The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-05-10
Fighting Welchman, Ac- cused by Army Man, Puts Question Squarely Up
 to Parliament
FORMER DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT DENIES
 EFFORT TO ATTACK
Special Committee Will Not Be Appointed to Investi- gate the Sensational
 Charges of Maurice
ps Assoclntcd Press

 London, May 9.-The Lloyd George ministry won notable victory in the House of Com mons today. By a vote of 293 to 106, the House voted down a motion introduced by former Premier Asquith providing for the appointment of a special committee to investigate the charges made by Maj.-Gen. Frederick B. Maurice, recently relieved of his post of chief di- rector of military operations at the war office. Stirred by tLe imminence of a cabinet cri- sis, the people of London crowded the public galleries long before the debate opened. The diplomatic and peers gal leries also were thronged.
 Immediately after the intro-
 duction of MT. Asquith's motion,
 the premier took the floor and
 spoke in defense of the govern
 ment. He refuted the charges of
 General Maurice, and declared
 that statements made in his re-
 cent speech, to which Matrices
 charges referred, were made on
 information received from Gen.
 eral Matrices department of the
 war office. He showed also by
 documentary evidence that the
 extension of the British line was
 made because of pressure ex-
 erted by France, and that the de-
 cision was taken on the advice of
 the military authorities, in agree
 ment with Field Marshal Haig.
 the war cabinet having inter-
 fered in no way in the matter al-
 though it approved of the dispo-
 sitions.
 When the premier left the
 house he was loudly cheered.
 The premier, discussing General Mau- rice's action. said he had ascertained that Maurice had never made representa- tions to the chief of staff on the sub- ject.
 Yet" the premier continued, sarcas- tically, this is so important that se- feet committee must be set up to inquire into it; so important as to justify Gen. eral Maurice trampling on the Kings regulations and setting up an example of indiscipllne to the whole army"
 Both he and MT. Bonar Law were anx- ious for examination of their state- ments by perfectly impartial tribunal. There was mass of confidential docu- ments involved, and he maintained that select committee was not the best tribunal to investigate facts when pas- sions were aroused. The House of Com mons long ago came to a similar de- cison when such questions as disputed elections were involved Mr. Asauith had deprecated a select committee to inves- tigate Mesopotamia for reasons which the premier considered right. With ref erence to the strength of the army. the premier said
 There is absolutely no doubt that there was a very considerable addition to the man power of the army at the beginning of 1918 as compared with the man power at the beginning of 1917 in France. There was a great increase in the man power of the army throughout the world in 1918, as compared with lsf7. But the increase in France was greater than the average throughout the whole area
 10 do not know whether General Maurice had that in mind when he talked about fighting strength. He must draw a distinction between the combatant and noncombatant Let me say at once that I do not accept that distinction when he talks about fighting strength, as to who are combatants and who are non combatants. tCries of "Oh, oh,'o Are those men who stopped the advance of the Germans at Amiens the other day combatants9 They are if you begin to make distinctions.r
 ENGINEERS ARE FIGHTERS
 Are the men who are under fire every day making roads and tram. ways and railways; who suffer severe casualties, combatants or non-com. batants? Does anyone mean to tell
 (Continued on Page Nine)