Evening star., 1940-01-29
New Military Call
And Rationing Occupy
Britons' Attention
5000, 900 Men Expected
To Be Under Arms
Before Year Ends
BY HI. J. ]. SARGENT.

The man In the street In this coun-
try finds it little difficult to con-
centrate for any length Of time on
the fortunes of the Russo-F Finnish
War, although there must be almost
100 per cent sympathy for the Films
in the fight they are putting up
against Soviet aggression. Still, the
Arctic and Subarctic battle1elds of
Northeastern Europe are far re-
moved from England, and with no
war developments nearer home the
average Englishman is devoting his
attention, as far as public affairs are
concerned, to two subjects, ration
ing and the big new military Gallup.
This writer has good reason to
believe that both these steps have
created strong impression on the
continent. They have reused feel
ings of pleasure and relief in France,
q sense of deep annoyance in Ger
many and stronger determina-
ton than ever in Italy not to de-
part from the policy of neutrality
which Italy has found so profitable
up to the present and will probably
find even more profitable in the fu-
ture.
Mass Draft Inadisable.
It is no use blinking the fact that
people in France were beginning to
ask why England was not calling
up more men to the colors. There
were, and there are still, sound rea-
sons for not indulging in sort Of
mass draft in this country. There is
neither the organization, the equip
ment nor the accommodation for
such wholesale drafting. The French
have it, of course, and so has every
continental nation in which con-
scription has existed for generations,
but it is difficult to make public
opinion in France understand this.
The Germans were annoyed for
the obvious reason that it was one
more rebuttal of their loudly y-pro-
claimed conviction that England was
not serious in this war and that any,
how she meant to fight the war to
the last Frenchman, while Italy real
lied again that her policy of keep
ing out Of trouble would probably
be the best in the long run for her
and that Britain's determination to
see the war through at any cost had
lust been given a further conf1rma-
ton.
At home the royal proclamation,
making all men up to the age of %
liable for military service, was re-
ceived with so little outward express
sion OF feeling that superficial OBJ
server might have been tempted to
call it indifference. The English
frame of mind is not an easy one for
a visiting observer to interpret, and
in this case man who thought that
this new calling-up notice, which
means that 100000 more men are
earmarked for military service, pos
sibly within the next II months, was
viewed with apathy would be pro-
foundly wrong. The proclama tion,
I believe, has made deep impress
sion in the country and has helped
to silence certain voices which were
beginning to ask what England was
doing in the war apart from keeping
the seas.
3,0OO,000 Likely to Be Called.
Under the new measure provision
Is made for between 2,500,00O and
2,750,000 men to come up for service
If called upon. That includes the
men already serving with the colors
as militiamen or conscripts and is
In addition to those who were serv-
ing with the regular, reserved or
auxiliary forces before war broke
out and those who have enrolled
as volunteers since the war. The
figures are big indeed.
have official authority for say
ing that in all probability all the
new classes will be called to the COL
ors before the end of the year, when
this country will have rather more
than 100000 men under arms.
1t is not possible within the lin
Its Of a column to amplify further
this new military effort, and I feel
that something should be said about
the measure of rationing this coun-
try has accepted. As Is known, the
rationed commodities are butter,
butchers meat, bacon, ham and
sugar. and in some cases, sugar for
instance, rationing has been estab-
lished not so much because there is
any likelihood of sugar shortage,
but in order to cut down imports
from foreign countries so as to con-
serve foreign exchange and to save
valuable shipping space. Meat is
rat1oned so that the fighting serv-
ices should have full allowance un-
disturbed by possible shipping delays
In the importation of meat from
overseas and also in order to con-
serve shipping space again.
There has already been a relaxa-
ton in the rationing of bacon and
ham. IT you want to buy these for
home consumption you must sur
render certain food coupons, but
both bacon and ham as well as rea-
sonable quantities of butter and
sugar are served without coupons in
restaurants.
Ration Comparisons.
1t Is interesting to compare some
Of the British rations with those
enforced in Germany. Sugar, for
instance, is distributed at the rate
OF IL ounces per head per week in
England, while in Germany the
consumer receives only 8A ounces.
Butter is allowed up to a quarter of
q pound in England and up to S
ounces, which is rather more, in
Germany, but this does not take
into account the unrestricted issue
Of butter in English restaurants.
Lard and margarine are strictly
rationed in Germany, but not ra-
toned in this country, while of milk
there is none to be had in Germany
except for small children, whereas
here 1t is entirely unrationed.
It should be remembered that it is
perfectly possible to live In the