Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1918-04-11
BRITAIN PREPARES
TO FACE CRISIS
New Man.Power Bill Raises Mill.
tary Service Age to so Years
SIS in Some Cases
WILL INCLUDE IRELAND
Lloyd George Says Worlds Liberty
May Depend ON Success in Resisting
Huns Very Last Attacks

London, April 9-Premier Lloyd George
told the House Of Commons to-day that
when the battle on the Somme front COM
menced the total combatant strength Of
the German army on the west front
was approximately equal to the total Of
the entente allies.
Mr.Lloy George said his man-powe
proposals would involve an extreme sac
riice BY part Of the population OF Great
Britain.
The premier said that the cabinet had
taken every step to hurry reinforcements.
The number of guns and prisoners taken
had been grossly exaggerated by the Ger
mans.
1t was the governments purpo Sc. the
premier continued, to have n strict comb
ing OF the industries. The age for mill
tary service would be raised to so years
and in certain specified cases might TO
increased to 50.
LEAVE TO INTRODUCE BILL.
Leave to introduce the governments
man power bill was carried tonight by $50
to so.
After the premier had delivered his ad-
dress former Premier AsQuith said that
IT, as he believed. the gravest peril which
ever had menaccd the empire was now
confronting it, there was no sacrifice
Parliament WAS not prepared to make.
He appealed to the premier to give a little
more time for consideration Of the bill.
Mr.. Asquirh said nc would suspend judg-
ment until lie saw the bill in print. He
invited everyone to keep mis- mind and
"a rsac .nt
All the neeiful machinery. re added.
could not be set up FOR weeks, perhaps
for months.
Premier Lloyd George In his speech said
the man power act would be extended to
/ Ireland under the same conditions as to
Great Britain and that a measure of self
government for Ireland would be intro
duced.
NATIONALIST INTERRUPTS.
While Premier Lloyd George was
speaking Joseph Devlin, nationalist mem
Der from West Belfast interrupted to
move that the House report progress until
the report of the irish convention was
presented This interruption created a
storm to protest and Mr.. Devlin shouted:
you cannot howl me down. 1 won't
sit down. You may try Prussian methods
in Ireland, but you won't try them on
me-"
The speaker interviewed and told Mr..
Devlin he could move adjournment after
the premier's speech, but not in the mid
die Of it.
Mr. Devlin's motion to adjourn was de-
feated, 1923 to 49,
THE PREMIER'S SPEECH.
Premier Lloyd George said in part:
H..
critical phase of this terrible war.
hurricane Is not over. Doubtless we
must expect more fierce outbreaks.
and ere it is finally exhausted there
| will be many more.
THE fate of the empire, the fate of
Europe and the fate of liberty
throughout the world may depend on
the success with which the very last
, of these attacks is resisted and
countered.
| 1.-THE government, therefore, pro-
pose to submit to Parliament to-day
certain recommendations in order to
assist this country and the allies to
weather the storm. They will, in
volve, I regret, extreme sacrifices on
the part of large classes of the popu-
| lation and nothing would justify them
but the most extreme necessity and
| the fact that we are fighting for all
that is essential and most sacred in
our national life.
! There has been a great battle in a
front of fifty miles-the greatest battle
ever fought in the history Of the world.
/ Enormous forces have been engaged
there was a considerable retirement on
the part of the British forces and under
these conditions it is not always easy for
some time to ascertain what actually hap.
pened. 1t was difficult to piece together
the story of the Cambria battle for some
time, and Cambria was a very trivial
event compared with this gigantic battle.
Nothing should be said which could
| give information to the enemy; nothing
| should be said which would give en-
couragement to the enemy, and nothing
| should be said which would give dis.
couragement to our own troops, who are
fighting so CALAMITY at this very hour.
and a second question is that all
recrimination at this hour must be shut
out"
Premier Lloyd George made the boldest
stroke of his career by coupling home rule
| for Ireland with the conscription of Irish
men. The unexpected disclosure swept
aside all interest in the details of the con.
scription scheme which already had been
forecast by the newspapers.
Ireland is the only subject talked of to-
night The only question asked is how will
the Irish parties and their British SYM
pathizers take tho new policy.
Mr.. Lloyd Georges speech revealed that
the Irish convention had not reached any
agreement and that the constructive worl,
must be done by the cabinet. guided some.
what by Irish opinion as revealed in the
debates. of the convention.
The most important statement in the
premier's speech apart from Ireland was
that General Foch had been appointed
supreme director of the strategy of the
allied armies on the western front. which
is taken to mean that he has suppressed ed
the Versailles war council.