THE ARMY AND CLASS " B " RELEASES
Snt—One answer to Brigadier Low's qnestion, in his article of Septem- ber loth on Recruits for the Army, as to why there is practically no voluntary recruiting at the present time, is- supplied by J. W. Cheetham, in his letter in the same issue, drawing attention to the unfairness in the administration of Class " B " release's for students. The facts with regard to " B " releases appear to be as follows: On July 1st last, /under direction from the Ministry of Labour, the universities submitted their lists of candidates for " B " release, drawn from approved groups with recognised qualifications. Many, of these who were in this country have been demobilised for weeks, but others—three months later, and a week before term commences—have not heard a word, nor have the universities been informed whether they mayor may not expect them.
It may be official incompetence or callousness, or it may be that the writ of the King's Government, through the Mnistry of Labour, carries in this country but does not run in the unit commands abroad. The fact of the matter is, there are few men who believe they can expect fair treatment in the armed forces. These forces are a necessary evil in war-time, and, under the compulsion of patriotism or fear, we sacrifice to them our freedom, our individuality and our expectation of considerate treatment It will take more than Field-Marshal Montgomery's speeches to break down the natural antipathy of an Englishman to sell what individual rights he still retains as a civilian.—Yours faithfully, Lower Popeley, Liversedge, Yorkshire. H. W. EDWARDS.
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