LORD DERBY'S SCHEME. rTo THE EDITOR OP THE . "SPECTATOR.""] Sin,—In
your last issue you say :— "Under Lord Derby's scheme the man of from thirty-eight to forty, with a wife and family, will know that he is in the last of the forty-six groups, and thus will not be called upon until the men less qualified for exemption have done their duty.. They will know that they are not to be called upon unless the need is absolute."
Is this strictly correct P Are you justified in assuming that the single, young men who have ignored the many appeals made to them since the war commenced will at last do their duty P Do you think that the married man with a family of young children is justified in relying upon these selfish young men not calculating that, if they just hang on a little longer to their painful position, they may get relief from the hardships of service for quite a long time through the enlistment of so many married men, and may, indeed, succeed in escaping service altogether P Is it not possible that, through the con- tinued failure of the single men to do their duty, married men may find themselves called up long before you expect P And these young men will still be in the position to come and see the married men off to the front I I am one of those whom you describe as being eligible for Class 46—aged thirty- eight with a family of young children, a wife, and an invalid mother to maintain. I am anxious to do what is right, and am willing to take my part in shouldering the country's burden at the present time, but I am afraid I would feel more of a "slacker" if I enlisted than if I refrained from doing so. Why not advocate compulsion for those single men who fail to respond to the present call? And then when more men are wanted you will see such a response from the married men who remain as will astonish the country. They will feel then that the necessity is real.—I am, Sir, &o., 8 Cambridge Boa, Crosby, Liverpool. A. A. SNODGRASS.
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