Evening Post. TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 1916. COMPULSION?

Evening Post, Volume XCI, Issue 92, 18 April 1916, Page 6

Evening Post. TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 1916. COMPULSION?

"If Mr.- Bonar Law takes a firm stand, Mr. Asquith must accept or see the Unionist Ministers resign." It was in this complacent, not to say hopeful, fashion that the Daily Mail referred a fortnight ago to the. difficulties regarding conscription which confronted Mr. Asquith at the first Cabinet meeting after his return from Rome. Mr. Bonar Law has fortunately not yet realised the expectations of the Daily Mail, but it is clear that the issue of conscription is still full of perilous possibilities for the Cabinet. Mr. Lloyd George is now mentioned as likely to give trouble if the decision of the Cabinet ie

not in favour of a policy of "thorough." There is, however, a> wide distinction between the statement of the Daily Chronicle that Mr. Lloyd George docs not waver in tho conviction that general compulsion is necessary and the rumours that he may resign if the Cabinet will not give him what he wants. His views on the mam tseu« lw«. iiaw basin in doubt since th< cublication pt th* py.a>

face to ''From Terror to Triumph," but we trust that the hopes which the Northcliffe press . has built upon him as a Cabinet-breaker may again be disappointed. The further instalment of reform which the Cabinet is understood to have approved represents so considerable an advance that it ought to bring peace for the present, especially as it will make the nest advance easier when the inevitable cal' comes. The three points of the new programme are said to be the compulsory enlistment of all youths as they reach the age of eighteen, the further limitation of reserved occupations, and the continuation of tho service of men whose time in tho Army has expired. Of the first of these proposals we are told that it is estimate*? to provide 300,000 men a year, but it would be a year at least-, and preferably two years or more, before these new levies reached the fighting lines. The further reduction of the exemptions by which the promise of the present compulsory measure has been to a large extent frustrated is an urgent need, but we are given no information as to the scop© of the changes proposed- The latest of the organisations produced by the war —the Attested Married Men's Union— which claims to represent 750,000 men. recently urged upon Lot<3 Derby that in view of the numbers of single men 'who are escaping service the attestations of the married men should be cancelled, and a measure of general compulsion introduced. These men have a, genuine and very serious grievance. The Government must take prompt action to stop the leaks in the present system or substitute a. new one.

In New Zealand also there is an urgent call for decisive action. The Premier made a stirring appeal for recruits at Feilding yesterday. We are told that "there was frequent applause during the speech, which ended with hearty cheering." But we are not told how many recruits came along after the meeting. The probability is that there were no eligible men within the immediate range of Mr. Massey's eloquence, the value of which, as of other recruiting speeches, is to be measured by its indirect and ultimate effects. It is, however, patent to everybody that ■ the fullest possible allowance for these remoter effects and for those of the personal canvass, which is not yet in full operation, will not justify .reliance upon these methods only. The shortages for the 15th and 16th Reinforcements which ■ were announced yesterday provide a sad commentary upon the Premier's speech. The 15th •■Reinforcements, who received their call a fortnight ago, were 314 short; the 16ths, who will go into cam») early next month; were 748 short. A total shortage of more than 1000 on drafts totalling about 5000 Is a serious matter. No effort must be spared to make up this deficiency by every method available under the voluntary system, but it would be ridiculous to trust to this system to do all that we,.require. The natural assumption is that, whatever the Recruiting Board and the local organisations and personal suasion may accomplish, the arrears will accumulate-under tho voluntary system instead of being wiped out. It is at any rate a plain requirement of prudence that we should be. prepared against this contingency, and the urgency of the call for a compulsory measure accordingly increases every day. To pass such a measure is the first duty of Parliament. Everything else must be subordinated or postponed until this has been done. The alternative is that we break faith with the Empire and with the men who have already gone to fight its battles. And a country which is not prepared to haul down its flag to Germany will not dream of. tolerating such a stain upon its honour,