Great Britain

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIII, Issue 67, 18 November 1915, Page 5

Great Britain

STATU QUO POST BELLUM. THE ONLY POSSIBLE PEACE TERMS. 4 MASTERMAN’S INTERPRETATION OF ASQUITH’S IDEALS. United Press Association. (Received 8.55 a.m.) London, November 17. The Rt. Hon. C. P. G. Masterman, formerly Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, in an article in the Daily Chronicle, under the title of “The Only Possible Peace Terms,” says: Mr Asquith’s ideals, interpreted unofficially, are: That Belgium should be restored to 'complete independence, Germany paying an indemnity, the adequate rebuilding of the ruined cities, the revival of destroyed industries, compensation for disabled men and for the relatives of the dead; France to receive Alsace and Lorraine, an indemnity, and her natural defensive boundary, rendering a repetition of Germany’s attack’ for ever impossible; . Denmark to receive Scblesweig, and German. Austrian and Russian Poland shall be united under the Czar or his nominee; 1 !l ’ ‘ Italy to get Trentino and the whole of the Italia Irredenta; , The Turkish Empire to be torn to fragments, Armenia, Syria, Palestine, Mesopotamia, and Thrace to be divided among those who develop the* countries, the Turks to be penned in Central Anatolia, where they must be compelled to learn to work instead of to massacre;

Serbia to lie restored, with a heavy indemnity from Austria-Hungary and to receive Bosnia and Herzegnovriia, with adequate access to the Adriatic and all Serbia; The Austrian-German Fleets to be surrendered and divided among the Allied Nations, Zeppelins and hangars to be burnt, and the German colonies to remain trophies for the Nations which conquered them.

THE WAR COMMITTEE. ' i (Received 8.55 a.m.) London, Novbniber 17. Mr Asquith announced that, the Imperial Defence Committee will he absorbed *in the . War Committee. s!r .1 ir ; 1 j i BOOM IN RECRUITING. London, November 16. The flood of reerilitjrig* enthusiasm is rising daily, and the scenes at. the recrilitirig offices in London,'Manchester, Hull, Birmingham, Aberdeen, and other provincial centres? arecall; >■ the eagerness shown following the news of Germany’s dash for Paris. C Recruiting seregantg do not attribute the boom to the fear of conscription, but say that recent setbacks have shown many men for the first time that the success of the war depends upon their enlisting. The majority of the recruits are unmarried, and average 25 years of age. They are noticeably cheerful, and even boisterous in their demeanour. This is particularly noticeable at the central recruiting offices at Great Scotland Yard, where a queue six, men deep collects at the central hall, awaiting the doctors’ examination, , Married men, who have hitherto hung back, are enlisting in large numbers.

Lord Derby’s scheme, whereby men of military age are divided into six groups according to their ages, from 18 to 40 years, is a signal success. Lord Derby promised that the mafried.riien. would not be called up until the single men were exhausted. Thus anamed men of 35 will not be called up until the members of thirty-eight) groups have been recruited, whereas married men in the twenties will be called up almost immediately. A house to house canvass is proceeding vigorously. The Labor Party in all parts of the country are increasingly angry at Lord Derby’s manifesto about compulsion of the unmarried, maintaining that there was no justification for this in Mr Asquith’s state-, ment. Many Canadian and Australian wounded soldiers are assisting at recruiting meetings. In Trafalgar Square there, are strange scenes on the plinth of Nelson Column. The orators single out likely youths in the crowd and challenge them to join the colors. Scores answer the appeal forthwith, scrambling up the plinth and accepting the King’s shilling, amid cheers from the crowd. Hundreds of unmarried and unskilled employees in the Post Office, the Enfield Small Arms Factory, the Waltham Gunpowder Factory, and other Government departments have offered to enlist, disabled soldiers and old men taking their places. The whole staff of the University College at Southampton enlisted, including three professors and eight lecturers.