The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-30

all the military consequences of a short age of men rather than consent to the principle" The others, the newspaper contends, are needed at their posts to see that compulsion is administered so that the military demand for men will not swamp the demand of industries equally important for winning the war. The Pail Mall Gazette expresses the opinion that the difficulties within the government and Parliament will diminish as the question shapes itself in practical guise, and the Evening Standard agrees that now that a decision has been reached all difficulties will assume measureable proportions and contends that the nation will welcome this as a sign that the cabinet has lat last reused to sense
 of the realities"
 NEWSPAPER COMMENT According to the Westminster Gazette s parliamentary reporter the number of
 single men not attested reach big total
 It's estimate greatly exceeds any hereto
 fore published, and if correct, the com parative rapidity with which the cabinet
 decided upon the necessity of compul-
 sory measures is easily explained.
 It is contended in some quarters that
 one or two ministers may resign, but
 those in a position presumably to be best
 informed think this improbable and seem
 satisfied that Premier Asquith may be able to convince all his colleagues that
 the step decided upon was the only one feasible. The cabinet is understood to
 have fully explored the various points arising out of the decision and to have made arrangements to meet the claims of munitions work the export trade and the financial world on the labor market.
 David Lloyd-George. whose urgent calls for workers in munitions factories had much to do with the speedy de- cson reached, will now take none but men ineligible on the fighting list. If the trades unions, as Is hoped, agree to his proposal for dilution of skilled workers or munitions with a proportion of the
 unskiled, he will be able to fill the new factories with women and ineligible men quite capable of doing with little train ing, the work now done by skilled labor, NO FINAL DECISION No final decision regarding the method of carrying out the idea of compulson apparently has been reached as yet but the Pail Mall Gazette believes that the proposal which most commends itself is a bill providing that every unmarried
 man up to the age of 40 who has not already enrolled under the Derby group system shall do so within fixed period. At a meeting of the joint labor recruit ing committee in London today the call ing of a national conference of trades unions to consider the compulsion situa- tion was urgently demanded, but it was decided to wait an explanation of his position from Arthur Henderson, chair man of the labor party.
 Some of the committeeman contended that out of 600O0O men unatteSted, 60 per cent were unfit 20 per cent starred" :" being necessary workers at home, and that the bulk of the remainder hold con- scientious objections to military service. EXPLAINS SITUATIONS The following explanation of the cabinet situation furnished by the press association will appear in the Lon don newspapers tomorrow:
 'It has been generally expected that Premier Asquith's pledge to married
 men would be carried out in letter and spirit, but the view is held in some quarters that further chance for single men to enroll would not be in consistent with the fulfillment of that pledge.
 "The premier himself rejected this interpretation of his words and in- formed the cabinet that resort to com l pulsion was called for in his opinion not only to carry through an honor able obligation, but also it was needed l in the present state of the war to pro-
  1, for the various battle fronts.
 "On the question of compulsory service for single men, with relegations | to later groups of men engaged in re- fserved occupations there is no diff l ference in principle within the cab inet Until the details of the procedure
 are definitely settled there Is no ex- pectaticn of personal changes in the 1 administration. It is recognized, how ever, that to pass at the present stage l from the we'll defined case of single
 men and to set up general obligation l to military service on the part of the adult population would introduce diff 1 faculties.
 'In a matter which touches so many 1 ingrained prejudices, the government may be expected to move warily. The
 ministers must be prepared for some
 opposition to their proposals, however 1 limited in form
 Tt is undoubted that the govern | ment will carry majority of the House of Commons with them for any i reasonable scheme and anything like organized obstruction is unthinkable For the smooth passage of the bill, il | is possible the measure will not apply
 to Ireland.
 "The case of Ireland is exceptional i since registration there has only been carried out in 8 partial manner and
 there has been no attestation there under the Derby group system. l "The cabinet will do it's utmost to
 meet all objections and secure a meas are of general agreement. which ths
 premier declares essential"
 1 1 Severe Shocks
 1 San Salvador, December 29-The ! earthquake shocks which began early
 Monday are still being felt here. A wall | oil I,,r.tv, cbo