AUSTRALIAN RECRUITING

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 160, 26 March 1918, Page 4

AUSTRALIAN RECRUITING

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S PRO- . POSALS. The Federal Minister of Defence (Senator Pearce) announced at the opening of a State Conference on re-j cruiting in Melbourne last week that' the War Precautions Act would be. utilised to compel the filling in of bal- < lot cards under the Federal Government's new recruiting scheme. He also stated that tho Government had decided that in all Commonwealth De- ; partments' returned soldiers would re- • place unenlisted eligible men whercever possible. Under tho card system : men of military age will be invited to' enlist in their turns as determined by.: ballot. But there will be no compulsion to respond. _ _ ' Early in his speech the Minister said that if they w'ero to be successful in their renewed efforts they, should avoid any semblance of compulsion. ; wanted, if possible, to disarm and con- ■■ ciliate tho opposition, and if they could on the voluntary basis approach tho eligibles with a scheme that would appeal to their sense of fairness and sporting instincts they would get a . larger number of recruits. It was use- ' less shutting their eyes to the fact that large numbers were opposed to conscription, and all that ttey would accomplish by the compulsory filling in of tho cards would be to get more accurate data. It was proposed that tho electoral officers, statisticians, and recruiting officers should formulate the data and pass it on' to the State Recraiting Committee. It was a pity that, while there'were so'many single men available, they had to hold out inducements to married men. Among the motions ajrreed to by the conference were tho following:— That if eligible, every man in the Government service bo made to • prove his loyalty by enlisting; in '. the case of ineligible married men who havo sons,.-tho sons be asked to enlist. That all men eligiblo for service abroad who up to the present have , not offered their services be dismissed. That all persons of enemy origin, " excepting those who have proved their undoubted loyalty, be prevented from occupying public positions. A messago from Melbourne last week stated that Captain Carmichael, M.L.A., of New South Wales, who re-; cently returned from oversea after a period of active service, during which ho was awarded the Military Cross, proposes to interview tho leading anticonscriptionists in Australia, including Dr. Maunix, Mr. Tudor, tho leader, of the official Labour party, and Mr. Ryan (Premier of Queensland), with a view to inducing them to unite with former leaders of the conscription party in an attempt to combat tho war apathy that is growing up in AusIt is the intention of Captain Carmichael to arrange, if possible, a convention, to e*> attended by tho former leaders of both cans?-- The leaders will then bo asked to craft practical proposals for raising tho enthusiasm of tho people. Tho issue for the convention to bo decided, said Captain Carmichael, would 'be either to withdraw the men or to send a sufficient number of recruits.v Ho claimed that it would be better to withdraw men openly than to do it in an underhand way. At tho present time there was not an ounco of recruiting enthusiasm in Australia. Captain Carmichael stated that onco tho convention had met, he proposed to raise 1000 men for war service. Ho felt that he could do it in a month, and lie would go back to the front with the men.

In the meantime Captain Carmichaol has heen "turned down" by the_Lahour Party on. account of his patriotic attitude.