The Daily News. FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 1916. AN APPEAL FOR RECRUITS.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 January 1916, Page 4

The Daily News. FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 1916. AN APPEAL FOR RECRUITS.

The Premier (Mr. Massey) has. through the press of the Dominion, issued a fervid appeal to tlio people on the subject of New Zealand's responsibility as to (lie war. This manifesto contains about two thousand words, but Mr. Masscy is invariably prolix and diffuse, and on this occasion has let himself go in a veritable torrent of High sounding phrases calculated to overwhelm the people of the Dominion with fear of tiie Huns should they be victorious by reason of ;thc apathy of the citizens of the British Empire over the matter of recruiting. This abnormally lengthy document, which is to-day making a considerable inroad on our space and on that of our contemporaries, is replete with phrases uttered by various people, from leading British statesmen to Lancashire operatives, and no effort has oeen spared to pile on the agony. The one and only object for which it was intended was to stimulate recruiting, and, with all due respect to Mr. Masscy's genius, that object would have been more likely to be attained by a calm, dignified appeal to the manhood of New Zealand, together with an intimation that if the need for "men, more men, and still more men" was not mot by the voluntary system it would be the duty of the Government to have recourse to compulsion. That really covers the whole ground of the manifesto, which loses much of its force by the introduction of the element of fear of the Huns. It would seem as if Mr. Massey's verbiage was not so much' a heartfelt appeal made in the performance of a manifest duty, as a grandiloquent effort intended quite a 3 much to add to his prestige in London as to be productive of a boom in recruiting in the Dominion. This may not be the case, but appearances seem to point in that direction. More men are urgently needed. As each reinforcement is made up the difficulty of completing the quotas has become more acute, and there seems to be no alterI native but compulsory service. No good purpose is served by conjuring up visions or a German conquest of Britain, iv.;ypt, India, and New Zealand, and the relegation of the English language to the position of a piratical dialect. It is not by fear that recruits will be gathered in. We are all confident of victory, but if thousands of valuable lives are not to be sacrificed, and if the war is—as it should be—to be brought to as speedy a conclusion as possible, Cien every ounce of our strength, every man that can bear arms, and every sacrifice thai, can be made, should unhesitatingly and unreservedly be placed at the service of the Imperial authorities. All this is well-known to every man in New Zealand. We can add no further arguments in support of the Premier's appeal than we have previously advanced. Tiie Empire is pledged to carry on the war to a successful issue and ;the men of New Zealand must do their part either willingly or otherwise, not because of any fear of German tyranny, but as a matter of duty involved in citizenship of the Empire, and because thousands of our brave men need help to attain victory. AVe have published Mr. Massoy's manifesto in full because ho considers that though it makes a great inroad on our space, the special circumstances leave no other course open, but it almost seems as 'f our readers were entitled to an apology for this severe test of their patience.