RECRUITING IN ENGLAND.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 137, 26 January 1916, Page 4

RECRUITING IN ENGLAND.

Publican's Incautious Remarks.

The "Defence of the Reilm Act" was responsible for the appearance last month btfore tha Godulming (Surrey) Bench of Magistrates o£ a publican for havicg made statements _ likely to prejudice the recruiting of his Majesty's Forces. Edward England Pullman said he was a member ot, and a canvasser under, the Lord Derby local recruiting committee. On November 13th, at 12.30 p.m. he had to visit the defendant's hotel in his capacity hs a canvas-er to s r .e defejdant's eon. At witness's request defendant called for his bod, and before the son appeared defendant made the following statement to the ciimpany of five or six persons in the bar: "1 am if I would go to do any fighting for ttem, cot for all the Kitchenerß and Llojd Georges in the woild. Why dont' they make the toft's go first? That is what I say. They want the working man to da the fighting, while the toils stop at home and do ncthing. 1 would see them first." Then the eon curie down. A canvasser was not allowed to argue, and witness did what he considered Lis duty, and reported the statement to the R acruiting Committee, who repoited it to the police. By Mr Harr, tor th2 defence: He diJ not s.e a large picture of Lord Kitchener hung on the wall with tte words underneath, "The man ot the hour." Nor did he notice any recruiting posters hung there, he did not go there to read posters. He did not see a picture if Loid NtUon, and photographs ot various eoldier friends of the defendant, nor did he sec a large notice in red letters, "Be patriotic." Directly he asked for defendant's son defendant called him. Wit r e:-s was relying entirely on his memory. He would not be prepared to swear that defendant did not uee the words, "Let them all gc," "Serve them all alike," or "Let us have conscription." Mr Hart submitted that theie was no case, and asked the Bench not to be infiuenced by the presence of the military authority that day. All sorls of things had been brought in to prejudice the case. Those hastily passed regulations had caused more miscarriages of justice than any otfcer statute There was nothing in the regulations to give the Kmg in Council power to take away the Englishman's freedom of speech. We are fighting for fnedom in this war. He contended that the regulation was passed in order to prevent meetings being held such as were held during the Boer war by people who had since become Cabinet Ministers. *1 hs regulations meant recruiting "in general; there was nothing to prevent a man advising another whether to enlist or not. Defendant oaly expressed his opinion that the compulsory system was better than the voluntary one, and that opinion had been expressed by thousands of people and in manv papers.

Defendant, in the box, said he did cot mean anything but tbat they should have conscription, and that ell the young men Bbould go together lha chairman said the Bench were of opinion that a technical offence had teen committed, elthough defendant did not intend to influence any person against recruiting. The offence was of a trivial nature, and would be dismissed