The Daily News. SATURDAY, May 15, 1915. WHAT WE ARE FACED WITH.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 289, 15 May 1915, Page 4

The Daily News. SATURDAY, May 15, 1915. WHAT WE ARE FACED WITH.

We cannot help feeling that the authorities in New ZealaYid are not realising fully the gravity of the situation in Europe. At the instance of the authorities, church services and public meetings are being held everywhere in order to stimulate recruiting. New Plymouth falls into line to-morrow and on Monday. But why do the authorities not grapple with tlu; matter in a practical manner? Why not compel, for a start, all single and eligible men to undergo military training, and prepare themselves to take their place.? in the firing line? At the present time only the willing ones are offering, some of them having no right to because of their family ties, whilst many of the c.ble-bodied single men, without tics or responsibility of any kind, are not responding to the call of duty, and have no intention of doing so. It is said that one volunteer is as good as three pressed men. Rubbish! The pressed young man from this country, when fired upon, will put up as good a fight as the next best. This is a time that calls for no half-measures. We are fighting a most powerful, determined and unscrupulous enemy, to defeat whom Ivill require all the resources in men and material at our command. Tt is foolish to ignore facts and think we have ! Inadc an appreciable impression on the Germans. We have only to read the cables dispassionately and intelligently to be convinced that the Allies have to far made little or no headway. Th« Germans can be defeated only by force of numbers and munitions. We must provide both, or go under. That is the truth, but it has not been told as strongly as it should have been. The situation is critical. There is no doubt about that. One does not want to be a scaremonger, but for confirmation read what •Lord llaldane says in this morning's cables. "The gravity of the situation Inight possibly lead tile Government to nron-dder the position regarding volunteering enlistment." The Imperial Government is speaking through Lord llaldane, and the Imperial Government lias always been most vigorously opnosed to anything savoring of conscription. But the situation is developing in Mich u way as calls for the service

of every eligible man if we tire to save the world from Ceniian dominance and our own Kmpire from defeat. Tin- lime is for action, not words. .Patriotic meetings no doubt help men—and women, too -to realise their oblivions, l„,t what we want is something more; we waul (h'e compulsory mobilisation „f ~„,• ,]] gihb- young men and (he comprehensive <■'••'. That, and nothing ~]„„■(■_ ~r ; (> "'' >'"■'■ pari, as well ;,s on (!„. p rl rt of ovo-y other portion of (lie 1',;,,.!,,., will en-ure final victory over Ih,. ~:o:| f„>-"»''=-''l- f'»- ve have ~,.,.,- contendel against or (iie world has ever see-,,.

THE TUUMARUXUI SEAT. The Supreme Court has lu-ii! that Mr. W. T. Jennings is not qualified to be a member of Parliament because his name appears on the Taumaruniii electoral roll -when his place of residence Is New Plymouth. In oilier words, he Was qualified had his name remained on the Taranaki roll, instead of ludiej transferred to Tanmarnnni. In the eyes of the law, Mr. Jennings is not an elector, and will not lie until he registers his name upon the roll of the electorate in which he resides, which happens to be Taranaki, It does not matter that Mr. Jennings had lived most of his time in the Taumarunni electorate; it simply was not his permanent place of abode, and that is an end to it, as far as the law is concerned. Pecauso of .this technical breach, the member is unseated, the country is put to the expense of another election, and the electors drawn into political turmoil at a time, when politics is about the last thing in which they .feel like encasing. It is, as far as we know, the first time the point of a candidate's qualification was raised and determined by , a court. The evidence at the hearing of the petition showed there had been considerable irregularity, roll-stuffing, ail(1 non-observ-ance of the secrecy of the ballot having been proved, as well a s inexcusable lax" ity on the part of the electoral officials. At the same time, it is doubtful, had an official scrutiny been ordered bv the court, whether there would have been any alteration in the result of the election. The hearing of the petition also showed the urgency of the need for the complete overhaul 0 f our electoral laws , not by a lot of blundering, incapable politicians, who are responsible for the present unsatisfactory condition of the laws, but by competent authorities. If ( he so desires, Mr. Jennings can qualify to contest the, next election. With things so critical in Europe as they are, with our very existence as a. free self-governing community „ jeopardy' with the papers filled with the names of our brave young men who are bleed- _ ing and suffering and dving f or „ s on the battlefields of flallipoli, cannot the - party leaders come to an agreement in > respect to both the Pay „f Islands and Taumaruniii seats and arrange for the unopposed return of the Government and Opposition candidates respectively? That is likely to be the result of the elections and an agreement between the party leaders would save the country a -ood 'leal of money that is badly wanted for other purposes, and also save it from a sorry exhibition of party wra„gli„,r ■ and rancour at a time when the thoughts of most people are upon more serious r and.momentous things.