Great Britain

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 98, 31 March 1916, Page 5

Great Britain

RECRUITING SITUATION. I 1 POSITION or UNMARRIED MEN. ' QUESTION OF COMPULSION. [United Press Association.] London, March 29. In the House of Commons, Mr '\V. H. I -ong, in response to the public’s demand for a full statement of the recruiting situation, explained the Government’s drastic steps, including the cancellation of exemptions of single men under 30 years of age. He said that 1400 women were already engaged in agriculture and 27.5,000 were now in other occupations. The members of the Commons cheered this announcement. I The Government is allotting monies to a Pension Committee, who will make grants to necessitous married men to enable them to meet their liabilities. It is intended to legislate to empower married men to break contracts and leases. Some of the members of the House subsequently doubted whether these were adequate proposals. 9 Sir E. Carson advocated compulsion for every able-bodied married and single man. Mr G. J. Wardle (Labor)' declared that general compulsion would raise a storm and destroy the unity of the nation.

THE CLYDE STRIKE. SCENES IN COURT, London, Maxell 29. Thirty engineers on the Clyde were charged with participating in a strike at Beardmore’s and other important works. The accused created scenes in court, demanding an adjournment because their leaders had been kidnapped. They finally left the court in a body, as a protest against the Government in not releasing the deposed leaders. Twenty-two of the men were fined £5 apiece. EPIDEMIC OF SOLDIER MARRIAGES. £ _ I t “MARRY IN HASTE AND REPENT AT LEISURE.” (■ (Received 8.15 a.m.jti London ; MaPph 30. There is an epidemic of marriages among convalescent Australians, five being registered in a week a.(j one depot. Some of them'have allied for passages for their wives to Australia on deferred pay, while others were granted assisted passages ffer thenwives, though the military authorities hesitate to interfere. The feeling is growing that some marriages have been hasily arranged and lightly considered. LAND FOR OVERSEAS’ SOLDIERS BRITISH SOUTH AFRICA COi». HANDSOME GIFT. (Received 9.10 a.ra.) London, March 30. The British South Africa Co. proposes to grant half a million acres of free land for selected soldiers as settlers from the Overseas.