LATE WAR NEWS

Grey River Argus, 19 January 1916, Page 3

LATE WAR NEWS

COMPULSION BILL.

PASSAGE THROUGH COMMITTEE

„ ■-. AMENDMENT* To^<32TO©l3SM^

LAND. ' NEGATIVED WITHOUT A DIVISION.

(Eecd 9.35 p.m.) LONDON, January 17. In the House of Commons in Committee on the Compulsion Bill, Mr T. Chambers (Belfast South) moved to include Ireland. He said that he "was anxious to remove the stigma. The call came to every class, in the Empire and exclusion was a reproach and a disgrace. Colonel Craig (East Down) urged the Nationalists to reconsider the ques tion. Ireland could provide half a million soldiers. Mr Arthur Boilar Law said that if a principle was involved there would be no justification in the. exclusion, But it was only, proposed by the Bill to get necessary armies with the least friction and division of the nation. He did not believe thas it was possible to apply the Bill to Ireland without a considerable amount of force. He loathed the possibility of party strife in connection with the war. We had perhaps more than enough to do to light the enemy. There was timo to fight each other later.*. Sir Edward Carson said that he desired the inclusion of Ireland, but would not delay' the Bill and weaken the country's position by pressing the amendment if the /Nationalists did not comply. ( Mr Ecdmond sipd that he deplored the, situation, but/ conscription in Ireland was impracticable, unworkable and impossible, instead of increasing the army it wou' d have the opposite effect, and strengthen the contemptible minority of Nationalists, who were, consistently discouraging recruiting | and undermirtiuffi the Irish (Party. The j War Oflice askqfi Ireland for .a thousand recruits sleekly, and recruiting was proceeding/ satisfactorily on that basis. Irelandl's attitude was almost miraculous. Ninety-five thousand had recruited since the war, making 151,143 Irishmen in t li \ . Army. Ireland stands to-day with th ( e Empire and the good effect was fell/ in every corner of the globe. A large proportion -, of the Australian, Canadian, and South African soldiers were irishmen. There was a wave of enthusiasm among the Irish everywhere, and this was of incalculable value tof the Empire, especially in America. Ho urged not to. drive Ireland and thus lose strength arising f rom, the transformation of Irish opinion. V Mr "Chambers 's amendment was negatived without a division. Mt Bonar ' Law said that the most terrible tragedy in the war was the sacrifice of eaghteen-year-old officers. The necessity* of getting adequate num bers preventing the Government accepting an a&nehdment not to^ apply compulsion uiider twenty-one, .but none would be called up under nineteen. v - The amendment was thereupon negatived. / The Government accepted' an amendment for tjae exemption of those mar-! ried befo^ November 2nd.