ly an insidious way of
creating conscription, a compulsory system of service--a form of service
absolutely distasteful and foreign to us British, and even more so to
British colonists. It was therefore necessary for me to take the greatest
care very gradually to prepare and school the public mind so that the
term "National Service," which I had adopted for my scheme, should in no
way be misunderstood for conscription, but rather that it should be
looked upon simply as a personal responsibility on the part of every
youth to fit himself to take part in the defence of his country, just in
the same way as it was his duty to attend school or submit to any other
laws governing his civil and economic life.

Kingston, with whom I had many conversations, was a most keen supporter
of the Universal Service system. He agreed at once with the proposition
as regarded the amalgamation of the Volunteers with the partially paid
forces, and, what was more to the point, promised to find the funds
required. He was very anxious to introduce and carry through Parliament,
while he was Premier of South Australia, a system of National Service,
which, he foresaw, would sooner or later find its way into the statutes
of Federated Australia. Even so early as this Kingston was paving the way
for a united Australia. He was at that time considered, notwithstanding
his personal foibles, one of the ablest of the Australian Premiers.

He gave me instructions, confidentially, to draft two Bills, one
embodying the provision for the adoption of the universal service, the
other simply dealing with the proposed changes in organization. When the
time arrived to place the proposals before Parliament Kingston had come
to the conclusion that the expenditure involved in initiating National
Service was greater than he could ask Parliament to vote at the time. He
determined, therefore, to pigeon-hole it. The Re-organization Bill was
promptly carried by both Houses and became law. The Act of Parliament
fixed a date for the carrying out of the change. To avoid the clerical
work involved by the carrying out of the re-attesting of the whole of the
citizen forces, partially paid and Volunteer, under the new Act it was
provided that every officer, non-commissioned officer and man who did
not, in writing, notify his intention to sever his connexion with the
forces owing to the new conditions, would continue in the service, and
the date for the beginning of his period of se