NATIONAL DEFENCE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9224, 23 June 1909, Page 5

NATIONAL DEFENCE.

MR M'NAB'S MISSION

VERY SUCCESSFUL. Mr R. M'Nab, who has just completed a self-imposed campaign in the interests of national military training in this country, told a "Post" reporter that he was eminently satisfied with the results of his trip. He first visited Auckland and worked south, speaking at twentyfive places between that city and Invercargill. With the exception of the hostility shown at Wellington Mr M'Nab did not encounter opposition of any magnitude. He is impressed wifh the good work done by the National Defence League in the Auckland district, and the fact that, speaking generally, the Auckland members of Parliament supporting the scheme. The meetings held in the Maori war country between Wanganui and New Plymouth were particularly successful, the great majority of those who attended the meetings having taken part in the compulsory service system of the sixties.

Mr M'Nab pointed out that in countries where compulsory training o'utains the objections to it came principally from the cities. Reviewing the campaign from that point of view, he found things much the same New Zealand, although he did not believe the opposition attained any magnitude. For instance, he Socialists as a body were not opposed to the scheme, only certain sections of them were. Others were members of the Defence League, and supported the Socialist literature of England, which is not hostile to universal'training.

As regards the workers of the cities as a body, he found a number of them were opposed to the scheme, but none of them had attempted to reconcile their hostility with the support given to the scheme by their fellow, workers in Australia. All the Labour leaders of the Commonwealth supported a scheme for that country, and that fact seemed to ask for some on the part of the Labour

leaders of Australia, who were opposed to universal military training. In all places Mr M'Nab found that some manifestly absurd notions about the expense that would be entailed in carrying out a scheme of training in this;cnuntry were held. Mr M'Nab w„s unable to visit twenty-eight towns where he bad been invitee] to speak. If the question is not settled when he returns from his trip to the Old Land he states that he would probably be abis to accept the invitations which he lias had to reluctantly decline. So sanguine is Mr M'Nab that he declared he would not be afraid if a plebiscite were taken on the question at the present time. The

unanimous support accorded the movement by the Press was a gratifying ieature.