The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-01-01
BRITISH DRAFTING
PLANS IN AMERICA
Sir Frederick Edwin Smith Arrives in
United States to Put Finishing
Touches on Reciprocal Ar
rangements.

| The British and Canadian recruiting
mission, 1870 Broadway, New York City
has sent out the following statement
with request TO print:
One of the most interesting questions
that has engaged the attention of Great
Britain and the United States since the
later country entered the war is the re-
ciprocal draft. Public attention is once
more focused on this subject by the ar
rival in the United States of Sir Fred
erick Edwin Smith. the attorney general
OF Great Britain, who is here TO put the
finishing touches on the tentative agree
ment between the two countries before
it is submitted to Congress for approval.
Great Britain" said Sir Frederick,
'has made arrangements with practically
all of her allies, whereby British subjects
of military age may be returned to their
own country, with the exception of those
who have already volunteered for mill
tary service. 1t is the hope of the Brit
ish government to make a similar ar
rangement with the United States so
that every Britisher and Canadian in
the United States who is in good phys-
cal condition and of military age may
serve his country. The people worth
while in Great Britain are determined to
see this war through to victorious con
clusion, and there is no reason why every
Britisher and Canadian in the United
States should not do his part, provided
he is able to do so.
The proposed draft convention between
the United States and Great Britain does
not give England the power to conseript
her own subjects in this country, but it
permits the American government to con
script British subjects of war age, that
is. from Is to Al, provided they do not
enlist in the British or Cana
dian armies. As soon as the draft con
vention is ratified by Congress and APP
it has to be thus ratified-notice
will be given to all British subjects
through the press, etc, that they will
have 90 days in which to enlist in the
British or Canadian armies, and if they |
fail to do so they will Immediately be- |
come subject to draft into the American |
army. If they desire to claim exemption,
hey must appear before the British and |
Canadian recruiting mission, or else take |
heir case to the British ambassador in
Ii the ambassador exempts
hem, they will be exempted under the
proposed act from CONSUMPTION IN the
American army.
The British and Canadian recruiting
mission has the names of all Britishers
md Canadians OF America. draft age,
,ut still lacks the names of those be-
ween Is and q, and between 80 and Al.
/ the act of Congress empowering the
resident to draft Britishers between
hose ages be passed. there will be no
Immediate way of reaching them except
" public notice in the press. However,
he mission has considerable information
n this subject not possessed by the fed
raj government This information has
cen secured from various states which
ave a war census under which regis
rants between the ages OF Is and 80
ave been compelled to give complete in
concerning themselves. Fur
the mission, through its nu
ferrous branch recruiting offices in the ,
arious parts of the United States, has .
cen able to secure many local lists of
between Is and Is. A well !
nown Britsher who has spent many :,
ears in the United States, and who re-
nat he did not believe Congress would =,
md to Great Britain or Canada British ,,
5 or Canadians who would decline to :
llunteer for military service. However, :,
they are of American draft age, they :,
i'll be compelled to 20 into the American J.
my, if they do not enter the army of :,
reat Britain.
mo doubt, some people will think it u
Must that Britishers between Is and :,
and 30 and Al should be drafted into Z
e American army when there is no :
mpulsion for Americans Of those ages,
IT ii must be remembered that in Eng
nd every man between Is and Al is
nscripted and only exempted for ply
al unftness or because he is required Il
r an essential industry. Therefore the
-itishers in this country viii certainly
no worse off than the Brtishers in
igand" &c
A separate convention will be mad- u
obably by Canada, because the con al
ription age is different in Canada and J'
" runs from 20 to 81. The draft of W
itishers between ls and Al only applies az
Englishmen, Scotehmen and Irishmen. "