Australian Reinforcements.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16146, 26 February 1918, Page 6

Australian Reinforcements.

After a long delay Mr Hughes has brought forward a new plan in tlio hope of securing that Australia will contribute its fair share of men for the war. It is nn extraordinary scheme, when all the circumstances are regarded, and we cannot feel sanguine that it is likely to effect an improvement in the present situation. That situation is deplorable. Recruiting committees, well organised and full of energy, have for some time been at work, but the rate of recruiting has fallen to about 2000 a month for the whole Commonwealth, although the revised and heavily roduced quota announced by the Government last year was 7000 a month. Many and various explanations of the poor response to the call for men have been put forward, such as the employment of Germans in Government offices, the employment as recruiting sergeants of returned men who have never seen the front, tho retention by the Defence and other Government Departments of eligibles who are declared indispensable, the retention for months of enlisted men in positions which, ineligible or unfit men could fill, official red tape and inertia, and so on. The strongest and most real reason of all, perhaps, is the tendency of fit and eligible men to say to themselves that they will not en- j list while others equally fit and eligible are determined to stay at home. This potent influence against recruiting cannot be removed except by conscription, and that is a remedy which Mr Hughes has contrived to render impossible of application. The strangest feature of the plan be has now outlined is his proI posal to set nip a Royal Commission to decide how many recruits are required each month. We can only suppose that Mr Hughes, aware that any statements ho may make on this point will bo regarded with well-justified suspicion by a large scction of the public, desires to havo the requirements stated, J after an investigation of the kind dear to the public, by some authority more likely to bo believed than ho can hope to be. So far as tho problem is a military one, the Commission can ascertain no facts which the Government cannot ascertain equally well. As a military problem, it is one of simple arithmetic. Presumably there are other than military factors to be considered —psychological factors; and although tho Commission's investigations in this direction will bo absurdly irrelevant they may at least bo interest-

ing. For the rest, Mr Hughes proposes to rely upon higher separation allowances, the payment of interest on deferred pay, the insurance of recruits, rewards for recruiting sergeants, and the replacing of shirkers (in Government departments, presumably) by returned soldiers. It was not on the ground that the financial provision made for soldiers was insufficient that conscription was rejected, and it is to be doubted whether Mr Hughes's new proposals go near the root of the trouble.