RECRUITING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 300, 28 May 1915, Page 7

RECRUITING.

(To the Editor.) (Sir, —Now that at lust the New Zealand Defence Minister lias .publicly realised the gravity of the great conliiet, and tardily makes his appeal to the men of 'New Zealand to enlist—witli special reference to the duties of married men in connection therewith—surely it is time that some ollicial recognition ii made between those unfortunate men who have enlisted and been rejected as unlit and those who have not yet come to their senses, My viewpoint is that of the young married man with responsibilities shouldered before war broke out. Like heaps of others similarly situated, T am. anil have been, as keen to enlist as anyone, and the constant thought in my mind is this: 'What justilication have f to throw up a lucrative position, leave a wife anil little child to fend for themselves, or depend on charily (the pay of a soldier would not keep Up the interest on the house and keep the family as well), and practically throw up all I have put into a house, when all around me I set! dozens of single young men and single men not so_ young, with apparently nothing in the. world hut their own criminal Selfishness to prevent them doing their most obvious duty? Jt cannot he said ! that they have not had their . duty brought before their eyes, for the fighting in the Dardanelles alone should have done this, and, while I fully recognise that married couples have no right to purchase their security and happiness at the expense of single men and girls—they are all potential homebuilders—l am emphatically of the. opinion that a line should lie drawn between tlie shirkers and othivs. It Would probably be difficult, but surely the difficulties are not insuperable, ff 1 saw that by some such means the number of eligible single men loafing about was reduced to something like a reasonable proportion, then I. and hundreds of Others situated as I am, would luu e no further legitimate reason for not enlisting, and as married men would show the way to those of the single men who would be. left. It is all very well to say that public opinion will single out, those who should go and will not. but some more tangible recognition of this feeling should be in evidence. The just stigma that would be attached to all who could not show an official recognition of their inability to he accepted will, if anything will," send them post haste to the recruiting ollice, arid those whom this would not shift nothing short of conscription will. It would also be a means of doing justice to those who cannot he accepted. I write strongly, sir, but surely the gravity of the position justifies every word, so might I respectfully suggest that you should take up this subject in your valuable columns.—l am, etc., aiARRIED. Eltham, May 27. >