WELLINGTON TOPICS

Taihape Daily Times, 20 May 1918, Page 6

WELLINGTON TOPICS

.'..,■_ MILITARY SERVICE. EXEMPTIONS. WELLINGTON, May 17. At last night's meeting of the Wei. llngton City Council there was an animated discussion on Councillor L. Mckenzie's motion for rescinding a reso, lution adopted at a previous meeting to the effect that the Council would seek exemption from military service for none of its employees. The reso lution bore particularly upon the case of the City Solicitor, who was drawn in the recent ballot, and on further consideration some of the Councillors thought it too sweeping. Councillor McKenzie and his supporters urged that while the Council should be conservative in its appeals it should reserve to itself liberty of action, but the Mayor warmly contested this vtiew and advocated the retention of the resolution. Mr. Luke insisted that no man was indispensable and that such lands as were required could "be picked up at any time; but a narrow majority of the Council were against him and the motion was carried by eight votes to seven. REINFORCEMENTS, During the discussion "a - good deal of extraneous matter was introduced and Councillor M. F. Luckie raised the question as to whether it was wise i to be taking so many troops from New Zealand when the ships required for their transport could be mre profitably employed in carrying men from America. This view has been so frequently expressed of late that it would seem certain people are speculating on being able to congratulate themselves upon having been instrumental in Swinging about a change in the Government's policy. The Minister of Defence, naturally, is not talking of the matter, "but when two and two are put together it seems fairly obvious that the transport problem will present increasing difficulties for the rest of the year. It is not that shipping is scarcer than it was a few months ago, "but that a large portion of America's great army is ready to take the field and will require every foot of tonnage that can be secured to place it there.

SHIPPING. The question is one which is occasioning the producers some anxiety. Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward having frankly stated before their departure for London that men from America would have to take precedence of food from the Dominions if that were the determination of the War Council. It is one of the matters that will receive the close attention of the party leaders while they are at Home, "but they v/ill not be exepcted to urge the interests of the primary producers against the needs of the Empire. In the meantime the Ministers left behind are not inactive, and it is quite possible Reinforcements will be sen? away in smaller drafts in vessel* carTying produce required by the Army and by the civil population in the Old Country. But whatever x the arrangements may be there must he considerable accumulations of stocks at this end and for this development shippers should be prepared. THE SPIRIT OF THE NATION.

An inspection of the hospital ship that arrived in Wellington yesterday •with a large number of sick and "wounded men from the front would "bring very material comfort to the hearts of those good people who have "been depressed and saddened by the anti-militarists' stories of the treatment "of the soldiers no longer fit for the firing line. Not one of the men seen by a civilian visitor immediately after the vessel was moored at the wharf was without words of wann appreciation of the care and kindness that had been bestowed upon him since he had become a burden to the Empire instead of a help. Many of the men were hopefui of getting back to the front again and the only regret of those without hope was that they lad been "knocked out" before they were through with their job. The attitude of the whole draft was typical of the spirit of the nation and with all its wreckage and suffering an inspiration to those who still had to do their bit.