NATIONAL SERVICE BY CONSENT.
[To THE EDITOR 07 THE "SPECTATOR."] S1R,—I have just read with the utmost interest your article on " National Service by Consent," and the scheme as outlined by you meets with my entire approval as regarded from two standpoints : first, the insurance of the country against invasion, and, second, the physical and moral benefit to the boys themselves. Concerning the first., the advantage would come not so much from the superior military training of such a force (though I grant that up to a certain point), but rather from its enormously increased numerical strength, and the great moral effect which this could not fail to have on other nations.
As regards the second standpoint, as you rightly say, "No one can doubt that our young men would morally and intellectually as well as physically benefit by this training," and therefore the scheme on this ground should be cordially welcomed by every student of social reform and by all political parties. Personally, however, I have not up to now been an advocate of National Service and universal training, because of the hardship to the working classes in cases where the boys contribute to the household funds, especially where they form the sole support ; and, secondly, because of the serious interference with the trade and commerce of the country that would be caused, not only by the first four (or six) months' continuous training, but also, and much more seriously, by the withdrawal of all boys between seventeen and twenty-one years of age, for fifteen days' training every year, a withdrawal which must be simultaneous in all the towns in a certain area to admit of company, battalion, brigade, and divisional training being properly carried out. The first difficulty would be got over to a certain extent—though only to a limited extent— in the case of town lads by the lodging allowance you suggest, but not at all in the case of the country lads, who would have to pay for their lodgings at the training centres— and I, for one, should be grateful for any further suggestions you can offer for dealing with these two points.
I hardly agree (though I have never served as a Territorial) with your remarks as to the unfitness of the Territorial Force for active service. I had the honour of commanding the first Volunteer Active Service Company sent from this country to South Africa during the war, and though the period of training after mobilization was very short—I think only some fifteen or twenty days—the company on reaching the county regiment ceased to be the volunteer company and became D Company, in place of the company that had gone to mounted infantry, and took that company's place in the roster of duties. Never, to my knowledge, was any difference made between its duties and those of the other companies in the regiment, and it is satisfactory to know that at the end of its term of service the company returned home with the commendation of those under whom it had served. This was the common experience of the Volunteer Active Service Companies, and I only mention it as in some sense a reply from experience to your criticisms upon the Territorial Force.
It will be of interest to you to know that I wrote a letter to the editors of our two chief local newspapers asking them to give prominence to Mr. Strachey's letter of a fortnight ago on the National Reserve, and that as a direct result one hundred and twenty-four men joined between that date and November 29th, and that the strength of the Reserve in this county is now six hundred and seventy-four. We, of course, hope for many more recruits, but trust you will agree that this is encouraging.—I am, Sir, &c.,
[We agree as to the splendid work done in South Africa by the Service Companies, and have never joined in the outcry against the Territorials. The difficulty of recruiting is, however, becoming acute, and the burden very heavy on the willing horse. We are delighted to hear of the good results obtained in Lincolnshire for the National Reserve.— ED. Spectator.]
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