LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
MEN, MEN, MEN.
[To TH. EDITOR 07 7HZ "ErECTATOR...] SIE,—Referring to your article in last week's Spectator on the need for more men, would it not be worth while for one or more of the great London daily papers to obtain and publish at frequent intervals statistics of the results of recruiting in the counties and large towns ? Our own county, Surrey, has undoubtedly done well; but we can hardly claim to be more patriotic in Surrey than the folks of other counties. I have had some experience during the last few weeks of recruiting in the towns and villages of West Surrey, and have found considerable variations in the relation per cent, of men serving in H.M. forces to the population of the towns and villages. In some villages the percentage is as high as 9, and in more than one village I have been told that there is not another man of military age available. In the towns the percentage is lower ; but in one case it is as high as 7. The statistics for a small district comprising three towns and thirty-four villages in West Surrey, up to the middle of September, gave an average of 4'7 per cent. Now, if we put the population of the whole kingdom roughly at forty-five millions, a percentage of 44 would give us over two millions, surely not a high proportion even if raised by voluntary methods. We may, I think, assume that the fight- ing forces recruited from the United Kingdom reached by the second week in August about one million. The extra million demanded by Lord Kitchener will, when obtained, bring the percentage up to the above figure. West Surrey, at any rate, has provided its full 44 per cent., and by effort and organiza- tion other districts could do as well. Some may have done better ; but many must be backward, otherwise we should have had our two millions long before this. I believe the War Office has a permanent recruiting organization under selected officers, each responsible for a regimental district. If those
who have done well were to exchange districts with those who have failed to get a good average number of recruits, perhaps better results might follow. In any case, it could do no harm if the public were informed as to local progress, and if a spirit of rivalry could be introduced between counties and towns.—
Colonel Commanding 5th (Reserve) Battalion The Queen's (Royal West Surrey) Regiment.
Guildford.
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