29 MARCH 1946, Page 12

"WHY CONSCRIPTION ? "

Sta,—D. E. Estcourt's views of army life in peace-time are strange indeed, and seem to be hopelessly confused with purely war and imme- diate post-war phenomena, such as crimes of violence, &c. We had only a few months of peacetime conscription in this country before the out- break of war, and my own personal experience in this connection may be of some slight interest. I rejoined my depot, as a Regular Army Reservist, after seven years of work among the working-class youth of this country. A few months later I wrote a brief article for The Bo% , giving my impressions of these " Boys in Uniform," and ending with the following sentences: " Fitted together they make a picture of British youth, and of our own civilisation, of which we have good reason to he reasonably proud. But the most striking feature of that picture—the cheerful happiness of the men—is also its most disturbing feature. These young men, unless my impressions of the last years and the last months are all wrong, laugh and senile far more here than they do to civil life. Can it be because they have found in the Army life in war-time so many of the things which they have wanted often perhaps in peacetime, and which our civilisation has failed to give them? Things like a common cause to work for, good comradeship, a shared loyalty, adventure, good health and security of employment? If my guess is right, and I sincerely believe it is, there is much to be done on the Home Front to put our house in order, before these lads return (as God grant most will!) to

claim the just reward of their present sacrifices—a fuller and a better life in the country they have helped to defend."

Since that time, the Army has made tremendous developments in every aspect of welfare and education, and continues to do so. There are, I think, a number of good reasons against conscription and in favour of carrying the many fine things which the Services have done for the men's welfare into civilian life instead, and I would strongly recommend that line of argument to all those who are opposed to conscription and have the welfare of this country's youth at heart.—Yours, &c.,