NEED FOR VOLUNTEERS.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 226, 10 June 1915, Page 4

NEED FOR VOLUNTEERS.

(To tjhe Editor).) Dear Sir, —In your porrespondence Column in Monday’s issued appeare'dfa letter signed by one “Gobemouche,” who, like many correspondents in the city papers to-day, is shrieking loudly “cowards,” “shirkers,” “skulkers.” It is particularly noticeable, that in nine cases out of ten, these correspondents are themselves afraid to sign their own names. We do so value (?) the cries of men calling “coward,” and •’yet lacking courage to sign, their names. To refer to the contents of our nexwous friend’s letter: Why this cry about shrikers? What is its aim? This is not thei way to stimulate recruiting; British men do not respond to this class of ,talk, they but resent it. This only hinders recruiting. Appeal [to men oni their manhood, show clearly | the great need of our Empire. Appeal to their better natures to assist our own. men who are now fighting OUR battles at the Dardanelles, and to this, men WILL respond. But, further, the Minister of Defence has stated he is well satisfied with the present response, why then this clamour of “Gobemouche!s” about shirkers? “Gobemouchd” declares ‘ there are,, many, shirkers in our district. This is a slur that I as a resident of the district resent.; .illbw does “Gobemouche” know there are many shirkers? Does h e ask each young man he meets: “Have, you enlisted?” Because he meets 25 young men about our streets, “Gobemouche” has no right to conclude they are shrikers. Several may ; be, awaiting a call to Trentham, others may be rejects, theDremainder may be arranging their private affairs so as to offer. What right: has “Gobemouche” to cast this reflection on,our district? Certainly one or two acquaintances of “Gobemouche’s” may be shirkers; it does not follow, that others he meets are of a like nature. I . notice that “Gobemouche” has also carefully avoided speaking of the “money shirker.” Many of our young men would willingly go..tp'.the: front,- but are hinderedjithrough dependents. , If pur monied men arranged Tor these, -,it would lead to an increase of men offering, but are all our monied men doing their duty in this way? . Now, lest "Gobemouche” should -think I am a “shirker,” writing in my own favour, it will be well for him to know I was In the first rush to offer, but was not accepted. I would like to know if “G,obemouche” ever offered himself, is he too old, or has he done his share in the £ s. d. ? We would like to know you, “Gobemouche,” therefore, if you can possibly dispel your fears, introduce yourself in a later issue of this paper. If you do not, we shall know the worth of your statements. Thanking you, sir, for this amount of apnc© in your excellent paper.—l am, ©tc., A. J. LESTER* MINIFIB.