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Taranaki Daily News, 9 January 1917, Page 4

A ST ATE, OBLIGATION. .The Lyttelton Times draws attention to the proceedings of the Military Service Boards which disclose the want of a policy by which the financial difficulties of men going to the war may be relieved. A case in point is reported from Timaru, where a man lias been given extension of time to enable liiin to dispose of his farm. The Times wonders if Ministers of the Crown are taking notice of these things—Mr. Allen, of course, in particular—and goes on to say: The. man who has to yell his farm lias also to oiler his life. He may leave his hones on the battlefield. He may return maimed or with a shattered constitution. But whatever his fate, even if he be lucky enough to escape injury, he certainly is going to endure hardships and encounter perils that cannot be balanced by any sacrifices 011 the part of those who remain in this safe and comfortable part of the world. How can we, then, as a people—how can the State—while insisting upon such a man serving his country, at the same time allow the condition? to be such that he must first divest 'himself of bis property? How can we accept service on these terms, to say nothing of insisting upon it, and retain our self-respect? This particular farmer's ease is only a type. It is quoted, here merely as an example of the wrongs which the State is committing when it neglects to shoulder the financial obligations of the soldier to a reasonable extent. There must be thousands of eases, of varying degree, in which men who go to the war, voluntarily or otherwise, have to make financial sacrifices that the community instead of the soldier ought to bear. If a man can sell his farm easily and profitably there must be competition for it, which is proof that men can be found able to stay and work the farm while the ex-owner fig'hts for its protection. On the other hand, if the disposal of the property is not easy the price obtained is bound to be unsatisfactory, and the soldier's financial loss substantial. 'III other words, the purchaser' of the farm makes a bargain because the seller goes to tight in defence of the country. We say that injustice of this description is preventable and ought to be prevented. If peoplo can be found to purchase farms of men called up for service, it should be equally possible to discover men to occupy the farms and work them until the return of the owners from the war. Some sucli plan has been sketched out and submitted to the Government' by a committee of landholders, and Mr. Allen should see how far the proposal may bo adopted and developed. The whole problem of alleviating the financial sacrifice of the soldier, however, awaits a solution. We know that a perfect system is impossible and that there cannot be anything approaching absolute equality of sacrifice. But a great deal, a very great deal, can be done to lessen the equalities by insisting that those who are ineligible for military service shall take a. fair share of the burden. We hope that Ministers are not going to consider themselves incapable of taking action, or disqualified from doing so, in the absence of .Mr. Masscy and Sir .loseph Ward. Those gentlemen have inid to postpone their departure from London. They may not be hack in New Zealand inside of four months, and it is too much to ask for such a delay in the treatment of this urgent subject. The Stale must continue to take men for military service. That is inevitable and has the cordial approval of the peoplo. But there is 110 excuse for a continuance of present economic conditions in connection with military service. The financial sacrifice to be asked of the soldier should be minimesd by distributing it among those who escape the hardships and risks of the lighting.