The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-12-27
FEAR FOR ARMS OUTPUT.
Conscription Opponents Point Out
DnnRrrs of Compulsory Service.
SppcfaI CorpesDo6de fO THr Srs

opect0s COrreSpOfoe0ce 10 The SCN.
LONDON, Dec. ll.--Although Il is Ger
tain that Prime Minister Asquith will re-
deem his pledge to enroll by compusion
all single men who have not Joined the
Derby show this class of men to have
been hanging back. the view held by
many military experts who have closely
studied the question !s that wholesale
conscription is almost impossible in Eng
land at the present time. This is not
due to political considerations. but to
the fact that SO many men have already
been enrolled under the voluntary sys-
TEN and others drafted into munition
fact ories and other industries engaged on
war work that conscription would COM
pletely disrupt the country's Industrial
organization.
Even II the number of men attested is
not large enough 10 satisfy Lord Kltche-
ner. it will be sufficient to ease the Gov
ernment's mind for a few months. It's
drawback is that owing TO the enlistment
Of men under the group system the usual
weekly contingent OF men who enlist for
immediate service has fallen below re.
quirements The consequence Is tha,
many OF the earlier classes enlisted
under Lord Derhy's group system will be
called up sooner than they expected.
An interesting study OF the possibill.
ties OF introducing conscription In Eng.
land Is being made by NJ Henry d
Davray, foreign editor of lie Merc1rc d,
France, the leading French literary
periodical. who Is in England ASA spe
ciai representative of Paris daily. tC
study questions in connection with the
war. Referring TO the conscription ques.
ton NJ Dayray saws:
'The problem IL more complicated thar
appears on the surface. Compulsory
service as II exists In continental coun
tries has not been fashioned in one piec,
IN a day by an act OF Parliament Ions
years and much grouping and alteration
have gone TO the elaboration of the sys
, tenn. During the last few months / hav,
frequently questioned the ardent cham
pons of CONSUMPTION. and have recog
nzed that beyond the fervor with whic!
they express their convictions they ar,
lacking In practical notions for the real
zation of their project.
"Conscription fanatics and with then
that part of the public which follow.
them, imagine that Il simple formality Il
enough to call TO the colors all fit mei
| of military age. So they vilify the Gov
ernment with a stupid obstinacy be
cause 1t does not comply with their in
JurictlONS
Moreover. II is certain that few per
sons imagined how great a military eff
fort was required. The Germans wer
| not alone in nour.shing the illusion tina
the war would be short. We thought II
France that the individual valo. of ou
| soldiers would quickly overwhem ou
adversaries. We did not foresee the VIC
lation Of Belgium's neutrality nor tn
employment OF artillery in such pro
fusion, nor the novel lke Of asphyxiat!ni
gas and other methods; nor the wa
OF moles, where personal courage hi
less chance of revealing itself than upol
| the battlefelds in the open.
"In England they counted upon tn
| preponderance of their fleet. and II 1
' only slowly that public opinion ha
Srasped that, according to Lloyd George
formula, nothing but the eNertion o
our whole strength VIII enable us 4
| win.' and this formula ought 20 b
! adopted equally by all the Allies"