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Hokitika Guardian, 13 August 1917, Page 2

The stories of “what might have been” arising out of the war will, no doubt, je numerous and interesting. An English Press correspondent in a rocent letter recounts that tho Dardanelles report and debate thereupon following in tho House of Commons, disclosed the fact that Lord Fisher liad differed from Mr. Winston Churchill on his proposal submitted with the authority of tho First Lord of the Admiralty, to reach Constantinople by forcing the passage of the Dardanelle ; Incidentally, it was made known that the First Sea Lord had a scheme of his own d impossible of achievement 51 tho First Lord’s plans were adopted. Much curiosity was displayed in Parliament as to the nature of Lord Fisher’s plan finally rejected by preference to the First Lord’s. Lord Fisher makes no secret of the matter. His counterproposal was to send a strong <-<piadron of tho fleet to the Baltic, with ulterior intention of creating a diversion on the Western front by attacking Germany by the Prussian coast within striking distance of Berlin. It is easy to be wise after the event. But it is eortnin that whether this strategy succeeded or failed it could not have been moro disastrous in respect of loss of life and diminution of prestige than was tho descent on Gallipoli.

It is to be hoped that the dischnation on the part of tho Minister of Defence to afford any information respecting the rumour that a reduction of the age at which military service will *j<? compulsory is not to be construed ap meaning that the Government actually contemplates a proposal in that direction. It should be perfectly evident by this time that immature lads are not capable of enduring the hardships which arc the -accompaniment of active service and for this reason alone any •proposals that youths of 18, or even 19, voars of ago should either ho accepted as voluntary recruits or ho compulsorily drafted into the reinforcements would merit, and would undoubtedly meet with, strong opposition. A proposal to expose youths of that age to the temptation by which soldiers are beset would also be distinctly mischievous. It is, however, difficult to believe that Government can have any plan of tho kind under consideration, for it is clearly unnecessary while there are many thousands of men in the dominion of the ago that ordinarily provides tho. most efficient soldiers. There has been no suggestion so far as we know, from members of the Second Division that raw lads should be forced into active servieo in order that they themselves might themselves be relieved of the obligation which tho law lias placed upon them, and we are not prepared to believe that there are many of them who would ask that they should bo allowed to remain nt home I that boys fresh from school should be sent to the front as their substitutes. It would be an extraordinary thing indeed if the Government were to seek to lower tho military age before a single ‘ class of tho Second Division had been called up.