BRITAIN'S CALL TO ARMS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2303, 10 November 1914, Page 5

BRITAIN'S CALL TO ARMS

STATE OF RECRUITING FLUCTUATES WITH THE ,TIDE OFIVAR {"Times"- and-Sydney "Sun/'. Servicte.l London, November 7. Ail interesting chart has been prepared at Whitehall, illustrative of the enrolling of recruits. It shows that the call to arms had the best response in times of disaster. The highest point reached was in the black first week of September, when the Allies were retreating and the Germans were nearly at the gates of Paris. The indicator rose high towards the end of September, when three cruisers were sunk. It shot up again after the fall of Antwerp. It was a thrilling experience to follow (the fluctuations on the chart. Nothing could more finely show] the spirit animating tho people. The immediate effect of sombre news from the front was the impetus given to recruiting. According to one message reoeived some time ago, the rush of recruits waa so heavy that Earl Kitchener had raised the standard of physique; another message, received last week, stated that tho standard l of height had been reduced to sft.' 3in. CONTRIBUTORY CAUSES. ("Times" and Sydney "Sun". Services.) (Rec. November 9, 6 p.m.) London, -November 8. "The Times," in a leading article, insists that the falling off in recruiting is attributable to the curt, cold tone of the official news, and will continue. "The Allies must take their chance— they can give the news and get the men, or they can suppress the nows and do without tho mon. Above all the Government must instantly make up its mind on the subject of pay, separation allowances, and pensions." t Offioers arriving at Paris from the front emphasise the need for fresh troops._ the general view ia .ttiat the final viotory -nail go 'to the side able to put the greatest number of fresh troops in the field. THE HUMAN BAROMETER. RISE AND FALL ,IN LONDON. Referring to) the previous decision of tho War Office to raise the standard to oft. 6in., the "Daily News" remarked: "Now that the War Office has had a chance to deal with the first 600,000 recruits for the new army it is expected that before lang the standard will l)e put back to the old level. At the ; Loudon recruiting headquarters the names and addresses are now being taken of tho thousands of men just under sft. Gin. who apply, and they are being told that tho best thine thoy can do is to settle down again for a few weeks and wait till they receive a telegram. It isn't that we don't want tho sft. 3in. man,' said an official, 'we want every man we can get. But the recruiting had to bo damped down somehow to give the War Office a chance to deal with the men, and it was decided that the simplest way was to raise the standard. It will soon go down again.' Tho daily average of recruits is still falling (this was in September 25). It is now about 5000 for the whole country. ißut there is no anxiety at the London, headquarters. 'I wouldn't mind undertaking,' said a, recruiting officer, 'to raise'all the 500,000 in London alone.'

"At tho headquarters a chart has been compiled which throws an intereating light on the psychology of recruiting.. It covers the period between August 11 and September 7, in which 51,094 men enlisted in London. It shows how recruiting remained_ at a daily average of about 1200 while the news' from tho front was not disquieting, how it rose when tho news was not so satisfactory, and how it went up with a rush when, heavy casualties were announced. On Monday, August 24, the news was: 'German Advance Along the Whole Line.' • Thero were 1481 recruits: On Tuesday there waß a further advance, and the recruits went up to 1547. On Wednesday, when normally there would have been a big drop, 2000 casualties at Mons were announced. The figures Tose to' 1561. On Thursday the further retirement of the British, added 9300 men to the day's total. By Saturday. August 29, the news> was, 'British Fight Against Tremendous Odds. Heavy Casualties, tho total was raised to 2003, and' even on Sunday, usually a slack day, 1250 men enlisted. ' - ■ ■ But the following Monday, August 31; when the were "Casualties 5000," "Overwhelming Odds 1 ," and photographs of the first British wounded to return were printed, recruits responded "with a challenging rush, and 4001 men enlisted. On Tuesday there was only a slight drop to 3479. On Wednesday the first list of casualties roused another challenge, iuid a fresh reoord of 4135 was made. On the morning of Monday, September 7, there appeared the news' of 15,000 Bntish casualties and the sinking of the Pathfinder. London replied by making still another record. Nearly 6000 men — 4833—enlisted. The Separation Allowance, "Under the general ''standard scale" all soldiers' wives in Britain aro now entitled to a weekly income, of from 12s. 6d. for a wife alone .to £1 for a wife with four or more children. The "separation .allowance" rises from 7s. 7d. to 12s. 3d. To this is added the "compulsory allotment" from tho. men's, pay which heretofore has only /been made in tho case of men going abroad. It is now "universal, and amounts to from 3s. 6d. to ss. 3d. a week. These two sums together make a total of from lis. Id; to 17s. 6d. To this, in the absence of any other income, the Soldiers' and Sailors' Families' Association adds enough to 1 bring the figures up to tlie minimum of 12s. 6.1. and the maximum of £1. In the case of London ffimihes tho War OfGco allows an extra 3s. 6d. a week, making a minimum of 16s. and a maximum of £1 3s. 6d. Beyond this,moreover, thero is also any voluntary addition to the "compulsory allotment which a man himself may chooso to make from his pay. /

Experience has shown that when a woman receives her whole month s pay in a lump she is not always able to put it to its proper uses. Even soldiers wives are ( not exempt from human. infirmities, and neighbours are only too willing to help thom t-o spend. The War Office Jias, therefore, arranged with the association and with relief committees that, wherever it is thought desirable, it will pay the monthly sums to them in advanco, andi they can pay it out to the wives weekly or in such other sums ■as seems wise.

BOXED THE KAISER'S EARS

Probably there is only one. Englishwoman now alive who has boxed the oars of tho Kaiser. That lady,, 'the widow of Sir Hupfb Macdonell, the distinguished diplomatist, (Described tlie affair in hor book of reminiscences, published last year. It happened when Lady Mactlonell was living in Berlin, and tho Kaiser (then Crown Prince) was one of hor ffbquent visitors. She writes: "He liked our English teas, and afterwards used to claim me for a game <,f draughts. In tlie salon thoro was a big window with a deep seat that he especially favoured; to this' a small table was drawn up, and' fine battles ensued over tlie board. 1 shall liovor forgot ■ 0110 occasion when lie accused me of cheating. He was so apparently serious that I beenmo infuriated, and, unmindful of his high estato and my duty as hostess, I impulsively leaned across the table and boxed nia ears I"- '