1939-05-23 — Page 6

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH, TUESDAY, MAY 23, 19.39.

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The Press

JS an unfortunate commentary од the state of world affairs to-day, that the Journalist, and the newspaper, have found themselves severely criticised for no other rea-. cor-than that much of the news published is of an alarmist" nn-

ture.

have

Some unthinking people even gone so far as to attribute to the Press the warlike atmosphere that is disturbing their minds.

is asserted that newspapers thrive on "wars and rumours of war," Those who make such an asser- tion are sadly out of line with netuality, The "Straits Times" re- cently gave vent to its feelings when - stated: "If anyone is tempted to

liken

newspaper slot to the witches of Macbeth,' stirring a hell's broth with evil delight, he is sadly mistaken. Many

a

Hitler: "What's all the fuss about? I was only going to serenade the lady."

IF BRITAIN WERE ATTACKED-5

Conscription the truth

H

BY LIEUT.-COL. T. A. LOWE

WE

AD the crisis of last, Beptember developed Into war it is reasonable to suppose that. should have had Conscription and soon found ourselves, as in the Great War, raising armies on the Continental pattern.

They would have been poor armies with the minimum of training. Inspired with the valour of ignorance they would have headed for disaster.

umin

Colonel Lowe served with distinction in France and Belgium, winning the D.S.O. and M.C. He was wounded twice. He is a well-known writer on

military topics.

there was another vast volunteer movement, stimulated by the citi- zen's natural Instinct to defend himself.

That is one reason why the word "Conscription" is so much dis- trusted in this country; we feel in- stinctively that it means chaos. Inefficiency a journalist hins

and Incompetence. In Great Britain we feel that

'cannon fodder " and "Conscrip--this tion are synonymous terms simply because we know by bitter experience that they mean much the same thing.

been sickened by the contents and | emphasis and atmosphere of his own newspaper in recent inonths, when the state of crisis has becoine al- most chronic in Europe; indeed, the reaction is perhaps stronger in film" than in the publie for the Intter can refuse to read the news, whereas he must deal with all day long. Therefore the journalist understands why it is that the public, reading ils newspapers day after day, has felt a growing disgust at the end- less tales of rearmament and In- ternational threats;"

The trouble is that the reader is liable to become parochial, rather thun International, in his outlook. He is liable to blame the particular newspaper. which'ho reads, and to unthinkingly brand it as "scra tional when the news' published causes him some apprehension. He falls. entirely to realise that, could he peruse a representative selection of the world's Press, on any par Heular day, he would discover the same substance of news,

Should he possess a radio set, he may tune in to a tirade by ono of the world's political figureheads, and with a sense of triumph, can cut out the flow of, oratory which in- sults him and his country. Never- theless, he must realise that all is not well in the world to-day. To merely refuse to hear will not re- move the tragic state, of affairs, It is better that the true conditions should be appreciated at their full value, rather than to refuse to Us len or to read,

I BELIEVE that one volunteer is worth ten pressed men. I have the utmost faith in both our Regular and Auxiliary Bervices, and a tre- mendous admiration for those men who alled the ranks the Auxillary Services long before the country as a whole realised the extent of the danger with which it was threatened.

The citizen sailor, soldier, or air- - man had no delusions about the commitments to which they were pledged. Honeyed words from Cabinet Ministers mean nothing to them now because they have read the history of previous volunteer* movements in this country.

Exactly eighty years ago, under the shadow of a French invasion,

tion of news are privileged to .at- tend conferences with Government spokesmen throughout the Empire.

It is not suggested that such con- ferences provide the news, for such is not their object. The official at- tllude merely recognises the useful- ness of the newspapers, and wisely assists in explaining matters of na- tional importance as circumstances may warrant,

It is true that throughout the. world, some newspapers do play up to sensationalism, but in the last analysis, it is the reader who must judge for himself as to the phasis placed upon current events by means of cold type.

em-

It would not assist matters if the bellicose utterances of certain Dic- tafora were to be denied publicity. Many people to-day call to mind, The fact that Hitler's remarkable the sober appearance of the news- creed "Mein Kampf", has proved a popers of their youth, forgetting the best seller outside his own country, great difference in the atmosphero indicates that peoples of the rest of of those days as compared with that the world are eager to know what ruling to-day. Newspapers

have

Is likely to happen, be it a calamity not created the Hitlers and Musso- or otherwise.

linda of the present.. era, no inore

no

Britain has always shied at the than they could have been held-res- very thought of conscription,

ponsible" for the utterances" of "the matter how sugar-coated the pill England: Their mission is to record Neros, the Roman Invasion of Today, the people of the British Isles have accepted cumpulsory ser- the dally happenings of the world

vice, for none other reason than the

fact that they realise that the stern rentities of the, moment must be faced with resolution and grim de termination.bi

as they accur every hour of the day, and should those happenings cause the reader to recoll in either the fault apprehension or disgust, does not. He with those who enden- vour faithfully to record events.

