The Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, JULY 23, 1912. COMPULSORY TRAINING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10675, 23 July 1912, Page 4

The Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, JULY 23, 1912. COMPULSORY TRAINING.

The system of compulsory military training w'htoh. has been adopted in New Zealand is being used 'by certain people mi the Motherland to .damage the interests of the Dominion. It would spem Mat grossly distorted.accounts of the operation of the Act in iNew Zealand have been forwarded to England, and these h!ave been seized upon hy a.nti-conscil : pbionists and .manipulated to the detriment of the country. Under the heading of "Campaign Against (Conscription in New Zealand," the London Daily News of. May Slist describe* what is termed a "strenuous campaign that is being carried on ,by Mr T. C. Gireg'ory, of Bristol." He stokes, .the istater iment.that "compulsory military training for defence," which is the cry of the Nflitional Service is neither more 'nor less than conscription, and he is now in the midst of a campaign among intending emigramtte to New Zealand warning t'hem of the hardships imposed by the Defence Act. He tells them, that compulsory (military training is enforced under severe : penalties, including heavy fines, imprisonment with hard labour, loss of vote, deprivation of old age pensions, sand iban from any Govern- , iment employment. He describes feel-1 dng in. New Zealand ate beiiVg so strong : that lads have refused to regi ,t«r, j and wre prepared to go to extremes ■in passive resistance to tflie Act, and' he alleges that scores of respectable lads 'have been .imprisoned. Mr G;rcgor'y'n efforts are said to be receiving' influential support, an,d( apparently there are other agencies at work.' Til© wife of the director of the Tech'nical School at Cliiristehurch, in! _ a i letter, states that "lads /are like | hunted creatures. . . . 'ms if the;

(press gamg were again at work. There is a conspiracy of silence by the Press of New Zealand," It is further alleged that t'lie eonisoientious objectlions of members K»f the Society of Friends to oaths of allegiance and military service have been ridden over roughshod. TUie Dunediu' Star comtncnts' on tlhis article, pointing out that one of the great wants of our 'Dominion. <is population, and statements isucli as are mentioned going

■abroad among intending emigrants must necessarily exercise a mischiovot:ts influence. It may be difficult to contradifct some of them hi t)he face of "newfip-a'per reports publfisihed in this country, but the wiiolo of t/he facts should .he circulated, so 'that there irnav be no garbled or exaggerated accounts given that will deter families from emigrating. It soems somewhat extraordinary, if not indeed cruel, tbat .New Zealand should bo singled out for attadkis cf thie nat•ureVhen an exactly similar condition of things as regards compulsory militarv training exists in other places. In *tih© Australian Commonwealth the defence laws aippear to he 'carried out quite as rigidly as here, amd yet we hear of no can.ipa.ign Auittitolian emigration being inistituted in iGlreat Britain. It is hoped that the High Comimis'sioner will loS;e no time in 1 endeavouring to remove any wrong impression.