The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-04-24 00:00:00

t, RECRUITING .FOR: THE ARMY.

The following communication has been sent to the Standard
for publication :

Sir,—A great deal has been said of late about recruit-
ing; and various indeed are the plans suggested for
securing efficient men for the army. Permit a chaplain,
who has lived for nearly 30 years with the soldier, and
often talked with him on the subject, to offer a few..
hints as to the best mode of rendering soldiering
popular. I Make no mention of conscription, as it is
utterly inapplicable to our state of society with its
vast hives of work. To us its cost would be enormous,
'—indeed no government would dare attempt it. The
six-years' system is for other reasons equally objec-
tionable, and he' who expects to secure by it a good
reserve force can know but little of the army, and less of
human nature. To take a man from civil life and enlist
him for six years only disturbs him. Long before his
time is up he thinks of what he is to do when cast upon
the wide world. As a shoemaker, or a bricklayer, or
whatever may have been his trade, he knows very well
I that his hand will have lost much of its cunning; and
I the very fact that he has been a soldier will, on his dis-
charge, go against his getting emproyment. The result
is, recruits at present come into the ranks when work
iB slack, and desert at their convenience. To soldier is
no longer a profession in which the man of adventure
and enterprise intends to spend his best years, and after
to retire on a pension, but simply a disturbing career,
not long enough to make the man of arms what he
should be, but just long enough to give those army
habits which unfit a young fellow for steady civil em-
plok.
The question, then, is, "What should the country
do to get a thoroughly efficient army ? " I refer only
to non-commissioned officers and privates; for as re-
gards commissioned officers and arms they can always
be secured of the very best. The first thing is to be
ready to pay a good price for a good result, to compete
fairly with the labour market; for a cheap soldier in
rich England is necessarily a useless soldier. If the
safety of the country is to be secured a high premium
must be paid. I would, therefore, suggest that every
soldier shall be enlisted for ten years under the colours
and ten years in the reserve... On leaving the colours
his pension shall commence with 6d. a day, but
his service in the reserve to count so that after
fifteen years (ten under the colours and five in the
reserve) his pension shall be 9d., and five years after
that shall become is. a day. I would also, in addition
to his present pay, put aside for him 3d. a day to ac-
cumulate for ten years, so that every man on entering
the reserve shall go back with a sum of say £5O, to
start him comfortably in his new home, and a cer-
tainty (character being good) of a satisfactory pension
for life when about 40 years of age. Some may fancy
that with the £5O the young soldier will at once
emigrate. No, he will not. They who have a good
prospects before them at home have no temptation to
try vast exreriments abroad.

I know it will be said the plan proposed is an expen-
sive one. Not so very after all—indeed it will be quite
the reverse, provided it will bring men of good cha-
racter and good physique into the army. Whenever I
have mentioned this scheme to non-commissioned officers
and privates the answer has always been, "Only let
them do that, sir, and we shall have the pick of the
country, and no.desertion.
As regards non-commissioned officers, the very best
may be obtained on the same principle—a good price
for a good article. Rarely is a commission the great
object sought. No; it is pay and pension. Increase
the pay especially of the serjeant majors and colour
serjeants, and make an addition to the pension of all
non-commissioned officers, and then the fine fellows
who are now the admiration of all who know their
hard work and great responsibility will be the pride of
the service and the zealous makers of soldiers such as
England must have if with her small army and exten-
sive dominion her voice is to be respected. Such an
army, backed by a well organised militia and a wisely
managed body of volunteers, will speak very distinctly
and very forcibly when the stir of nations shall require
it.
I would further suggest that throughout the country
all schools, public and private, should be drilled. This
might be done without the great expense some imagine,
and would give extensive employment to pensioners,
whether non-commissioned officers or privates. Add
only to the above government employ as far as possible
, for deserving old soldiers, and then recruits will flock
to our standards, desertion become a rarity and officers
commanding regiments will once again be proud of
their corps. H. P. WRIGHT,
Chaplain to the Forces, Ist Class.
April 14.