Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-07-27

widow who satisfies the army council
that his mother is dependent on him for
support
Any minister of religion.
Any person who is permanently un-
fitted for training by reason of physical
or mental inflrmity.
ANY person whom the army council
may think 1t desirable to exempt in the
interests of the public service.
Any person declared by the army coun-
Gil to be disqualified as being a criminal,
habitual drunkard or otherwise undesir-
able by reason of bad character
It is. however, provided that every per-
son who shall be exempted or disqualified
shall i'll each year he would have been
liable to be trained pay d sum equal to
| per cent of lis income should the total
exceed 952 a year.
1t is also laid down that if any person
should fail to comply with these terms he
should be refused any office in the service
of the crown, be incapable of voting at
any parliamentary election and be dis
qualified for receiving an old-aSe pension.
This bill has been prepared by Lord
Roberts, with the assistance of eminent
members of the National Service League.
It's inception came from Lord Newton. and
q long and la borious investigation was I'M
dertaken by committee Of experts; the
results of which were examined and ap-
proved by Lord Miner and Sir ]. Wolfe
Barry.
The great question now is whether the
country will accept national service on
these termS-terms so easy that when We
consider the benefits which will come with
national security the sacrifices demanded
are as nothing.
Cost of the Scheme.
The National Service League, after fully
examining the whole question. is prepared
to show that the additional cost would
not exceed four millions sterling. For
year. and these. after serving three years
longer would pass into an ever growing
reserve which, the years went by.
would include almost the entire vigor of
our manhood.
Mr. Haldane has held out the prospect
of seeing our national defense established
on a secure basis in twenty years time
and Lord Roberts has said that he would
despair for his country If he thought it
would not be able to defend itself against
invaders within quarter of that time,
but unless the bill be speedily passed we
shall not have an army strong enough to
defend us even then Yet it is doubtful
if we shall get national service for a
long time to come.
Strange as it may seem, there is still a
great amount of prejudice against it, and
this must be overcome before we can eN-
pect either of the great political parties
to take up the question of national sery-
ice as of national and imperial impor-
tance.
In the meantime the introduction of this
bill means that through storm and cloud,
and ridicule. and obloquy. Lord Roberts
and his colleagues will continue to strive
for a system of universal military train
ing which alone can insure the safety of
this country and the doIninions beyond
the seas.
1t is probable that the bill will receive
a large measure of support in the upper
house wholly non-poltical.
AS the dukes SON and the cook s
SON. will be equally impressed. it will be
impossible to ascribe to the peers any de-
sire to shift burdens on other classes
which they are unwilling to bear them
selves.