AUSTRALIA'S CALL FOR MEN

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 61, 5 December 1917, Page 8

AUSTRALIA'S CALL FOR MEN

"CONSCRIPTION MUST COME" EITHER BY PEOPLE'S VOTE OB STATUTE WAR LOSSES REVIEWED Sydney, December 4. Sir William Irvine, addressing a meeting, deolared: "Conscription must come. If the people do not take the responsibility of sanctioning it by direci vote, Parliament must enforce it b? Act of Parliament." Mr. W. M. Hughes, Federal Prime Minister, announces that there is absolutely no political censorship in Australia to-day. "Every'elector is perfectly free to soy or write what ho likes against the Government's proposals, provided ho takes the responsibility foi false statements. The only limitations now concern information which is'likeh to benefit the enemy, or which constitutes reflections on tno Allies."—Press Association. INSTRUCTIVE FIGURES FROM THE BATTLEFIELD Sydney, December 4. General Jobsou, reviewing the conscription proposals, maintained that the Government was not overstating the number of reinforcements required, The Australian divisions had aotually been fighting for about seventeen months. The total casualties up to October 31 were 132,000, the monthly average being about 7700, whereas the Government was asking for 7000 men a month. It was difficult, • he said, for the average man to grasp the extent of the casualties a division suffered in t big offensive. It was not uncommon in a week's operation to have 400 C casualties in the infantry alone. lii an offensive like that at Passchendaelc tho probable losses for the five divisions engaged were 30,000. ' Brisbane, December L General Gordon Legge (Chief of tho Australian General Staff), speaking at Brisbane, stated that 383,000 men had enlisted up to October 31, and 298,436 had embarked. At present there were not enough reinforcements to last three months. Before that time had elapsed, the five Australian divisions would be in the process of breaking up.—Press Association. STARTLING FIGURES AUSTBALIA'SPOSITION REVIEWED. In view of the conflicting statements that aro being inado regarding the strength of tho A.1.P., the extent of tho casualties to date, and tho number of availablo roinforcements, tho Pede-

ral Minister of Defence on November 23 made available the contents of a reEjrt prepared by Major-General J. G. egge, C.M.G., Chief of the Commonwealth General Staff, analysing in detail the -whole of tho statistics relating to the A.I.F. -which are in the possession of tho Defence Department. Major-General Legge's report is as follows :— I In accordance with the instructions of the_ Minister to supply all available statistics in connection with the recruiting and casualties of the Australian Imperial Force, I forward the following statements taken from the "returns" now at Headquarters. Numbers for tho .years 1914, 1915, and 1916 are given in totals by years, but the ' figures are also available by months, if ' required. Numbers for the year 1917 i are given by months:— ; Enlistments and Embarkations. All Ranks. Enlisted. Embarked. 1 Total for 1914 .. 52,561 31,883 Total for 1915... 165,912 93,126 Total for 1916 ... 124,352 187,842 1917. January 4,575 5,138 February 4,924 7,217 March 4,989 — April ..' 4,646 —■ May 4,576 6,766 June 3,679 5,706 . July 4,155 1,427 August 3,274 4,942 September 2,460 843 October 2,761 3,541 Total for' ten ■ months, 1917 40,039 35,585 Grand total, August, 1914October, 1917 382,864 298,436 Return of Effectives, A.I.F. October 30, 1917. Enlistments ~ 382,864 Embarked , 298,436 In training ' 16,571 Discharged, deserted, died ... ; 67 857 Total 382,864 At the end of October, 1917, thero were 255 officers and 16,316 other ranks of tho A.I.F. in Australian training camps. The difference between .enlistments and embarkations is caused by (a) Discharges on account of physical unfitness; (b) Discharges for other reasons, such as refusal of parents' consent, mental capacity, disciplinary cases. (c) Desertions. (d) Deaths prior to embarkation (905). Of the 298,436 members of the A.I.F. embarked (to October 31. 1917), 34,731 have died (Gallipoli, France, and Palestine). 4,502 are prisoners or missing. 42,988 havo returned to Australia (of whom 33,540 haro been discharged). 82,221 leaving 216,215 still on the strength abroad.