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Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16154, 7 March 1918, Page 6

As there lias been some fresh talk about tho conscicntious objectors lately it may be interesting to quote from an article by a "Times'- correspondent showing how their services are utilised in connexion with the British Labour Corps in France. This is a new organisation so far as tho English Army is concerned, and consists of an army of men behind tho fighting men. Their arms consist of the pickaxe, crowbar, spade, and pulley. They do the work which men were taken out of the fighting lino to do, thus sometimes depleting our fighting strength to a dangerous degree. Only a small proportion <:f them consists of conscientious objectors; the majority are men who, as regards age or physique, aro not qualified for the fighting-line. According to "The Times" correspondent tho conscientious objectors have behaved quite well in Franco, where they have enjoyed no privilege, and have had to perform the same kind of labour, under strict discipline, as.the members of the other companies. Other men are periodically examined by the medical authorities, and if the doctors find them good enough for tho front line—which not infroquently happens, owing to the good feeding, regular habits, and steady open-air exorcise—the Labour Corps sees them no more. "But the C.O. abideth, unless he asks to be transferred to a combatant unit, as some do."

There aro a number of German prisoners includod in tho Labour Corps. The expense of conveying them to Great Britain and providing for them there is saved ; they can bo more chcaply and conveniently accommodated, and they earn their rations by regular dailj labour. They are extremely well treated. They are housed in commodious wooden huts, v.armed and lighted, and they aro well-fed. • They receive 'Joss of bread daily, 12oz of fresh or frozen meat five days a week, salt herrings or spriits twice a week, tea or coffee, 6Ugar, potatoes, rice, peas, or beans, margarine, jam, and cheese, with an extra allowance of bread, rice, or oatmeal, and edible , fat when engaged on hard manual labour. They arc also paid a small wage, which goes to provide them with extra comforts at the canteen. No wonder they seemed entirely content, and even cheerful. By agreement with the German Government they are not employed within miles of the front line.

The other day the German admiral Galster was reported as having made a statement much at variance with the Tirpitz ideas concerning the submarine policy and the strategical necessity of retaining Belgium. Galster, who is ail old opponent of Tirpitz. has for ■ some time been preaching that the Belgian coast cannot he of much use to Germany, mainly because it is unsuitable for a base for anything larger than submarines or torpedo-boats, Even if tho harbours were deepened, ho recently explained in the "Preussischo Jahrbiicher," a high seas squadron would not have access to the Heligoland Bight or the Baltic without constant oxposuro to submarino attack, -vvhilo it would not have a tract of free sea iu which to exercise. In any case, he insisted, possession of the Flanders coast would not secure tho German merchant marine free passage in- war, and Belgium could not become a base for tho invasion of England.

Further developing his theme, tho Admiral made somo observations which make an interesting commentary on official Germany's attitude towards Belgium. England, he said, obviously requires that Germany should not bo able to uso the Flanders coast for guerilla warfare against British shipping, but that is all. "The use of the harbours for disembarking troops, which some writers amongst us emphasise—Flanders, England's bridgehead, a glacis against the Rhine provinces—can hardly be considered important. An enemy allied with Franco will find sufficient ports of disembarkation elsewhere which are not far distant from Belgium, and the distance from Ostend to the Rhine provinces is, after all, not so very small." Germany's excuse for attacking Belgium was that it was through Belgium that she herself would be attacked; and tho German Government still pretends that Belgium cannot bo given up without safeguards. And now a German Admiral, who is as competent to speak as Tirpita or anyone else, casually admits that the official German position has no excuse. 4 The proposal by the Australian Government to set up a Commission to determine the number of recruits required monthly does not appear to havo been thought by the Australian papers so queer as it seems at this distance. It was accepted, tor the most part, as quiti a natural and even sensible idea. Tho terms in which Mr Hughes explained the scheme aro not likely to modify local opinions about it. "It was said," so he explained, "during the referendum campaign, when we declared that 7C09 men a month were needed, that we had already enough men to last one year, and on that there was a great deal of discussion. We propose to rc=o've that question by appointing a High Court judge, with General Logge (Chief of tho General Staff) and Mr G. H. Knibbs (Commonwealth Statistician) as expert advisers, as an impartial tribunal, to determine as a fact how many men will bo necessary to maintain our divisions at full strength; what is the actual position regarding casualties, and re-

garding persons who are, or are not, fit to strengthen the ranks of the fighting J units. That will lift this particular part i out of the realm of party politics." It j is desirable, of course, that tho public J should be made aware of the actual ; strength to be maintained, the rate of i casualties, and the reserves in hand. [ but it hardly needs a special Commission ! to ascertain such figures. !