WAKE UP, NEW ZEALAND!

Taranaki Daily News, 30 March 1916, Page 6

WAKE UP, NEW ZEALAND!

PEOPLE NOT TAKING THE WAR SERIOUSLY. MORE RESTRICTIONS . REQUIRED. . Wanganui, Monday. Dugng his lecture at the Opera House last night, Chaplain-Captain .Blamires delivered a stirring appeal to the people of New Zealand to realise the position and take the war seriously. He said that while he was in England he had been able to notice the English people's attitude towards the war,°and he was now able to compare this with the attitude of the people of New Zealand. ENGLAND'S ATTITUDE. '■' The people of England," he said, were in deadly earnest in regard to the war, but they had no doubt whatever of the ultimate issue of the conflict. The people to some extent were subdued, hut in both the higher classes of society and in what are regarded as the working classes, there was a confidence that Britain and the Allies must conquer. In London and the other big centres it Was Ijelt that to bring the war to an early and successful termination every effort must be put forth, and great as were the sacrifices in the past, they must be prepared for still greater sacrifices, in the coming summer campaign," Captain Blamires went on to say that London seemed to have failed to realise the danger threatening the Empire until tlie Zeppelins came ovq- the city. Then it realised there was a war in pi-o-gress and became determined to bring it to a successful issue. Now, in New Zealand, so far from the seat of the war, it was difficult to realise there was a war going on, and after having been in armed camps and amongst military men for nineteen months, it was to the speaker difficult to realise there was a war in progress. The r.iminion had sent, he believed, 40,000 men to the front, and would have sent 60,000 by the end of the year. That was a noble effort, of which' Britain was justly proud, and exceedingly grateful for. The gifts of money, too, were considerable, but while.some have made sacrifices, it seemed to him that others were more interested" in rakin» in the extra profits derived from their produce than in helping in the war. J ' RACING CUT OUT. In England they had now no time for racing—they were engaged in carrying out a far more serious duty. It may have its place in normal times, but now it had been ruled oufc "We who were at the front, and who were bearing the burden and sharing the difficulties and the dangers, feel that New Zealand might very well have followed the example of England in this respect." In ordinary times when racing was proclaimed against it was stated that it would throw many men out ol employment. It would riot be so now. Every available man who is in New Zealand and who is fit, is wantyd at the front, and if he were not fit if or that service he was wanted to carry on the work of the Dominion.

DRINKING RESTRICTED. ' * In England, conservative, liberty-lov-ing England, it was found that it was, seen that the people living and w'orking in the big cities were unable to work properly for the Empire owing to the drink, and now the bars of the hotels were practically closed. Before, the war the bar 9 were open nearly 24 hours of the day. To-day they were only open two hours at mid-day and two hours in the evening. The restrictions were imposed without obtaining the consent of the people, but they took them in the proper spirit. As a result there was a great diminution of crime, and now the people were realising the benefits of the restrictions.

New Zealand had always been regarded as a temperance country, where f large majority of the population were in favor of prohibition, and yet in this country, a supposedly progressive temperance country, they were actually suggesting the closing of the hotels at six o'clock in the evening. When was New Zealand going to wake up? In Russia, prior to the War, the Treasury benefited by some millions a year from the sale of vodkha, but when the war came and the need of revenue was so great, rather than destroy the efficiency of the country, the sale of vodkha was abolished. The result today was that Russia was wealthier, more prosperous, and the efficiency of the people had greatly increased. After the fwar, it was a doubtful question whether the sale of vodkha would be resumed. France and Britain, too, were becoming more temperate.

APPEAL TO THE ELIGIBLES. Referring to recruiting, Cliaplnin-Cap-tain Blamires said that before compulsion ivas carried, every man who was engaged in necessary war work, who had enlisted for service, or who was unfit, wore a badge on his arm.. In Xew Zealand, he was told, there had been badges issued, but it was hard to believe it—he saw so few. The badges mjy be ugly, but ill Britain the mea were so canvassed that they had to wear badges i f they were entitled to them. In Xew Zealand any man to whom a badge was tesued should be ashamed of refining to wear it because it was ugly. He expressed the opinion that compulsion must eome unless the men volunteer. He appealed to the young men who have, ■keen hesitating to enlist and not wait to be compelled to go ■ TAXATION REQWRED. Chaplain-Captain Blamires remarked that more money was required for the war. He did not think the right way was by subscription, for in tliat way those who were willing to give would only be reached. H ( > contended that those who made money out of the land should be made to pay, and the only way to do this was by taxation. He did not believe in passing on the war costs to the future generations, but believed that those who were reaping the monetary benefits from the war should be jjiaile to pay their share of the ooct of the war. as far as New Zealand was concerned. 4«i