NEW MILITARY SERVICE BILL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3042, 31 March 1917, Page 11

NEW MILITARY SERVICE BILL

INTRODUCED IN ,psr OF ■ •;'• testimate;;- ■ ■; - ' London, March 29. The; Government • has, introduced s Bill to enable :it to review the case! of all the mfen of military age pre viously exempted on' the ground 'o: rejection due to ill-health, or dischargee from .the' Army and Navy, or' exempted for foreign service. ; In the House of Commons, Mr. Bonn Law, in introducing the Military Set vice Bill, said the difficulty of appor tioning;m'en for the Army and essentia, industries was greater; than ever. It was hoped that the arrangements made last' autumn would give the requisite men for the campaign aB then arranged, but the home requirements were so pressing that, these expectations were not fulfilled, and_ the Army's needs were 'obliged to give : way, chiefly due to fcheurgency of food'production'and shipbuilding. The recruits since the New Year: were 'a hundred thousand below the estimate. • Some' of'the shortage was made up by weeding out men fit for'the trenches from the'men he-: hind the line. The authorities considered that unless the deficiencies were fully made up the prospects of the coming campaign : would be seriously jeopardised.- The Bill- enables the/.authorities to deal with' a million men, and it is estimated that a hundred /thousand < will he forthcoming during the next three-months. >-"- \ ■■''<■-•. .. Every fit, man, : said Mr. Bonar Law, should be in the fighting line, unless required" for .national purposes. The casualties this, year were less than had been anticipated, but the casualties in the prospective fighting would be terrible.- •■ Mr.' J. ;M. Hogge (Liberal) moved the rejection of the Bill until the Government undertook to provide pensions for all men medically 'passed for the Army, in order to ensure adequate examination. Mr. Asquith pointed out that as the hulk of the prospective i hundred thousand had already been rejected, there was an increased risk of ■ unfit men passing and appealing, to the Government to say that they should he treated generously regarding pensions. Mr. Bonar Law pointed out that pensions had been refused only in the case of men taken into the Army quiteunfit, and who, perhaps., had done no service. He'promised to communicate with the War Office with _a view to ensuring that the examination would be so strict that there would he no risk of unfits passing. . - • ' , BILL READ A SECOND TIME. (Rec. March 31, 1.45 a.m.) . London, March 30. " Mr. Hogge withdrew his amondment and the ißill was read a second time by 178 votes to,lß/