CITIZEN’S FIRST DUTY.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVI, Issue 43108, 22 June 1907, Page 4

CITIZEN’S FIRST DUTY.

The Hon’. W. M. Hughe®, member of the Commonwealth Parliament, in the course of am address on “Compulsory Military Training from the point of. view of am Australian Labour leader,” at a meeting of the National Service League in Carton Hall, London, recently, said! the primary duty of every citizen Was to defend' has own country.

It was said that the growing feeling of Socialism was -against his views, speaking as a Labour representative, but he would ask, if we had a Socialistic State, who would have to .defend it fbut the general body of the people? Lord Roberts, who presided, in asking for a vote of thanks for Mr Hughes, said he especially regretted that his views had not been heard by all the leading members of the Labor PaHy. It was to the Labour Party chiefly that the members of the National Service League looked for a»fv stance in carrying out the .great reform for which they were working. He confessed it surprised him how intelligent and sensible men could be mis’ed by catch phrases and vag<ue bodes about militarism and conscriptkrcu and could view with disfavor a scheme based on the principle that it was the duty of every able-bodied man, whatever his birth, position, or

wealth, to be prepared to take his '"'place in the defence of his country. , The fact that their platform that day bad otj it mm of all political parties was full of promise for the future. He looked forward to the day when the l qnmtion of personal training for natfonal defence would be accepted by all -pcrtiei m -ffi© most fimd&mental duty of catizecridp.