Mr. Duff Cooper and Conscription Mr. Duff Cooper, the Minister
for War, in a speech at a luncheon given by the Mayor of Wandsworth on Monday, has, it may be hoped, removed any lurking suspicion that the Government intended to introduce conscription in peace-time ; in fact, no reasonable man ever did entertain such suspicions. Mr. Duff Cooper stated that he did not contemplate, and never had con- templated, compulsory service except in war-time. It is just as well to have that said plainly, for there is no justification or necessity for such a step and no Govern- inent could afford to take it. If any national fears have arisen, they are the result of vague hints and alarms emanating from Mr. Duff Cooper and others as to what may happen unless there is an improvement in recruiting for the Regular Army. Too many official speeches on recruiting have been couched in terms calculated to make people believe that anything may happen unless recruit- ing improves. Fortunately, Mr. Duff Cooper has come to see that the proper way to improve recruiting is to improve conditions in the Army. Improvements in the case of the Territorials have already begun to have the desired effect ; there is no shortage of recruits for the Navy, where conditions are more satisfactory. Even if there were no question of a recruiting shortage, all reasonable measures to raise standards of life and conditions of enlistment in the Regular Army ought to be taken.
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