THE COMPULSION BILL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2668, 13 January 1916, Page 5

THE COMPULSION BILL

NO OPPOSITION FROM IRISH NATIONALISTS A CONFERENCE WITH > LABOUR DEBATE IN THE COMMONS t B.v Teksracli—Press Association—Oopyrighl ' (Rec. January 12, 8 p.m.) London, January 11. On the Compulsory Service Bill, in the House of Commons, Mr. Asquith (the Prime Minister), in reply to a question, said that Cabinet was unanimous on the question that the men provided for in the Bill were indispensable to the Army. The question as to t-lje minimum number of male workers for industrial and overseas trade, and other vital interests of the Empire, were engaging their most serious attention. Mr. W. C. Anderson (Labour) moved the rejection of the compulsion. Mr. "Will Thorno protested, amid cheers, Hs said that Mr. Anderson did not represent the Labour Party. Mr. Anderson denied that there was anything like a general consent in the House or in the country in favour of the measure. There was no evidence that the "slackers" were more than a negligible quantity. . If the Bill passed it would be impossible to defend tho principle of taking tho unmarried man of forty years in preference to the married men of twenty, and therefore we wero starting towards universal conscription. He believed it foreboded an Industrial Compulsion Bill, the result of the ideas which had been germinating in Mr. Lloyd George's mind for some time. The latter had presented an' ultimatum to Mr. Asquith on his return from Glasgow.

Mr. Asquith: Mr. Lloyd George made no communication of any sort. Mr. Anderson: It is reported in the "Daily Mail." , Mr. Asquith: I cannot contradict every lying report. Mr. Anderson: The Bill. meant tho subjection of the workers to the capitalists, and if Mr. Asquith proceeded with the Bill he would be looking for trouble, and would get it.. ' Mr. Redmond (Leader of the Irish intimated that the Nation, alists would not further oppose the Bill. He (Mr. Redmond) had not changed his views on the measure, arid only a national necessity could justify its introduction. Since the division, ho and his colleagues had found that it was purely nn English Bill. There was a 10 to 1 majority vote in its favour, and the Nationalists felt that they would incur a grave responsibility by continuing their opposition. Sir Edward Carson said that he recognised Mr. Redmond's sincerity, and regretted that the lion, member had not gone a step further and allowed Ireland to be included. The Bill had been delayed till tho last moment. Tho Dardanelles undertaking had been admirably conceived, hut had failed owing to tho shortage of men. Not a single argument had been advanced as to how to carry out a war without men. As an alternative, arguments were used that we would injure this or that industry by taking more men. What did it all matter so long as we won the war ? The opponents of the Bill wero doing an ill service to the country. Referring to tho extension of the compulsion, the speaker said that the Bill was the most anaemic he had ever known. The question of industrial compulsion required examination as to whether it would do more harm than "If it shorten the war, why shirk it?" He would not shrink from the conscription of property if that were needful. He was profound-; ly disappointed with the Coalition Government for excluding Ireland, which had not done half so well as had Britain in the matter of recruiting. Mr. BirreH (Chief Secretary for Ireland) estimated that there were four hundred thousand unattested single men of military age in Ireland, of which number 250,000 were engaged in agricultural pursuits; 25,000 in munitions and shipyard work; and 10,000 in railway and (seafaring occupations. Altogether, the necessary reductions left a reservoii of 80,000. LABOUR AND THE BILL London, January 11. The Labour Party has accepted Mr. Asquith's invitation to discuss certain aspects of the Compulsion Bill. ANXIETY OF THE HUNS THINLY VEILED CONCERN. ("Times" and Sydney "Sun" Services.) London, January 11. The German Press is showing the keenest interest, and only veils its anxiety over compulsion in England. Every detail of the campaign is religiously reported. It is evident that the enemy finally realises the incalculable significance of Britain's deoision to throw her full military strength into the scales. The recent myth that the Huns were only taking an academic interest in compulsion has been abjectly abandoned during the past week. English news occupies columns of tho front pages of the leading papers. Not only are tho developments in and out of Parliament closely reported, but _ the trend of the comment in the British nowspapcrs is carefully watched and elaborate quotations are published. The correspondents apparently have been instructed not to spare expense in chronicling tho progress of compulsion. Comment is restricted, but the utmost prominonco is given evory trace of opposition to the Bill. Sir John Simon s was reported at length,