RECRUITING FIGURES IN IRELAND. [To THE EDITOR OF THE "

SPECTATOR.") Sue—With reference to the question of Conscription in Ireland, there is one matter that ought to be understood clearly : What has Ireland done under the existing system ? Many varying statements have been made; but fortunately we possess an authorized return as to what had taken place up to October, 191G. That may seem to be ancient history now; but it is a matter of common knowledge that there has been hardly any recruiting in Ireland since then. The return cannot be unfair to the Nationalists, as it was produced by Lord Wimborne at a Natioralist meeting in the course of a Nationalist speech. Nor can it be said that it was regarded by the Nationalists or their Radical friends in England with dissatisfaction, as Lord Wimborne described it us a " splendid contribution, from which nothing could detract "; and the Daily News promptly issued an article saying that Lord Wimborne had published a set of figures that should quench finally and for ever whatever tendency still survived to draw fallacious comparisons between the loyalty of Protestants and Catholics in Ireland; for the statistics proved conclusively what in reality it needed no statistics to demonstrate—that Ireland had met the call to her people with a splendid acceptance of sacrifice that knew no distinction of religion or party. In Ulster and Munster alike men free to enlist had enlisted with equal readi- ness. The figures which Lord Wimborne produced were as follows :- Men who have enlisted since the beginning of the war.

Roman Catholics. Protestants.

Ulster ... ••• 14,846 ... 40,049 Leinster

••• 10,681 ...

... 1,401 Connaught ... 3,791 ... 368 Munster ... ••• 15,124 990 Dublin District ••• 13,141 ... ... 3,359 Total 57,583 ... 46,167 Also, unclassed, from the Dublin District, 2,798.

In examining these figures, it is convenient to class Leinster and Dublin together (for Dublin is in Leinster) and to omit the small number of " unclassed " about whom one knows nothing. The population of Ireland, as given in the last Census, was as follows :— Ulster Leinster Connaught ...

Munster ... ... 1.62 ... 1.55 Or, taking Ireland as a whole, Protestants, 4.04; Roman Catholics, 1.77. In other words, although the Protestants are only about one-fourth of the population, they have sent more than four-ninths of the recruits.

These figures, of course, deal only with recruits. But there is no reason to suppose that if the numbers of those who have obtained commissions were added, that would change the result in favour of the Nationalists. it ie a significant fact that since the beginning of the war the number of male students at Trinity College, Dublin, has decreased by five hundred, but the number at the National University has increased by two hundred.

I do not say that those who have refused to join the Army are cowards or slackers. I do not think they are. I believe that they follow their respected leader, the Rev. Father O'Flanagan, in looking forward to the time when Ireland will be an independent country in alliance with Germany, able to use her harbours as submarine bases, from which they. could rush out and destroy the commerce of England, and starve that country in a few months. And now the English Government wish to place them in possession of Belfast Lough, so as to enable them to do so

Roman Catholics. Protestants. Total.

Ulster ... 690,816 ... 887,970 ... 1,578,786 Leinster ... 990,045 ... 168,279 1,158,324 Connaught ... 588,004 ... 22,920 ... 610,924 Munster ... ... 973,805 ... 80,850 ... 1,034,658 Total ... 3,242,670 ... 1,140,032 ... 4,382,692 The percentages of recruits are therefore as follows :—

Protestants. Roman Catholics.

... 4.52 ... ... 2.14

... 2.82 ... ... 2.40