NEW ZEALAND’S RESPONSIBILITY

Taihape Daily Times, 26 March 1918, Page 4

NEW ZEALAND’S RESPONSIBILITY

While the terrible wastage is going on in Germany’s effort to inflict defeat on Britain’s armies, an earnest appeal is made to every man and woman amongst us to remember the stricken soldiers; we re urged to realise that freedom from German slavery still hangs in the balance and that we must join effort with our men Handling bombs and rifles.', by lending every penny we can spare .to make sure that there is no shortage of guns, munitions, clothing, and of medical and surgical attendance. We mentally sec the endless chain of maimed .and broken, bleeding, p\en. ,h.eing carried to the rear, whose dives, our money In? vested m thenar Loan.,will help to

■save. , Could we, bn^, haye.one hoar in 'New Zealand of what ,has been taking place in New .Zealand the last few days Sir Joseph,.Ward could confidently appeal for twenty millions and get it all in a few days. New Zealanders took no part in stemming Germany’s despairing effort, but they may be engaged ah this very minute; their turn wiirCertainly Let it not be said that men. in 'the Taihape district are callous to the wants ,pf their sons 1 they Have sent to,, fight, tor them.- .;If there ever were men in this world who deserved all that their fellows couldN do for them it Is those who we have sent from our homes to fight In the bloody, thunderolis vortex in France. Some people seem to have an idea that our men are to be provided for by some form of magic. With amazing indifference to their duty, they say, “Oh, they’ll get on all right.” This is an indifference, a callousness to suffering, a heedlessness of supreme duty, begat of greed and selfishness, It is an exemplification of the spirit that doesnt’ care whose lives are lost, who are maimed, analmost inconceivable insane risk of everything for a maintenance cf the clutch on the miserable gold that would rapidly disappear with German victory in this war. Let this great battle remind us all that money Is urgently wanted; that it is wanted now; that we should arrange with our banks, or take out our bonds or certificates at the Post Office now, or as soon as we can get there. The. £9,500,000 War Loan is a real need in winning the war, not money wanted for questionable purposes; it is to purchase our freedom as well as to save the lives of thousands of those dear ones we have sent to lay the German scourge.