RUSSIA’S RECRUITS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23002, 3 October 1936, Page 14

RUSSIA’S RECRUITS

A REPLY TO GERMANY A most important article in the official Izvestia to-day insists on the difference between Germany’s new two-year conscription law and Russia’s lowering of the conscription age from 21 to 19 (wrote the Moscow correspondent of the Daily Telegraph recently). The latter age limit, as is well known, involves the calling up of nominally 50 per cent, more recruits thai the normal annual contingent of conscripts during the next three years. Germany’s new law, according to the Izvestia, is a “provocative act of preparation for new robbery and war, a doubling of the army, monstrous by its shamelessness, and hiding this dirty business by an anti-Soviet campaign.” The Soviet, on the other hand.' Izvestia claims, already had enough recruits under the old conscription law, and does not intend now to increase the standing army beyond the figure stated by Marshal Tukhachevsky, Vicecommissar for Defence, last January—namely. 1,300,000. In fact, “the U.S.S.R. dqes not intend to increase the effectives of her army by reducing the conscription age.” Among other things, Izvestia explains, the new Soviet decree, which caused excitement in Germany, aims at strengthening the “ cadres” of the Red Army. Military academies and other schools for training regular army officers will now admit pupils at the age of 17 instead of 19 or 21.