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MOBILISING OUR __I RESERVES.

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MOBILISING OUR I RESERVES. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NATIONALI SERVICE AND CONSCRIPTION. The Right Hon. Ellis J. Griffith, K.C.. M.P. (ex-Under Secretary for the Home I Department) was on Saturday one of the speakers at a conference at Carnarvon, convened by the Lord Lieutenant of Car- narvonshire, and embracing the six North Wales counties, "To consider the urgent need of immediate mobilisation oi our country's reserves in men and materials. In the course of his remarks the right hon. gentleman said he was glad North Wales was taking its part in this move- ment. The question of national organisa- tion in relation to personal service was one that demanded earnest attention. This wais the 313th day of the war, and there had been more than a quarter of a million casualties amongst our naval and military forces The situation called for every thinking citizen to consider how far the country was doing its duty at this supreme crisis. It was a favourite fallacy to confuse national service with conscription. But whereas the latter was a method of com- pelling certain men of military age to fight, national service was a process whereby the manhood and womanhood of the country should fulfil the task best fitted for each citizen. The crucial question was, should the Government have the right to determine in what way every man and woman could best serve the country at the present moment, and in accordance with such determination to insist upon obedience. Mea were required not only to join the fighting line, but also to prepare equip- ment and ammunitions, as well as to carry on the ordinary commercial pur- suits of the country. This programme was in some respects the exact opposite of Conscription, for it would undoubtedly involve the caHing back from the ranks of the Army of many who would be able to render better service in that sphere of work. It was sometimes said that the failure of the voluntary principle was due to its success; that wasto -,ay, tie response had been so general that thousands of men had enlisted who ought not to have left the work in which they had been engaged. The truth was we had recruited those whom we ought not to ha?e recruited, and had not recruited those we ought to have recruited. There was no room for the idler at present. His (the speaker's) idea was that everyone in the country should know what work and service he or she was best fitted to render to the country. Had this task been undertaken at the outbreak of the war, we should not have been confronted with the difficulties which faced us eut present. The first step no doubt was a national register, which would enable those in authority to know the exact reserves at their disposal. The number of men between 19 and 38 was 7,000,000. Of these, more than 3,000,000 were married men. Apart altogether from the immense financial obligation which the country incurred by reason of enlisting married men he thought the duty of national defence fen first upon the unmarried. Nobody could form an opinion as to the necessities of the situation except the Government, and his advocacy of national service depended not merely nor mainly upon necessity, but rather upon considera- tions of justice and equality. Once it. was admitted that the defence of the country was an obligation tlk& should fall equally upon all who were able to render service they were driven to admit that the pres- ent pyetem worked most unfairly and most unjustly. One had only to know something of Welsh villages in order to come to the conclusion that whereas a heavy toll had been levied, willingly no doubt, upon some families, other families had escaped altogether the obligation which ought to fall upon them equally with others. He hoped that ammedate steps would be taken in North Wales to mobilise the re- serves of the six counties, that they would I discover not only the capacity of men be- tween 19 and 38, but also how far they were able by means of men over 38, boy", under 18, and women to replace men of military age who might be wanted for military or industrial duties connected with the war. It was a programme which should enlist the sympathies of all in- dependent of creed and politics. Neces- sity commends it. Justice commended it. (Applause.)

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WEDDING OF MISS MAGGIE JONES…

PONTARDULAIS EISTEDDFOD. I

PEMBREY MAN'S VIOLENCE. I

TECHNICAL EDUCATION IN WALES.I

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BISHOP OF SWANSEA. I

BRILLIANT SUCCESSES.I

SOMETHING ABOUT ALBANIA.I

OTHER PEOPLE'S BUSINESS. I

I BURRYPORT URBAN COUNCIL.

HEROES WHO DID NOT RUN AWAY.I

"HERO" GOES BACK TO PRISON.I

WITH THE AUSTRALIANS.-I

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SIXTH WELSH.I

LIGHTING REGULATIONS FOR I…

ALIENS ORDER CASES fM SWANSEA.

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I TINNED MEAT.

SOLDIERS AND HAY HARVEST.…

THE BORDERERS' BAND. I

A MASTER COOK.I

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WANTED HCCEIPT FOR A FINE.…

HIS " REVENGE." )

WAR WORKERS AND DRINK.

DID NOT HEAR THE TRAIN.

PEER'S FIGHTING SON LOST.