AUSTRALIA AND THE WAR.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 July 1917, Page 6

AUSTRALIA AND THE WAR.

To the Editor Sir, —Tn answer to a query tlie Auckland Weekly of tho 19l;li inst. gives the following:—Hales in New Zealand 552,OS'j; 7">.!)00 left and 10,000 in camp. M»les in Commonwealth 2.313,035 and 3(<G,o->3 enlisted. Now, a simple calculation shows the percentage of enlistments in both countries to work out as follows: New Zealand (with conscription) l'i.2S per cent. Australia (without conscription) 13.54 per cent., balance in favor of New Zealand .44 or less than \ per cent. Then Australia has spent large sums upon naval defence since the beginning of the war (£14,000,000 last vearl, besides providing a fleet of battleships manned largely by Australians. I should bo much obliged if you would give me tho relative expenditure per head of both countries upon naval defence since the gift of tho battleship New Zealand, the more especially as responsible Ministers of the N Crown are fond of ma.king vague statements in Parliament that New Zealand has done more ttjjrii any other dominion and one M.P.- y Goldly declares that New Zealand has done more than twice as much as Australia. Also why this bloat about the Australian wheat deal at 5s 9d per bushel when in the same issue in 'Whicli your leader appeared the maximum price for Canadian wheat is quoted at 10s per bushel and tho next day Australia is stated to have been offered a record price for wheat (not quoted! from'U.S.A. Of course, much of the mud slinging at Australia may be taken at its worth. A certain selfish section of New /ealandeis who wish to apear loyal and are afraid to speak openly against conscription slander Australia and Australians in the hopes that Sew Zenhnd will slacken off and they may esci>;-e. but loyalty to the Kmpire includes !<•' altv to our sister Dominions as well as to the Motherland. As for the assumption that Australians are lawless and undisciplined as compared with the New Zcalanders,_ it has no foundation in fact. I have lived m both countries: neither is perfect, but a general respect for law and order prevails in both. In conclusion, I may state that I am an ardent advocate of conscription as the fairest way of maki,i" war and only my love of British far. play has induced me to trespass upon your space. —I im, etc., TTA .., - v AUSTRALIAN.