Edward LAND'S Letter to the Wangaratta Chronicle June 1915

My Trove Tuesday post for this week is a letter to the editor of the Wangaratta Chronicle newspaper written by Mr Edward LAND of Oxley.

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article88037779

Wangaratta Chronicle (Vic. : 1914 - 1918), 

Wednesday 16 June 1915, page 2

THE RECRUITING QUESTION. (To the Editor of "The Chronicle,") Sir,- I see by the newspapers that recruiting is getting slack and the Defence Department is urging compulsory enlistment of all single men from 18 to 45 years. It is very hard on the Defence Department to have the whole responsibility of working out a scheme while the country, is making no practical movement to assist them. Australia was never at any time in history in as serious a position as it is at present, and it is the duty of all to assist in every way according to their power and means to overcome the great struggle over the seas, and to assist without crippling the producing community of Australia. It is as great a necessity as recruiting for Australia to keep her farmhands to harvest the crops that are promising to be good so as to have plenty of flour for our soldiers while this great and dreadful struggle lasts. What I suggest is for every municipality to form a committee and a fund, and for the police to send in the names of all available and eligible men who are not connected with farming and other production and necessary Industry. The police of every district know, or should know, the whereabouts of men who have no regular employment and are absolutely useless to a farmer, Those are the men who should be compelled to enlist. The pay is very good and it takes a lot of money and a lot of getting to pay them all. As regards the fund, I would suggest that every man who is on the roll and has a vote for the making of laws should be compelled to subscribe to a monthly fund according to his means, no matter how small, Any defaulter to be removed from the roll. Our Parliamentary member and the Mayor of Wangaratta might convene a meeting at an early date at Wangaratta, and to my mind it should be the biggest ever held here as we never were placed in such a serious position as now. It is the duty of every farmer to protect his own sons and the good farm hands to assist in taking of the great harvest we anticipate. Our soldiers cannot fight without food and it is our bounden duty to keep the good, reliable farmers' sons and farm hands until the very last. We are not taking the position of ourselves as seriously as we ought, but it may not be too late to make a start in the right direction. Let us realise the terrible tortures of our poor brothers who are suffering day and night and are being killed and wounded while we are getting all the necessities of life, Now, let us be up and doing and use self-denial. Give up football and all other amusements that are a drawback to our welfare and turn our minds to this one burning question. I venture to say if England had taken the good advice given to her some years ago the war might have been over long ago, or might not have started. We are practically doing the same. I know we can do a lot If we pull together and set an example that will be followed throughout the whole of Australia so as to secure plenty of soldiers and plenty of producers to feed, pay and clothe them. We can then say when this dreadful war is over that we did all that lay in our power. Unity is strength, and I hope at an early date to see it used. ln conclusion, Mr. Editor, I thank you for the valuable space that I have taken up in your journal, and I hope to see far more abler men than myself take up this matter and make it the practical burning question of Australia, -Yours truly, E. LAND, Olive Lodge, Oxley.

I have several Edward LANDS in my tree.  My best guess is that this Edward was born at Oxley in 1864, the second child and eldest son of my 3rd great-grand-uncle, Arthur John LAND and his wife Charlotte nee FRANCIS.

An earlier newspaper advertisement by Olive Lodge shows it was a horse stud.

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article200557198

Ovens and Murray Advertiser (Beechworth, Vic. : 1855 - 1918), 

Saturday 15 September 1906, page 2

 The Stud.— It is notified that the half Suffolk Punch stallion Gallant Lad, will stand this season at "Olive Lodge" Oxley and travel the surrounding district. His pedigee appears in an advestisement elsewhere. Further particulars from Mr. E. Land, Oxley, owner, or S. Hulme, groom In charge.

The groom in charge, S HULME, was a relative as two of Arthur John LAND'S sisters married HULME brothers.  Hephzibah LAND married William Cluff HULME.  They were my 3rd great-grandparents.

Jemima LAND married William Cluff HULME'S brother, Edward "King" HULME.