ORGANISING MAYPOWER.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 June 1940, Page 4

ORGANISING MAYPOWER.

gOME of those who discussed compulsory military service in Parliament last ’week —amongst them at least one of the members now in khaki—expressed the opinion that the question of altering the system of recruiting was in no way urgent, since volunteers were still coming forward in adequate numbers. That view, however, ignores facts that are of serious importance, not only to individuals, but from a national standpoint. As matters stand, there is no assurance of equity as between individuals, and certainly no sufficient assurance that the men who ought in the national interest to be retained in this country are not enlisting and being accepted.

Under the' Emergency Regulations Amendment Act, the Government has taken power to organise the whole population of the Dominion and has shaped elaborate plans to that end. This action will be of small avail, where the manhood of the country is concerned, if the organisation is not made, without loss of time, comprehensive and complete. The country is committed to a maximum war effort, in military service and also in production. It can compass that effort only by organising the whole of its man-power to the best advantage and calling in some measure also on members of the other sex.

The need of immediate and methodical action, particularly where farming is concerned, is emphasised in a statement by Sir William Perry which appears in our news columns today. Speaking with an authority derived not only from his exceptional experience as a farmer, but from his having served as a member of the No. 1 Military Service Board in the last war, Sir William declares that experienced farm workers, including key men in the industry, are being accepted in such numbers — many of them describing themselves in their enlistment papers as labourers —that a serious slackening in production will be inevitable if this state of affairs is allowed to continue.

A statement by the Minister of Man-Power (Mr Wilson) which lias been printed as a Parliamentary paper, shows that of men engaged in agricultural and pastoral industries who have enlisted, 2,8(19 have been posted to camp, while 1,113 have been temporarily postponed by reason of occupation. The number thus postponed is very much larger than in any other industrial category. Even so, however, well over two out of every three men engaged in agricultural and pastoral industry who have enlisted have been accepted. Moreover, as Sir William Perry points out—and there is no lack of other evidence to a similar effect —experienced farm workers enlisting are in some instances, from patriotic motives, withholding information as to the occupation in which they are engaged.

No doubt there are other industries of which somewhat similar thing's are to be said, although in this country farming is of al! others the industry likely to suffer, to the national detriment, from an undue drain upon its experienced labour. With a wide range of war and other industries to man, as well as armies to maintain, Britain is reserving large numbers of farm labourers to play their part in maintaining and. increasing production. It is certainly not less necessary that the same thing should be done in New Zealand.

The only satisfactory method of dealing with the total problem is to make an orderly call upon the whole man-power of the country, so that it may be determined from the point of view of national interest whether a man should be accepted for military service or should be required to continue in bis ordinary occupation. On the facts and manifest requirements of the situation, it is impossible to accept the view that the application of compulsion may be allowed to stand over so long as the flow of volunteers for military service is numerically adequate. It is necessary not only to secure adequate enrolments for military service, but also to ensure that the enrolments shall weaken as little as possible the national economy and the productive services which have a great part to play in the winning of the war.

There is no question of exempting from military service the whole of those engaged in farming or in any other branch of industry. Immediate action most certainly should be taken, however to prevent farming or any other important industry from being deprived of the essential and irreplaceable part of its labour force —particularly skilled men of long training and experience.