The Obligation Upon Single Men.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 15465, 18 December 1915, Page 10

The Obligation Upon Single Men.

Tho statement m th,> Bouse of Lords by Lord Dorliy, reported in yesterday's pnprr. is of much interest, and imnortanco to -Now Zealand at the present limo, when tho recruiting problem is increasing in urgency and not decreasing in difficulty. Lord Derby said that although the gross ■• total of the recruits .secured by his campaign is very large, yet the main point is tho response by the single men. "I ask "your lordships," lie said. ' i,, support " me in saying that it i> impossible to "fall up married men until the coun- " try is absolutely convinced that only "a negligible quantity of single men "are unaccounted for. We must, "above all things, keep faith with the •'Prime -Minister's pledge to the mar- " ried men." The "pledge" referred to is that contained in the following passage in Mr Asquith's important speech in the J louse of Commons on November 2nd :— "I am told by Jxud Derby and others that there ,i a some doubt among married men who are now U-ing asked to enlist whether- they may not be called upon to serve, naving enlisted, j or promised to enlist, while vounger ' and unmarried mcj. a re holding hack and not doing their duty. Lot them disabuse themselves of ti:at idea. So far as I am concerned, I should certainly say the obligation of the mnrried man to enlist ought i.et to be enforced or binding upon him unless and until --I hope by voluntary effort and if not by some other means—the unmarried

men are dealt with, first. It i* not bemuse I myself hare any doubt-I have far tn<) much confidence in the patriotism and the public soirii, of mv fellow-countrymen 'to doubt for one moment that they an- going to respond to thai appeal—thsit. the young men, unmarried tuen with whom the promise "i the future lie?, are not going w 1 shirk the task and U t leave lh e "fortunes of their country artel the assertion of the greatest e.Vuse for which "<" have ever fought to those wlk have given hostages t n fortune. Out J think it is only fair. just, and right that in' should fare every contingency."' Lord Derby himself, in a letter contributed t<> an excellent. "Recruiting Sup- '■ piement" issued by "Tlie Times"' on the following day. strewed the importance of tho position of (he young unmarried man. "Groups." he explained, " will be. called up strictly in their 'order, the younger unmarried men " before the older men. and all un- " married men, parent those -who may " b» proved to be indispcusable to their " businesses, before any of the married " men. . . . The older married man '"who onli.-ls must not be penalised by " being brought forward earlier foi " active service than lie can rightly "expect because, the younger man has "failed in his duty. . . . L'nles.s the "young unmarried man does come for- " ward this voluntary scheme will i jo l " have succeeded, and other methods " will have to be adopted." It may l>e noted that Lord Derby also said that "any man who has married since '• tho date of registration will be placed "in a group as if unmarried" — a point of policy which we commend to our own Government for adoption here. In tho .New Zealand National Registration form tho vital question addressed tc single men -without dependents was: " Are you willing to become a member "of an Expeditionary Force?" The •word?, "if required," wero added onlj in the enquiry addressed to men (single or married) with dependents. It wa; thus assumed, and rightly assumed, that the obligation of single men without dependents is an unqualified obligation. The use of tho phrase "if r c "quired" in tho question addressed le men -with dependents to care for, implies, and ought to be regarded by the Government as implying, that to the requisition of tho -willing men in tint class a necessary antecedent is tho enlistment of all those singlo men without dependents who arc fit for sendee. Lord Derby, it will bo seen—and Mi Asquith's opinion is th o game—holds that the introduction of compulsion i.< dependent upon, not the total of the willing men, but tho total of tho will, ing men from tho class of free unmarried men. Although, therefore, the total response in Britain may provo tc have been a magnificent one, compul sion may still bo necessary. Mr As quith's statement on Tuesday will there lore bo awaited with tho utmosi eagerness and interest.