The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-12-07
Enslishmen Were Prompt to Enlist
When War Came and Are
Doing Their Part
Well. .
ON LAND AND ON SEA
But Few People Are Idle These Days
. When There Is Work to
Do BY Every
body.
lBy Wilbur S. Forrest, United Press

ElBy Wilbur S. Forrest, United Press
Staff Correspondent
LONDON, Nov. 2. (By mail ENG
lahds national register shows within
the united kingdom ten million men
between the military age of IS and A
OF these ten million, about three mil
lion have enlisted. Of the seven mil
lion remaining, five million are indis.
pens1ble to the manufacture Of NUM-
lions and the keeping up of industries
whose deterioration would imperil the
life of the nation.
/ This leaves England with two mil
lion men still available for military
service who have not enlisted nor
otherwise replied to the call to the
colors. 1t is this two million men
that England is now trying to get vol
unfairly under arms.
1t is the view of men who should
know, that English industrial and
economic life Is so complex that any
! effort suddenly to tear loose these
two million men, might be disastrous.
Instead, 1t will be necessary to re-
organize the entire productive life OF
the nation in such a way that these
men can be taken out gradually, leav-
ing the economic fabric undisturbed.
1t is believed these men can be pre-
vailed upon to enlist without con-
scription and that England gradually
will arrive at her maximum military
strength without any extraordinary
difficulty.
The work of the national register
commission includes classifying the
men according to their value to the
nation as soldiers or industrial work
ers. One of the first things the COM
mission discovered was that two
classes-the idle rich and the unem-
tployed-have ceased to exist The I'M
employed, whose numbers year ago
constituted one Of the most serious
problems England ever faced, have all
found work through the increased in
dustrial activity and the three million
vacancies caused by the three million
Ienlistments.
u OF, the idle rich be it said that al
most to man they responded to the
first call of their country. goodly
portion Of them took to the sea and
ARE now aboard the innumerable small
vessels patrolling the seas in search
of contraband, enforcing the blockade
and hunting submarines in the North
sea- These men have been immortal
lied in a new short story by Kipling,
called "Sea Constables."
i Others of the idle rich Joined the
ranks and the long death/lists from
Flanders and Gallipoli show them to
be among the bravest of the brave
There are three other broad categor-
lies in the national register. The first
is that Of metal workers and engi-
ipeers. There are two million Of
~ Oh f,n
bred thousand of whom already have
!enlisted. It is from this category that
the munitions workers came and many
OF them have been recalled from the
trenches to serve in munitions fac
tories, where they can be Of more
service to their country than II they
were using instead Of producing am
lmunition.
The second classification is that Of
agricultural and government employees.
This list totals two and a quarter MIL
lion men. At least half of these men
can be replaced by women. or the
I1,125.O 900 that would thus be left free,
half already have enlisted, leaving
about 100000 still to be placed under
arms.
The third great category is that of
productive II lSo anu Wv iNSo -
self into three sections. The first
consists of industries essential to the
eouipment of the army and navy. The
textile factories are making practically
nothing but khaki. Food factories
need all their help.
| The second section consists Of in
dustries not essential to the nation
existence. such as the building trades
fioy1 pN, ttNn
time being without hurting national
life. The manufa cture of cheap jew
elry, an important industry in Eng
land, does not contribute to the sue
cess Of the allies. Piano making is
not necessary.
The third section consists of non
productive employments. Shop keep
ers. clerks. servants, chauffeurs and
distributing tradespeople are in this
class. In France and Germany wom-
en- now do nearly all this work. Berlin
has women policemen. France has
women street cleaners. This category
must, it is said, furnish the bulk Of
the men who can still be called into
the army. In it are 100000 men of
military age. OF these, a million and
a half have enlisted, and Of the re-
naming two million, at least three
fourths can be rendered available eth
err bv stopping entirely the industries
in which they are employed. or by sub
shutting women for them.
More than ordinary care is being ex-
ercised in bringing about the read
iustnent of conditions to enable the
available men to get under arms. The
feeling seems to be that consumption
will not have to be resorted to and
that the men will all be serving
where the government wants them to
serve. without violence being done to