BRITISH ARMY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22579, 18 November 1936, Page 10

BRITISH ARMY

SHOETAGE OF MEN NECESSITY FOR TRAINING [ CONSCRIPTION SUGGESTION [from our own - correspondent 3 LONDON. Oct. '2B The possibility of conscription being enforced in England as part of the Government's rearmament programme is frequently a subject of conversation in unofficial quarters. It is said that tln> Secretary of State for "War, Mr. Duff Cooper, favours such a suggestion. The inherent dislike of the British for enforced military service is one of the chief reasons why little is mentioned officially of the proposal. But some people forecast conscription in England within two years. Latest information is that the British Territorial Army is 40,000 under strength, which means that it lacks the equivalent of more than 40 infantry battalions, in spite of the fact that during the April-September recruiting period the number joining was nearly 63 per cent better than during the same period in 1935. Air Defence of London The Ist Anti-aircraft Brigade, which is solely responsible for the air defenco of London and the surrounding districts, received 171 recruits in September and is still about 9900 short of establishment. In the Regular Army an infantry battalion considers itself lucky if it is not more than 40 per cent under strength. The revival of the militia has been suggested as a remedy. Although this is not favoured by the Regular Army, there are many who would like some sort of militia in place of public assistance for selected unemployed. They say, with truth, that many thousands of otherwise unemployed men in Germany are learning self-respect and having their bodily fitness greatly increased in the army of that country. Experiments in Progress The Regular Army is trying its own experiments. There are now in training at Aldershot 32 men who tried to enlist but who were rejected because they .could not reach the necessary physical standard. This experiment has already, siaown itself to be so successful that there is no doubt it will be continued as a regular means of bringing in those men who desire to join the Army,, but who would normally be rejected. Another scheme is that of the Ist Battalion of the Royal Berkshire Regiment, which now has 16 guests, young unemployed men, with it at Shorncliffe. This is advertisement of a practical kind. What success it will have remains to be seen. There is also the " provisional enlistment " scheme, whereby a young man can try the Army for a few months before he makes up his mind. It is too early to say how that scheme will work. Skill, Not Lives Wanted Speaking of the urgent necessity for training, Mr. Duff Cooper said the young men of to-day salved their consciences by thinking, in all sincerity, that if .emergency came they would be ready, as their fathers were, to give their lives for their country.But it is not their lives we want," he said. " It is their skill, training and knowledge; and those are the things they can acquire in these days of peace. " We are living in times when fearful dangers hang over every civilised community of the world, and when, therefore, the question of self-defence is the duty of every member of the community. British young men of to-day love their country and are prepared to defend it, but many of them do not realise how urgent is the necessity for training."