THE "MORE MEN" APPEAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 April 1918, Page 4

THE "MORE MEN" APPEAL.

CABINET CONSIDERS MATTER. DECISION BESTS WITH PARLIAMENT. NECESSARY MEASURES /ALREADY TAKEN. < (Our Special Correspondent.) Wellington, Last Night. Cabinet held a long sitting this afternoon for the consideration of the "more men" appeal from the Imperial Govern ment, and readied certain decisions These decisions will lie submitted to Par liament at the opening of the session next week, and in the meantime th< Prime' Minister and the Minister of Defence will not make any statement fo> publication as to their intentions. Some measures, regarded as necessary, have already been taken by the Government, It is understood that the Government's proposals involve the use of certain reserves at present in England; also the acceleration of reinforcement drafts to some extent. The 41st Reinforcements may be mobilised earlier than was originally intended, and the date of departure of the senior reinforcements at present in camp will be advanced. The increase of the monthly reinforcements quoted is stated to be dependent upon the reply of the Army Council to inquiries that have been made.

STIRRING SPEECH BY MR MASSEY. A TIME FOR STEADFAST DETERMUTATION. By Telegraph—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. Speaking at, the unveiling of an Honors Board at Khandallah to-night, Mr. Massey said: "Victory depends upon ourselves. I believe things will come right, but they will come right only if I the British people in every part of the Empire do their duty. I can tell you, without giving away Cabinet secrets, that during a great part of to-day members of the Government were sitting in Cabinet considering how best to meet the appeal for increased assistance made by Mr. Lloyd George. I am not in a position to state what the Government Ims decided. We have arrived at certain decisions which Will be made public in due course. I might be able to tell you, but for the fact that some of our decisions have to be submitted to the Imperial authorities for their consideration and approval. A cablegram that will be despatched within the next few hours will tell the Imperial Cabinet what ,New Zealand intends to do. We have asked for their advice, and when Ave receive the answer to that cablegram we shall make a statement in Parljnment as to what ; we live prqmised the Imperial Government." ' Mr. Massey said the time had arrived for a great effort, and he thought Mr Lloyd George did absolutely the right thing when he sent out his stirring appeal to the Dominions of the Empire, anc to the United States to send all the men they were able to transport. "I hope anc believe that the response of the Dominions will be worthy of the occasion. This is not the time for hesitation or hall measures. It is a time for steadfast determination. The more men we are to place in the field during the next'few months the better it will be for the Empire and for humanity. Our duty undei existing circumstances is to do all we ar< capable of doing. This is what the Gov> erriment of this country is going to ask the people to back it up in doing." The Prime Minister mentioned that uj to the present about 100,000 New Zea„landers had been taken into camp, ancl 00,000 had left for service overseas. About 17,000 of these men had returned to the Dominion, many of them being incapacitated wholly or partially, while thousands of others had fallen, and their names were recorded indelibly in the* tory of the nation.