Evening star., 1939-05-04
Chamberlain Urges
Commons Approval
OF Transcription
Bill to Train 100000
Over 3-Yeor Period
Attacked by Labor
BY the Associated Press.

LONDON, May 4.-Prime Min
lister Chamberlain urged the House
of Commons today to enact the
military training bill, estimating
that conscription would give the
government something in the
neighborhood of 100000 men alto
gether" over a three-year period.
Mr. Chamberlain spoke as Labor
reiterated its opposition to conscrip-
ton and as British attention was
turned toward Poland and Soviet
Russia.
British government and diplo-
matte quarters, awaiting Polish For
eign Minister Col Joseph Beck's
reply tomorrow to Chancellor Hitler
on the Danzig question. expressed
belief he would avoid provocation
of Germany.
The sudden resignation of Maxim
Litvinof as Soviet Russia's foreign
affairs commissar, meanwhile, had
cast doubt on the results Of British
French efforts to bring Soviet Rus
STA in new security system.
Conscription Opposed.
The British Labor party and
Trades Union Council issued joint
statement announcing their decision
to oppose the governments move to
conscript 20-year-old youths.
The labor movement" it said,
will and must oppose the military
training bill This is because of
the admitted success of voluntary
recruiting, the economic and in
dustrial considerations involved, the
unreadiness of the government in
respect of equipment and supplies,
and the prime minister's repeated
pledges not to introduce CONSUMPTION
in peace time"
Moving second reading and pas
sage of the military training bill,
Mr.. Chamberlain said:
There can be no doubt that the
determination of the British people
to put themselves in a position fully
to carry out undertakings which
they have been giving, as evidenced
by this great departure from our old
tradition, has created profoundest
respect all over Europe"
His mention of undertakings was
reference to Britains pledges with
France to help Poland, Rumania and
Greece defend their independence.
Ulster Not Included.
The prime minister announced
that the CONSUMPTION bill would not
apply to Northern Ireland UlsteD,
and said it would be thus amended.
This, in effect, was diplomatic
victory TO Eamon De Valera, prime
minister of Ireland, who had insisted
Britain should not conscript Irish
men living in Northern Ireland.
The Northern Ireland government,
on the other hand, had asked that
cnoscription should apply to it.
"It is apparent that in application
of the act to Northern Ireland Mr..
Chamberlain said, there would be
special difficulties which did not arise
in this part of the United Kingdom"
Mr.. Chamberlain, emphasizing that
Northern Ireland was a part of the
United Kingdom, announced that in
recognition of its patriotism it had
been decided "in addition to existing
volunteer units there, to constitute
the Northern Ireland force on sup
Elementary reserve basis"
British officials professed to have
no indication yet of the nature Of
Foreign Minister Col. Joseph Beck's
address to the Polish Parliament to-
morrow. The official position was
that Britain was refraining from
"one word of unsolicited advice" to
Poland on how she should answer
Germany's demand for Danzig and
a right of way across Pomorze (the
Polish CORRIDOR.
New Criticism F0reseen.
New parliamentary criticism of
Prime Minister Chamberlain for de-
lay in British Russian security ne
gotiations to supplement the Brit-
ish pledge to Poland was foreseen.
Some members of Parliament,
favoring close British French al
lance with Russia, expressed fears
that Moscow might turn her back
(see. LONDON, Page A-4)