WEY THE PLEDGE WAS MADE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 6, 7 January 1916, Page 6

WEY THE PLEDGE WAS MADE.

RUSH TO MUNITION FACTORIES. BY SINGLE ELIQIBLES. We found single men of military age flocking into munition factories. We found single men of military age suddenly discovering that the life of a docker had its compensations.

This was one of many interesting revelations as to what has been happening in the country the last few weeks made in the course of a special interview I granted to "The Weekly Dispatch" by Mr. James O'Grady, M.P., a member of the labour Recruiting Committee that is part of Lord Derby's recruiting organisation. I "It was hoped when Lord Derby'e scheme was put into operation," said Mr. O'Grady, "that the response naturally and obviously would come from unmarried men of military age, but to our surprise after a short experience of the scheme we found that the main response, as at the beginning of the war, was on the part of the married men. i

"My own explanation of the readiness of the married men to enlist was that . they realised in joining the Army that they were doing their best to prevent the probability in their own homes of the in-' cidencc of those brutalities which have been a characteristic of the German campaign in every theatre of war. Whatever the reason, there it was; the nuni? ber of married men joining was in greater proportion to the number of ; single men joining. I

"When the National Register was! passed there were grave fears that it would be used for the purpose of some form of military compulsion. Those fears influenced large numbers of single men. When Lord Derby's scheme was put into operation the unmarried men of military age, to escape the ordeal of canvass and the possibility of compulsion, either under the Registration Act! or Lord Derby's scheme, flew in thousands into munition works and starred trades. THE STARRING EXCUSE. "In the Sheffield area, which is primarily and peculiarly a munition area, grocers' assistants and men engaged in that kind of work, and alao the eons of well-to-do middle-class parents, joined in the procession to munition works. They thought if they became starred workmen they could escape. "A large number of young men suddenly evinced a great liking for the dangerous and arduous occupation of a docker.

"These facts came before the attention of those operating Lord Derby's scheme; hence the statement that all young men who had thus become starred were going to be challenged. Wβ discovered that there was a large number of men who were starred who ought to be unstarred and a large number unetarred who ought to be starred. In one factory our challenge of the newcomers led to 700 men joining the colours. "The two circumstances —the rush of the unmarried men into the munition factories and the large proportion of married men joining as compared with the single men—caused great uneasiness to those engaged in the work of recruiting, and it was to he apprehended that when the Prime Minister, in full posßcssion of the facts as he then was, made his statement on the war in the Houee this question should have come under his consideration and that he should have said what he did. "Apart from the consideration whether Mr. Asquith's confirmatory statement involves compulsion, the effect of it has been to give the married men the feeling that they will be treated fairly and taken only in the order of their groupings if, and as, the need , should arise for their services by reason of the military situation, and to stimulate the recruitment of the unmarried men as testified by the statements of those, engaged in recruiting." ...