The Washington herald., 1916-11-26
May Arm India and Africa
And Hurl Millions at Foes
British Declared Planning to Get 100000 Warriors from
Dark Continent to FIJI Breaks in Field Forces =
= - Recruiting at Home Meets Obstacles

ans and other renowned tribesmen could
be armed. -
The rest Of the immense colored army
which Commander wedgwood desires In
order to crush Germany would come
from Africa. Contingents could be form
ed, he says, by the white administrators
already on the ground. IN British East
Africa, Nyassaland. Uganda, Mauritius,
Basutofand, Rnodesia, the Union of South
Africa, Nigeria and West Coast Colonies.
German East Africa. the Sudan and
Egypt. The native populations of these
countries total 100000, and Commander
wedgwood would exclude II, ,00O, 600 Egypt
ians from this total, perhaps as tainted
with enemy sympathies or unwarlike-
though he did not explain why-leaving
i36,OC0,0c0 Africans belonging. he says. to
fighting races Applying the 10 per cent
mobilization ratio. 100000 Africans ap-
pear to be available. Combined with
100000 Indians, such a force might turn
the scale against Germany when the
white races o. Europe had to a large ex-
tent exterminated one another; while II
It be objected that the war would be over
before such armies could be trained and
take the field. the answer is that the men
who advocate great native armies are
absolutely determined to smash Germany,
TO carry the war on to German soil, and
they believe this program cannot be car
Talk of a ''five-years' war; Is common
today in circles which year ago were
confident the summer of 1917 would see
the surrender of the enemy.
| Content with Two Million.
1t is not probable that the statesmen
who seek to bring Bulus, Ashantis Ma
! tabeles, and Swazis to France to fight
| beside Gurkhas and Sikhs really believe
| any such numbers could be armed as
| those they handy about in conversation.
| They well understand the difficulties in
the way Of mobilization and training, not
| to speak Of transport. They desire to i'm
| press the imagination of the public and
| stir Parliament and the government to
action: they would probably be more than
| satisfied II two million Indians and AZ
fican5 took the field, a number which a
! year or two hence will seem very much
larger than 1t does now.
The ethics of sending into battle hordes
of men who never heard of Germany, and
do not know there Is a war In Europe,
does not worry the advocates Of the
scheme. Whether the black and brown
\ men know 1t or not, they say, their des-
TIMES are being decided In Europe, and
If Germany wins they will sooner or later
be enslaved. The Sunday Times puts
the matter thus in an editorial: THE
| colored peoples have their stake in the
conflict. India, Egypt and the African
! races will reap benefit from this vast
struggle for freedom and autonomy;
| viewed in that perspective it is some
/ thing much more than a white mans
war. We have a right. then. to summon
| Asia and Africa into the arena"
1t was said above that England, Wales
| and Scotland has sent to the war about
| six million out of the seven million men
and boys, between 10 and IS. in those
| countries when war broke out. Without
divulging military Information, it is pos
sible to indicate very clearly the plight
| this country finds herself in now, that
leads to these plans for arming subject
| races to carry on the war.
| According to the 1911 census there were
approximately 100000 men in England
! and Scotland between IS and Al of mill
! tary age, and the general stan has esti-
mated that $4,000 boys reach the age of
IS yearly. Adding four contingents of
| youths to the 1911 figures. it appears that
the total available reservoir of soldiers
during the war has contained 7,4OO, 900
men.
Before the conscription law was enact
ed, at the close of Lord Derby's canvass
which was the final effort to keep the
armies full by voluntary service the
King announced that 100000 men had
Joined the colors. This figure included
both the army and navy, and also the
10000 soldiers in the service of the en-
pire when war broke out. How many
more men have been obtained since,
do not know. but the boys of IS have
been called out, hundreds of thousands
Of men who obtained temporary exemp-
/ ton from the recruiting tribunals have
been compelled to Join the service, and it
is conservative to estimate that during
the past year 100000 additional men
have been obtained under conscription,
making in the netghborhood of 5000, 600
date.
| II this figure be accepted, 1t follows
from the 1911 census figures just quoted
that there are only 100000 men of mill
tary age now left In these islands not in
uniform. 1t is not possible, accep epting
the Kings statement in 1915 as correct
that this calculation should err by more
than few hundred thousand men. And
very large percentage OF this number
must be made up OF the unfit who have
been rejected for field service
Important re-enforcements for the
armies now in the field cannot, therefore
come from England. Scotland or Wales,
for the men do not exist. 1t is not con-
ceiyable that munition work, not to mem
ton other forms of hard labor, can be
carried out without the presence of some
| fit men of military age to do the hardest
part Of the manual labor
! When attention Is turned to the labor
ana munitions situation, entirely apart
from the continuous demands of the
| army, 1t seems that here too. an aeita-
ton may soon begin to import Orientals
or Africans to do work for which there
are no longer enough white men. The
only alternative would appear to be the
employment of women IN greater and
| greater numbers.
Eleven Million Males Working.
There were in 1911 in Great Britain. ex-
Guiding ireland, 1oss0.OO0 males engaged
IN some occupation, between the ages of
Is and s.. Allowance must be made for
old men who have stopped work in the
meantime, but a slightly greater number
OF ooys will have entered the ranks of
"ase-earners, so that the 1911 figures
corrected to date, but taking no account
or the army. would show about LOCO, 900
working men and boys. Six million of
them are serving In the army or navy. or
have been killed or wounded or inva lided.
certain portion of the latter two classes
return to work. but not enough to change
materially these figures Thus 5000, 900
men and boys of the 1911 wage-earning
class are left in industry, of whom. as
mas been shown, 100000 are of military
age.