WHY NOT A CENSUS OF TRAINED MEN P rr0 TUE
EDITOR OF TIM "SPROTATOR."J SIR,-"eill your editorial comment at the foot of Mr. Rowland Hunt's letter re universal military training published in the Spectator of the 19th inst., with respect to trained men resident in this country who do not at present belong to any unit of the national forces, you say : "The first thing, how- ever, is to get the names and addresses, and that is a moat arduous and perplexing task," On reading this comment it occurred to me that a simple, economical, and effectual way of obtaining the desired information would be to include in the next Census-papers two additional columns for the insertion of a plain " Yea" or "No" by men only; the first answering the query, "Have you ever belonged to any unit of the national forces P "; the second, "In the event of national danger, are you able and willing to take up arms in defence of your country ?" With the reliable first-hand information thus automatically obtained in their possession, it would then be an easy task for the Government per circular vid the County Associations to gather the further detailed particulars, necessary to their organisation, of the military training of such of the men of this country as had answered in the affirmative both queries.—I atii, Sir, &o.,
JAMES ALEX. ANDERSON.
Oaken, near Wolverhampton.
[The proposal is an excellent one, and will be approved by the majority of sensible men. We fear, however, that this fact will not make the present or any other Government willing to take it up,—unless, of course, sufficient Parlia- mentary pressure were brought to bear upon them.—En. Spectator.]
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