Turning to the question of the numbers and wastage of
our armies, Mr. Asquith said that some three million men, first and last, had "offered themselves to the country." But he did not make it clear .whether this number included those who were under an obligation to serve at the begin- ning of the war. As the matter is extremely important, we hope the ambiguity will be cleared up. The casualties had been 380,000, but happily the rate of recovery from wounds is such that the net wastage was considerably less. He briefly reviewed the military situation in France, Flanders, and the Dardanelles, and noted the failure of the German attempt to crush the Russian armies. All recent evidence would confirm the view that the war, though dominated by splendid acts of personal heroism and regi- mental prowess, was to a large extent a war of mechanism, organization, and endurance. In conclusion, he pleaded eloquently for a ban on the sinister spectre of domestic strife. We must be all ready to give and take and take and give.
