Great Britain

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 44, 27 January 1916, Page 5

Great Britain

( MILITARY SERVICE BILL. | SECOND READING PASSED IN j THE LORDS. (.Unxtkd Phebb Aksuiuation.) London, January 25. In the House of Lords, Lords Lanstlowne, on the second reading of the Military Service Bill, said that it was based on expediency, rather than principle, and was recommended by an j unanimous Cabinet and an almost unanimous House of Commons. There was no need to apologise for a homeopathic dose of compulsion, though doubtless a weakening of the industrial army meant a weakening of the financial position and a diminution of power to give the Allies the assistance lor which they naturally relied on us. The Bill passed the second reading. Lord Derby says that 650,000 single ( men unaccounted for in his report was the minimum number, and until they were accounted for it would have been perfectly impossible to fulfil Mr Asquith’s pledge. The marrieds were coming in in large numbers. The single men were in larger proportion to the marrieds, but not to an extent to justify anyone thinking that the manlier left were still a negligible quantity. He was more frightened of the Government than of other tribunals, in reducing the number available. Since the report was issued four lists of those in reserved occupations had been issued, and he could not help being apprehensive widen he knew that one hundred thousand badges had been issued in four days. When the Bill was introduced he feared that many fish would escape the net, but ho now thought there was less danger of their escape. Lord Derby added; It would have been of no avail to introduce industrial compulsion in the guise of the Military Service Bill. He believed that the Bill would meet the emergency, and would not make a great industrial disturbance. it would be worked so as to bring men to the army as required, and as industry could spare them. He believed that it was pin possible for the Government to frame a bill more' simply ’for carrying out its pledges and more fully meeting the requirements of the military authorities. f OTHER OPINIONS. Lord Haldane did not think that the Bill trenched on arfy large principles. The Government had wisely restricted it as far as possible. Lord Russell opposed the Bill on the ground that compulsion would diminish the country’s glory. ; The Archbishop of. Canterbury whole-heartedly supported the Bill, which lie believed to be a plain, straight-forward and vigorous measure to meet an extraordinarily diffidnlt situation. Lord Curzou said that no one would like to see a permanent measure more than himself, but it was obviously out of the question to revolutionise our whole system in the middle ol a great war, and force upon the country a general system of compels.orn Lord Lansdowne said that as ’natters stood we were not wholly masteis, and the situation was distinctly of interest to industry. We should emerge victoriously, but it was also necessary victory should not be long delayed. The Government bad endeavoured to hold the balance as fairly as possible between the army and the Commons. He regretted that Ireland had not claimed her right to inclusion. Lord Middleton said be regretted that the Government had not shown more, courage and spread their net a: little wider. He asked whether the course of the war was not marred by the Government’s progress along the line of least instance. Those who were associated with him bad .rreat difficulty in considering what course they should adopt, but eventual lv it had been decided not to at-tempt-to amend the Bill, but to leave the responsibility on the Government. , Lord Haldane said he thought the Government might have gone further, and make appeals to married and Ireland. He doubted whethei it was possible to introduce compulsion permanently, hut while India and the Dominions were nna >lo ■ provide for their own defence d wasnecessary to raise « professional army for the purpose. INDIA’S LOYALTY. munition-making general. MAGNIFICENT GIFTS OF MONEY AND MEN. (Received 8.30 a.m.) Simla, January 26. AH over India efforts to assist, tin Allies are steadily proceeding, am gifts of a public and private natim continue to pour in on all sides. Hip Government factories and all the workshops on the great railway systems are engaged in the manufacture <’■ munitions, transport waggons, am other war materia!, while many of the ruling Princes have also lent then workshops. The aeroplane fund is being strongly supported, ami already £45,000 has been remitted to Britain for the lust twenty aeroplanes. Amongst the many munificent g> ts , the Maharajah Scbinda of Gwalior, lias given three additional aeroplanes lor the Mesopotamia expedition. Recruiting on the whole is generally very satisfactory, the response of the Gurkhas being particularly good, while IMahommedaus, Sikhs, ami Rajputs jaro also coining in freely from certain districts,

AN ENGLISH BY-ELECTION. EX-AVIATOR’S CRUSHING DEFEAT. (Received 8.30 a.m.) London, January 20. At the Mile End hy-election, Brookes (Coalitionist) polled 19,991, and Billing ]Old. Billing, who stood as in Independent, is an aviator, and resigned from the army for the purposes if advocating a more active aviation policy in the defence of London. APPEAL TO AUSTRALASIA. FUNDS FOR HOSPITAL CONCERTS (Received 8.30 a.m.) London, January 26. At a meeting at the Mansion House, the Lord Mayor presiding, Miss Lena Ashweli appealed to Australasia for assistance to continue the concerts at the hospitals at the front, especially for the concert party going to Malta, and Egypt on 2nd prox. DAILY MAIL ARTICLES. REPLY BY WAR TRADE DEPARTMENT, HUNDRED PER CENT. DISCREPANCIES. (Received 8.30 a.m.) . ........ London, January 26. The Press Bureau has issued the reply by the War Trade Department to the Daily Mail articles alleging an ineffective blockade. The Daily Mail’s information was derived from a Danish paper at Borsen, being a comparison :>f the cargo lists at Borsen, while official lists of Britain indicate defects by including consignments to Norway and elsewhere. Arrangements were made months ago with Danish ships whereby articles destined for the Prize Court would be allowed to proceed to Denmark on the undertaking that they were returned to Britain, or, in some cases, stored in Denmark until the end of the. war.- This was necessary owing to the fact that the goods were often in the bottom of the holds, necessitating entire unloading at Borsen, which included whole cargoes. Therefore, it will he easily realised that with two subll £.r,eat sources of error the Daily Matjt" figures were much inflated, and in nearly all cases the calculation pf the percentages was excessive by one hundred per cent. There is, no reason to suppose that the official figures are incorrect. The reply then deals with the figures of the Morning Post’s New York correspondent, which it declares are incorrect, as they do not agree with the American trade returns, and says: The implication is made that the increased quantities exported to America filtered into Germany, hut it is a fact that Neutral and European countries in normal times obtain great supplies from Germany, and Russia is overlooked. The reply adds that the American figures overlook that the goods unloaded in England are placed before the prize courts. The report generally denies that it minimises the figures.