The Washington herald., 1913-10-16
NEW ZEALAND'S PLIGHT.
How the New ConscriptIon Law IL
Working Out.


How the New ConscrintIon Law Is
Working Out.
London Correspondent TO the New York Tribune.
Some Few weeks ago Israel Zangwill
published an article in the Daily Chron-
icle entitled THE War Devil" 1t was
an attack upon the proposed conscrip-
ton measure for Great Britain. with par
ticular reference to the New Zealand
defense act. Among the letters that the
author has received In praise or censurv
OF his article is the following from Mrs
Wells, honorary secretary OF the Canter-
bury Women's Institute, Christchurch,
New Zealand:
''On behalf of the Canterbury women's
Institute and many other friends of p-eacs
In Christchurch, ] am writing to thank
YOU for the magnificent assistance your
brave stand affords US who are strug-
Cling here in the tolls of militarism. The
New Zealand defense act was engineered
by the National Service League. The bill
was introduced and put rapidly through
Parliament at the end of the session. II
had been most carefully prepared as
snare and pitfsll for the people for six
months beforehand in Wellington by i'm
perisl officers and was Unanswered into
Law. the mass Of the people knowing
HoNnlHS Ol lls nOTTlDle DrONiSlOnS.
THE cost OF war now exceeds the cost
OF our education system, and TIE soldier
bids fair to capture our schools Our
young lads OF fourteen are called upon
to swear practically the same form of
cath as is prescribed for the German con-
scripts, an oath whose far-reachIng sig
nihcanCe children cannot possibly appre-
ciate, an oath which recalled the days
OF the hated English test acts.
h.a aanf L. foil
the children of parents who have brought
up their young folks in the tenets of
peace. Boys who refuse to take the oath
are repeatedly heavily fined and impris
cned. Already though the authorities
give out that the act is practically unani.
mously sanctioned by the colony upward
CT 1000 prosecutions have been issued
against offenders under the act Our
civil courts are rapidly being turned into
military courts. Whole days are devoted
to the hearing OF defense cases Lads
OF fourteen and upward are regularly I'm
jail. Boys who support parents ana
others are told that nothing can inter-
fere with the provisions Of this act
Parental control Is openly fiouted b,
magistrates. Parents who are in despair
at the utter meanness OF the act in at
tacking voteless, defenseless children are
fined and warned against interference.
Passive resisters. Of whom there ar,
many in Christchurch, are kept under
military surveillance and repeatedly
prosecuted on all manner of pretexts.
Some lads have received as many as
twelve or thirteen summonses to appear
at court, though there are many boys
who have never been called on to regis
ter. Homes are being ruined One
mother, harried by police espionage, fen
dead on the morning of one of the many
prosecutions of her child. Boys who have
hitherto led an exemplary life are NOV
ing about from place to place to escapr
military supervision. and their future
careers are being blighted. Military de-
tention barracks are established and our
young fellows who refuse to become bar
barian swains' area detained for long
terms OF Imprisonment"