COMPULSORY SERVICE.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 June 1916, Page 2

COMPULSORY SERVICE.

SOME OBJECTIONS. i(From Our Special Correspondent)'. Wellington, May 31. The Minister of Defence struck quite the right note in moving the second reading of the Military Service Bill in the House of Representatives yesterday, '/This Bill lias only one object, and that is to win the war," were the words with which he opened his speech, and, of course, they were eminently appropriate to the occasions. Mr. Allen was careful to explain more than once that the voluntary system had not failed. He claimed, indeed, that there had been a splendid response to the country's call, 46,000' men at the front, 11,000 in camp and 5000 waiting for admission standing as his witnesses, and that the patriotism . of the Dominion had -been vindicated beyond all possible doubt. But the Government wanted to make sure of being able to discharge its obligations to the Mother Country promptly and fully, and towards this end it was seeking authority to.; apply a certain measure of ' compulsion if it should become necessary. The voluntary system might be suffi- ' cient to the very end of the war, but it would be none the less elective for having this measure on the Statute Book to 'be brought into operation if occasion should arise, and its appearance there would be an additional assurance ' of the unalterable determination of the ', country to "see the business through," • no matter what the cost or the sacrice might be. Mr. Allen is not an orator, nor even a fluent speaker, but in appealing for support of the Government's proposals lie once or twice touched the height of eloquence, and never once was dreary or monotonous. . ; THE MINISTER'S CRITICS. Mr. Wilford, who followed the Min- ' ister. set an admirable example of 'brev--1 ity, occupying only a few minutes in \ expressing his approval of the mainprin- [ ciples of the Bill and announcing his in- ; tention to criticise its details in com- ' mittee, but most of the succeeding speakers took their full time in expounding their views. Mr. Witty contended that if sufficient inducements had been offered from the first to men of military age to enlist' there would have been no need for Parliament to-talk about compulsion. There were plenty of men ready and eager to go to the front who had been deterred by the Government's failure to make adequate provision fc their dei pendents, and it was unfair and cruel to refer to these men as shirkers. They • were asked to shirk a duty which . was plain and near at hand to undertake • one which was indefinite and far away. , The Government should have produced the Financial Statement and should ; have taken some steps to reduce the cost of living before it asked the House to pronounce a final opinion upon soldiers' pay and pensions and give authority for the imposition of conscription. Mr. - Witty spoke in nn captious spirit, but he insisted upon the right pf members to know something about the finances and resources of the country when they were expected to decide questions of this ''■ sort. Mr. iPoolc endorsed a good deal of what the member for Riccarton had said and particularly emphasised the importance of satisfying the public that t the administration of the Bill when it came into operation would be free from ■I military bias and class distinction. i DISTRUST OF OFFICIALISM. " f Some of the subsequent speakers were not so careful as Mr. Witty and Mr. 1 Poole had been to avoid the discordant ' personal note. Dr. Thacker is still jealous for the laurels he fairly won in connection with the "Trentham scandal" of last year, and he is not going to allow them to wither in the enervating shades 1 of forgetfulness. Yesterday he lectured the Minister of Defence in quite his old style. Mr. Allen had pledged the country in blood without making satisfactory f financial arrangements in the first in--1 stance. The country had been slowly f and slowly pledged and now was to be plunged into compulsion. The Minister 5 was a compulsionist from start to finish, - and had pulled all kinds of strings to r achieve his end. With this lead Mr. - Webb and Mr. Payne, separated by a really excellent speech from Mr. Sidey, found it easy to plunge without any preliminaries into the old stylo of party criticism. The member for Grey, while prepared to make any personal sacrifice that might help in winning the war, was for going to tlie country on the question of compulsion, while the member for Grey Lynn, after a little bout with the Speaker over some very frank allusions to the personnel of the House, . launched out upon a critical analysis of the Bill and -its author which certainly was not among the least entertaining , contributions to the debate. The speech f in which Dr. Pomare commended the Maori view of conscription to the House was a very striking example of the orat tory of his race and easily the most [ interesting feature of the evening sitting. It fell to Mr. Talbot to compliment the Native Minister upon his admirable effort and to add the few words that exhausted all there, was to say apart from reiteration upon the subject under discussion. ' THE SUM TOTAL. The debate was, resumed this after- ', noon, and is now proceeding along the inevitable lines without much prospect . of any startling development. The general opinion in the House and in the '. galleries is that the Bill* will get into i committee without a division, and that i wlicn it is there the weight of num- , hers at the command of the National Cabinet will save it from any material amendment. Quite a number of members strongly opposed to the principle of conscription are accepting the measure in the belief thai, it will not be necessary to bring it into operation. Already there is a distinct revival in recruiting i to encourage this view, and it is reasonable to suppose that when men see no other alternative they will prefer the appearance of volunteering to the humiliation of being compelled. It is tolerably certain, however, that an effort will be made to improve the constitution of the - Appeal Board and to provide further safeguards against the intrusion of class distinctions. There is n feeling in some quarters that the Reform members of the Cabinet are bent upon obtaining special concessions for industries in which many of their political friends are em- , ployed, and this feeling is sure to be expressed in an attempt to amend certain i clauses of the Bill. But the main principle of the measure, which is compulsion ; when the Government may deem it ne- i cessary, will encounter little serious op- i position and is sure to be on the Statute j Book early in the month. ]