in the first instance been mado in his presence. We hope that Cabinet which is to consider tho matter will fully endorse the attitude of the Minister for Justice, who is also Minister for Defence, and thus uphold tho universal compulsory military training law of which Sir Joseph Ward himself was the author and which formed the basis of New Zealand's fine pffort in the/ Great War.