CONSCRIPTION IN BRITAIN

Press, Volume XCII, Issue 27753, 2 September 1955, Page 6

CONSCRIPTION IN BRITAIN

AGITATION FOR REDUCTION (N.Z Press Association— Copyright) LONDON, August 31. Agitation for a reduction in the term of two years’ national service with the armed forces during the British General Election campaign has flared up again. Some causes for this are political, others stem from the recent reve-l lation that national servicemen have been dressed as “flunkeys” at a service party. Two Labour members of Parliament, Mr George Craddock and Mr Victor Yates, recently visited military camps at Catterick, York, Taunton, and Honiton to inquire into conditions under which national servicemen are working. Mr Craddock has now said that when Parliament meets again he will call for an inquiry into service manpower and training. He also said that, in his opinion, young men appear to be “browned off and fed up with Army life because it is out of date and corresponds more nearly to nineteenth century treatment.” “I am now interested in what the generals are doing. I would like to know how often they visit camps under their charge,” said Mr Craddock. He asked, did they talk to men individually or did they address them collectively? How was it that men who had signed for three or more years and expressed a wish to do foreign service were kept in Britain, and why national servicemen who did not want to go abroad were sent abroad after a few weeks’ training? \ “I would say to the Government: ‘Go to it and reduce conscription by 12 months at least, and in the name of decency, get. rid of it entirely as soon as possible’.” He believes Britain is wasting millions of pounds on the services. Other impressions which he gained were that national servicemen think they are having a raw deal, that many are stationed long distances from home and cannot save money to visit their families, and that the men complain about the food. When he told some of them that the food he served for dinner was good, they laughed and said it was known that someone was in camp inspecting. Mr Craddock added that the Army' leaders should know their men and the men should’be treated by 1955 standards. , “The only good thing I learned was the feeling of comradeship in the living quarters. They felt like comrades in adversity.”