BRITAIN'S DEFENCE CALL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 April 1939, Page 8

BRITAIN'S DEFENCE CALL

DETAILS OF CONSCRIPTION BILL Announced by Mr Chamberlain MEETING PRESENT-DAY CONDITIONS (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Dav, 10.58 a.m.) RUGBY, April 2G. An announcement that a Bill would be introduced giving powers to call up for niilitait tiaining airmen between 20 and ‘2l years of age was made by the Prime Minister (Mr Chamberlain) in the House of Commons. “I he Government, Mr Chamberlain said, “has recently given fresh consideration to the procedure applicable to the measures which it might consider necessary to put the oouiiij'y iu'O a complete state of prepared“The' remits of its investigations s,hewed that the present ■procedure for the mobilisation of the forces is antiquated in character and quite unsuited to modern conditions, based as -it is upon the hypothesis that war could only come after such a period cf warning as would give time to change from a peace tc a war footing. Broadly speaking, under the present procedure, mobilisation, whether complete or partial, can only take nlaoe after the issue of a proclamation, which is different m the case of each service, declaring that a state of emergency crisis'' The issue of such proclamations was no doubt originally contemplated as taking place when an outbreak of war appeared to be imminent, but in the present times war may not appear tc. be imminent, and yet general conditions may be so uncertain that it is desirable to take certain precautions without the publicity and the shock to public confidence wlncn would be caused by the issue of proclamations. Accordingly, the Government has decided at once to introduce a Bill which will simplify procedure and enable the Government, by Order-in-Ccuncil, to authorise the various Service Departments to call up any class or description of the reserve and auxiliary forces.”