Republican farmer., 1918-04-12

London, April 9-Parliament reassembled today after the Easter recess with two ques- tions of great importance on it's hands. The first is the new military service bill, which raises the age limit eight years and makes those born after a fixed date in the spring of 1867 liable to bear arms. The sec ond is another and what prom ises to be strong attempt to deal with the ancient and all ways contentious problem of government for Ireland.
 Both these issues have been thrust upon the cabinet during the brief re- cess, the first by the desperate Ger man attacks in France, which demand all the men the Allies can muster as quickly as they can be put into the field, and the second by the conclusion of the Irish convention and the rend- ering of it's report, which Premier Lloyd-George promised would be fol- lowed by legislation.
 The deepest attention is command ed by the conscription bill because it vitally affects the interests and des- tinies of hundreds of thousands of men and families in that part of the United Kingdom east of the Irish sea.
 Premier Lloyd-George will make the opening speech and will expound the military situation which confronts the nation. Sir Auckland Geddes, di- rector of recruiting, will outline the details of the man power bill.
 The country appears to be unusually united in it's willingness to accept the recruiting measure with the full req lization that the extension of the age limit to 50 years will bring hardships and often financial shipwreck to many small business men and families, be- sides hitting larger firms whose work is carried on mostly by men over 40 with youth and with women.
 So far the only signs of opposition have been protests against reports that the cabinet proposed to put the bill through with a brief debate and that the present recruiting tribunals, with their safeguard of the right of appeal, might be abolished. There also is a demand that the supply of labor needed by ship yards, farms and munitions factories shall be assured and safeguarded. Questions probably will be asked about the present posi- ton of the Versailles war council. | Gen. Sir Henry Rawlinson, who was | the British representative on the council, was given the command of the Fifth army, against which the Germans made their principal gains recently, in place of Gen. Cough, who commanded it in the first days of the battle. No announcement of Rawlin- sons successor has been made. This gives rise to the belief that General F'och since his appointment as com mander in chief on the western front has superseded the Versailles council | in having the direction of military op- erations.
 The Irish legislation is a matter for the future. The cabinet program be- i fore the recess had assigned April 16 for the introduction of the budget and that likely will follow discussion oS the military act.
 Premier Lloyd-George urged the convention to agree on a scheme fol the foundation of a government which would go to realize the hopes of Irish men al over the world, even if it left questions like finance until after the war. Whether the convention's re- port will furnish any basis for a bill and whether, if 1t fails to meet the premier's hopes, the cabinet will put forward some scheme of its own re- mains to be seen.
 But Ireland may become involved ir the discussion of the military bill Gossip has it that the cabinet is con. sidering a statement that public ser vice applies to Ireland in principle
 although not proposing to enforce il now. Joseph Devlin, the Irish Ma } tionalist leader, who arrived in Lon
 don today from Ireland, will f1ght even that mild assertion of Irish re- l sponsibility.
 Several of the morning newspaper:
 say there Is reason to believe tha
 Premeier Lloyd-George intends tt
 foreshadow in his speech today the in troduction soon of home rule meas ure which wuld set up an Irish parlia
 ment in Dublin with due safeguard for the Protestant minority and {
 compromise on the much discussed custom question. According to ont paper. the new bill a.so expected tt include military service and an exec
 uttye responsible to the Irish parlia ment, but with no control over naval
 army and foreign affairs.