"As a man of peace, and not as a man of war, he supported the defence system, and he believed that every right-minded man who asked himself the question, ''Is it worth while to support such a system?'' would answer ''Yes'' - (Applause.)
"It was worth while to be part of the great British Empire, and to take part in its defence. - (Applause.)
"Our system of defence was a compulsory one, and they had heard a good deal about that. Under that system a Territorial served until he was 25, and then he was drafted into the reserve until he was 30, and after that there was nothing left to interest him in the old companies to which he had belonged, and one of the objects of the reserve was to keep alive and sustain such an interest, and to encourage the young fellows as they came along.
"One point he thought had been overlooked, and that was that in connection with compulsory service all who were between 17 and 55 years of age were liable to serve in the militia, and that had been so for many years.
"So we had had compulsory service in this dominion for a great many years past. He would like to see periodical drilling by the reserve, and thought the ladies could assist by insisting that their husbands or sweethearts should belong to the reserve. - (Applause.)
Mr W. C. MacGregor, who seconded the motion, said he was convinced of the great utility of the proposed reserve. It was necessary that there should be a link to join the youths now in the ranks with the veterans who had filled places in the defence of the country in the past, and the reserve, he was sure, would fill the bill in that respect. - (Applause.)
"The movement to form a reserve of this nature was not confined to New Zealand, and it was an inspiring thought that at this far-off place - at this outpost, as it were - they were doing their share and taking their part in welding together the great and glorious British Empire. - (Applause.)
The motion was put and carried unanimously, amid hearty applause.
The band then played ''Soldiers of the Queen'', one of the stirring songs of the South African days, and the audience greeted it with rapturous applause.
• Dealing with the subject of the foundation of the colony of New Zealand and the influence of Scotsmen thereon, a Wellington writer says:
''It was chiefly through the action of one of the magistrates of Glasgow, Mr John Fleming, of Clairmont, that New Zealand was retained as a British possession. He was about the first, if not the first, man in the Kingdom to direct the attention of the Government to the possibilities of New Zealand as a British settlement.
"He took up the matter with enthusiasm, and, enlisting the services of such men as Dr Norman Macleod, Sheriff Allison, and Lord Provost Lumsden, convened a meeting in the Glasgow Athenaeum on May 15, 1840, which was the means of arousing public attention to the question all over the country, and brought about the annexation of the islands in time to prevent their passing into the hands of the French.
It was doubtless the outcome of Glasgow's connection with the appropriation of the islands for Great Britain that New Zealand was largely colonised by Scotsmen.''
- ODT 7.2.1914
