The Dominion. SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 1915. MORE MEN

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2354, 9 January 1915, Page 6

The Dominion. SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 1915. MORE MEN

More mon, and still more men, for the.front is the call ,of the Empire in the present crisis—the . greatest crisis in our history;' A reference to our cable columns shows that some of • the London papers are not satisfied with the response that has so far been made, and are advocating compulsory military service. Up to the present the Government has shown no inclination io resort to compulsion, but Ministers are making powerful appeals to the manhood of the nation to join the fighting forces of the'country. A hint of the possibility. of conscription has been dropped by the Secretary to the Admiralty (Dr. MacNamara), who recently declared that "if the thousands of young men, who have not answered the country's .call think they are going to enjoy freedom and immunity at the other fellow's expense they will not enjoy it long." The prevailing opinion in the United Kingdom seems to be that if sufficient men to meet the requirements of the nation do not come forward voluntarily, conscription in some form cannot be avoided: but it must be shown unmistakably that the present system has failed before the element of compulsion is introduced. The British Weekly, the well-known Nonconformist , journal, voices the feelings of a very large section of the community when it says: "We hate conscription. But we hate defeat infinitely more." Summed up, the position is this: The Empire is fighting for its very existence, and if compulsory service is necessary to ensure victory then compulsory service must bo enforoed; but the Government and people of the United Kingdom are not yet convinced that the existing system is unable to meet the demands which are being made u.pon it. The whole Empire has unwavering confidence in Lord Kitchener; What has he got to say regarding the response which is being made to the nation's call for men! In his latest speech in the House of Lords (a report of which appeared in our cable columns yesterday) he said he was not discontented with the recruiting. As many men were coming forward as could be dealt with. This is, no doubt, a carefully considered statement of the position, and is. reassuring as far as it goes; but it is not easy to reconcile. Lord Kitchener's remarks on this subject with the ronewed cry of leading London papers for more men, and with Lord Curzon's contention that the utmost number of men should be sent to the front with the_ least delay. It would bo a great mistake to jump to tho conclusion that Lord Kitchener thinks that the United Kingdom is doing all that it ought to do or is able to do; No one knows better than he does that the Empire will have to put forth all its strength if it is to defeat its powerful and re.solute foes. He does not scold or complain—that is not his way; but ho has made it very clear that Britain mu6t place a great army in the field—the greatest army that she has ever raised. In November last ho stated that he had no complaint to make'about tho response to his appeals; but he significantly added: "I shall want more men, and still more, until the enemy is crushed." It remains to be seen whether all Lord Kitchener's requirements will be mot without resort to compulsion. Tho results so far achieved in tho way of recruiting have been decidedly encouraging, though mue) l more remains to bo done. Tho extent of the Empire's answer to the demand which has been mado upon it was described by Lord Kitchener himself at the Guildhall hanquet:

Although, of course, our thoughts are constantly directed towards the troops at the front (ho said) and tho great task they hare in hand it is well to remember Ibftt tho onomy will have to reckon ' with Host toroea of the. great Dominions,

tho vanguard of which wo havo already welcomed in tho very lino body of men forming tho continifoiius from Guinihi find Newfoundland; whilo from Auntiulia, Now Zeakml, and othor parts are cominc- in quick succession soldiers to fiKht for tho Imperial oauso. And besides all thoso there are training in this country ovor a million and a quarter of men ougorly waiting for tho call to bear their part in tho (treat struggle, and ns each an<l every soldier takes his placo in tho field ho will stand forward to do his duty, and in doing that duty will sustain tho credit of tho British Army, which, 1 submit, has novcr stood higher than It (loos to-day. In answer to Uiobo who contend that tho sizo of the British Array at tho front is proportionately less than that of the armies of other countries, Lord Kitchener is fully justified in drawing attention to "our overwhelming Navy and the general servico it rondors to all tho Allies." Tho British Fleet is a tremendous factor in the struggle. It is gradually but surely stifling the enemy, and as Mr. Churchill has pointed out, it has enabled the British public to adopt the motto:_ "Business carried on as' usual during tho alterations of tho map of Europe." The First Lord of the Admiralty has also reminded us that the command of tho sea gives Britain and the British Empire "the time necessary to realise their vast military power." Tho military resources of the Empire aro enormous. _ Tho task of our statesmen and military experts is to make them effective—to organise them and to utilise them to their best advantage. The Empire is quite capable of providing the "more men and still more men wanted by Lobd Kitchenee, but it is quite certain that greater efforts ana greater sacrifices than havo yet been made will be necessary if Bri-

tain and her Alliesare to emerge triumphant from this colossal conflict.