SERVICE IN WAR

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 June 1938, Page 7

SERVICE IN WAR

STATEMENT BY THE BRITISH PRIME MINISTER Plans for Military Conscription in Emergency BUT NOT FOR INDUSTRIAL OR OTHER ACTIVITIES Official Wireless.) (Recedved This Day, 11.10 a.m.) RUGBY, June 1. A statement by the Prime Minister (Mr Neville Chamberlain), in the House of Commons at question time, in reply to questions prompted by Sir Thomas Inspik’s allusion, in Monday’s debate, to plans for the allocation of individual services in war time, which was interpreted as implying conscription in the widest sense, was followed by. a large number of. supplementary questions. The essence of the matter was contained in Mr Chamberlain’s opening sentence: “It is not correct that any plans prepared by the Government include the conscription of manpower in war, but plans are in existence for compulsory military service in that event. “I may say this is no new departure,” Mr Chamberlain continued. “The outlines of a scheme in the form of a draft Bill providing for compulsory service on the outbreak of war have been in an advanced state of preparation since 1922, and have been the subject of consideration by successive governments since that date. No such scheme has been worked out for the application of compulsion to industrial or other non-military service, although from time to time consideration has been given to the question of how to make the most efficient use of the nation’s manpower in war time. While it is not possible to foretell the full extent of the demand that may have to be made upon the personal services and material resources of individual members of the public in a major war, it is certain that any proposals of the kind would have to receive the assent of Parliament and to be based on the recommendation of the Government of the day.”