The Daily News. TUESDAY, JUNE 15, 1915. FIFTY THOUSAND MEN.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 315, 15 June 1915, Page 4

The Daily News. TUESDAY, JUNE 15, 1915. FIFTY THOUSAND MEN.

Tim Auckland Herald boldly advocates bringing our forces up to 50,000 men. Nobody can claim, it writes, that we have oven nearly approached tile limits of oar powers or have in any way exhausted our energies. Our streets are still thronged with men of fighting nge; our race gatherings are still attended by multitudes and catered for l>y thousands whose industrial energies mighfc easily be applied to national use; the groat majority of our families have not yet given a man to the war whereat our very existence as a free nation is hoing decided; we have been affected so little that no war-tax has yet been applied, and we are ministerially told that very little additional tax will be required. The Herald has repeatedly urged that a definite odor, raising our fighting contribution to fifty thousand men, should be made to the Imperial Government. The duty of such offer is more imperative than ever. It is absurd to regnul as ''impossible" the arming, training and transporting of the relatively small number of men required to bo raised immediately or t<> be despatched in one b&Jy, but tlioi'e is ho good reason why tliey should not he offered to the Imperial Government, and vigorous steps taken to place them at the front as quickly as possible, and as they are needed. The Herald, which is a staunch supporter of the Government, goes on to say:—"lt is difficult to understand why Mr. Allen should be so determined to prove tliat we are doing as nmcli in New Zealand as they are at Home that he actually counts our territorials and cadets and confides to us that there are only 750,000 British at the front. This is begging the question with, a, vengeance. Our territorials and cadets are not in training for expeditionary service. The forces of the United Kingdom, actually engaged in or actually enlisted for expedition, arv service, is understood to exceed 2.250.(100. At the same proportion New Zealand should provide an expeditionary force of 50,000." According to the statement made by Mr. Asquilh in the House of Commons, and printed in Saturday's Daily News, the number of men in 'itain's army is about three millions. On tl'is basis, New Zealand should supply 00.(100 in-•«i. P.;- 1 to return to our Auckland contemporary. '! *t>-: "After all, though we may fair.s' qiwti' figures to show that we, ought to do more, we cannot patriotically quote figures to prove that we are doing enough, as long as we are visibly making.no very great exertion. We are not doing as much as we could easily do, if ministerial sympathy ran with public enthusiasm and if every effort were made to encourage recruiting and to nuke shirking disreputable. Possibly the

lack of understanding between the public and the Department results from tlie inability of the public to grasp matters simple enough to experts; but on the other hand it may lie in the inability of any one man, however hard-working and competent, to do full justice, at 1 time of extraordinary pressure, to three of the most exacting of ministerial portfolios. In this time of war Mr. Allen is not only Minister for /Defence, but is also Minister for Finance and Minister for Education. In the rearrangement of portfolios, -which may be anticipated, this grouping can hardly be continued. The energy and concentration of Mr. Massey's methods are obviously called for in Defence at this juncture. This portfolio may, therefore, claim the Prime Minister's personal attention, in spite of the fact that other departments stand in need of better administrate direction." Another, and a better way, out of tho difficult would be to call in the best men from the other side of the House and appoint the strongest Cabinet available to hold office, like the Home Coalition Cabinet, until the end of the war. The country, In a great national emergency like the present, should be put before party.