The Dominion. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1915. COMPULSION

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2657, 31 December 1915, Page 4

The Dominion. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1915. COMPULSION

——« It now seems certain that the British Government has decided to resort to compulsion in order to secure the enlistment of the unmarried men who have so far not responded voluntarily to their , country's urgent call for recruits. No explicit official announcement of this decision had been made at time of writing, but the newspapers definitely state that a majority of the Cabinet has declared in favour of the adoption of compulsory measures. As a matter of fact, no other course. is open to the Government unless it is prepared to saorificc its eelr-respect and the confidbncc of the'people, and run grave risks of imperilling the fortunes of the Emi pii'e in tho war. After Mk. Asquith's famous "stick-at-noth-ing" speech, delivered in tho House of Commons on November 2, he is in honour bound to take effective action in accordance with his pledge to the nation and his assurance to the married men who have enlisted that the obligations which they have undertaken will not be enforced until the unmarried men have been called up. . According to the latest estimate, the dumber of unmarried men who have not attested ' is 760,000. It is quite impossible to regard this as a negligible quantity. Mr. Asquith, in carefully-weighed words, has described the position which would make it necessary for the Government to supplement the system by "other means." He has distinctly laid it down that if, after the conclusion of Lord Derby's campaign, "thei'e should, still be found a substantial number of men military age not required for other purposes, and who, without excuse, hold back from the service of their .country/.' he would Come down "without tho faintest hesitation Or doubt" to all his friends and say: "We have done what we could; wo have not obtained t-hfe results we hoped fol'j wo must 1 do what is still necessary by other means." Subsequently, with Mr. Asquitii's express authority, Lord Derby crystallised the above statement into a definite pledge that both the Prijie Minister and the Government would, if voluntary measures failed, use compulsory moa'ns to enlist young unmarried men before tlie married were called upon to fulfil their engagement to serve. No announcement has yet been made as to the form of compulsion which will be adopted. Possibly the unattested unmarried men may be called upon by some competent tribunal to show cause why they should be exempted from military service. They _ would then be able to explain their attitude,, and the tribunal wuuhJl luivs lw.'er to tk«m alts&atlieiv .« to is-

cido whotber they should forthwith join the colours or be called up at a later stage. 'The general opinion seems to be that tho definite announcement that the principle of compulsion is to bo adopted has had a good effect. We are tolcl that it has "cased the public tension." IB now seems clear that a majority of the Cabinet is in favour of the fulfilment of Mr. Asquith's pledge, and it is regarded as probable that the new departure will not involve a serious Ministerial crisis. There may, however, be somo resignations and a rearrangement of offices may be necessary. Any Minister who would oppose such an obviously right and imperatively necessary ooursc as that which has now been agreed upon by the majority of his _ colleagues should have no plaoo iii a Cabinet in time of war. It is highly desirable that a war Government should be of one mincl on all vital questions. Divided counsels make prompt and decisive action impossible, and the nation need not worry about the unsettling effect of a few changes in the Cabinet if greater unity and strength are thereby secured. There can bo _no doubt that the current of public opinion in Britain has set strongly in favour of conscription. On this_ question the people may be divided into three classes: (1) Those who believe in compulsory national service; (2) those who object to compulsion, but would prefer it to_ defeat; (3) a small minority of impossible people who would sooner see the Empire beaten than consent to conscription in any form. The majority of the second class have resolutely refused to be hustled into conscription by the shriekings of the Northcliffe Press, but most of their spokesmen have made it clear that if the Na- | tional Government should at any time solemnly assure the nation that compulsion was absolutely essential to victory they would bo prepared to consent to a departure from the voluntary sj'stem. The manner in which the Cabinet's decision has been received clearly indicates that the Government can safely rely upon that "general assent" which Mr.' Asquitii regards as essential to the maintenance of national unity. Universal assent cannot be expected, but no Government can afford to risk the national safety for the sake of maintaining the unattainable ideal of perfect national unity. The opposition of a comparatively small body of irreconcilablcs cannot be permitted to stand in the way of a policy supported by the .vast majority of the nation. The Now Zealand Government has to face a problem very similar to that which Mr. Asquith and his colleagues are liow grappling with. In this Dominion a very considerable number of unmarried men of military, age have signified that they are not prepared, in this time of national peril, to serve the Stats in any capacity, civil or military. Are these men to be allowed to shirk their duty? Is it right or expedient that married men with dependents should be sent to the front until the unmarried men who are holding back have been required to enlist or to show cause why they should be permitted to stay at home? These questions must be answered. There is a strong feeling in the country, and it is growing stronger every day, that the voluntary system of recruiting is breaking down. Both' its efficiency and its fairness are being vigorously challenged. The present rate of enlistment is far from satisfactory, and if the organised campaign which is about'to begin docs not quickly prove a success, the Government will be forced to resort to more effective measures. If compulsion has to come, the sooner tho hotter.