The size of the typo cannot after the sense of the news, although it

It does not matter whether "The Times" or the "Daily Mail" may be the choice. It does not matter may emphasise the gravity.""

whether the facts are présented in

· The newspaper: endeavours to › re-

a simple manner or blazoned in fiect public opinion; it gives the headlines, they still remain facts, news of the hour, and whether that

It is probably not realised by the average render of a newspaper, that those responsible for the presents

is pleasant or otherwise, it must be conceded that It is generally based upon fact and not fiction,

THE movement to organise voluntary ser- vice for defence thus celebrates its eightieth birthday

year. The task which we are ̈* to-day facing with confidence is to make a held force of 340,000 citi- zens, all of whom will be prepared. equipped and trained to meet the event of lear in any theatre.

The immensity of this effort has for the

moment overshadowed the fine work which is also being done by Auxillaries in the Navy and the Air Force. The Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve consists of 133,310 officers and ratings, who disappear into the Navy on mobili- sation.

These men are trained at Lon- don, Clyde, East Scotland, Mersey, Bevern, Bussex, Tyne and Belfast; and additional ships are about to be added at Southampton, Cardiff and Hull.

The cost of this Reserve for the coming year will be about £472,700, and as a distinguished Naval officer put it to me, "It is the cheapest bargain the Admiralty ever made."

A much larger proportion of the

Air Estimates vast sum of £205,000,000 will be expended on the Auxiliary Air Force, which in- barrage

cludes the balloon

squadrons.

Training in the Auxiliary Air Force, which includes twenty fly- ing units of the RAF, Voluntary Reserve, is dono in the volunteer's letauro hours. He does this, 50. that, should the need arise, he may be able to take his place in ser- vice squadrons without delay.

It is one thing to talk glibly about "conscription," but another to put into practice.

Men without weapons and equip. ment

"cannon quickly become fodder in modern warfare, and already I observe a dangerous tendency to count them in terma of rifles instead of fre-units.

of

We have enough rifles to arm everyone who joins up," said Mr. Ilore-Bellaha, but I trust he meant that the rifle was only the begin ning of the equipment effort.

If this huge Field Force 340,000 men is mean anything at all it must be modelled in terms of small, ferible Infantry divisions trained to use Bren guns, anti-tank

rifles, Carden-Lloyd carriers, and mortars, as well as the rifle.

be allowed to get a grip in Great Britain as it did in the Great War. Everything is changed. To begin with we have a clear-cut policy.

The Territorial Army is divided into two parts with two distinctive roles (8) Home Defence, to repel Invasion by air and sea, and (b) a Field Force to meet the event of war overseas.

N-

When Mr. -Hore-Belleha nounced the restoration of Home Defence to priority, he gave those engaged in anti-aircraft and Coast Defence work. sense of recognised importance which they had previously lacked.

Recruit. ing was stimulated to such an ex- tent that the Government decided to increase the A-A divisions (all of which belong to the Terri torials), from five to seven, and thum create a covering force of guns and searchlights for the whole of Great Britain. A big effort is now in progress to equip these divisions to the required establishments.

And rightly so-but simultane- ously the Field Force of the T.A. reached its peace-time establish- ment of 130,000 monand, the same concentrated effort to equip them is not apparent.

NOW

that this 'Field Force has been made up to its war strength and the whole is in process of being doubled, the armament situation This sudden doubling of its becomes more critical than ever..

strength came as a complete sur- prise to the Territorial Army, as doubticas

it mite

must have done to the armament industry. So far as the TA. 18 concerned, the organisa÷'

as it stands is excellent, and

forces

will gain

tion

our

citizen enormous prestige.

But the armament industry must see to it that men are not sent to camp for training with nothing but a rifle.

For too many stagnant years the Infantry has been playing at a form of training which everyone knew to be obsolete." "Field day's were only too common in which the troops banged off blank ammuni- tion in the manner of Uttle boys playing at gangsters.

THE czy must be-we have the men, we have. the

and, by were money, Jingo, we must have the proper

material and weapons with which to train them! Otherwise and volunteer is NOT worth ten pro.sed men. Instead he will find himself on the same basis as the millions of half-trained; goose- stepping conscripts whose minds are filled with a delusion.

That, delusion must never again

GRIN AND BEAR IT

By Lichty

NIFTY

SE STAND

BRUSH

BEHIND

CO.

EVERY

BRUSH

SALES

FOOT

MOR

some reason our married salesmen seem to be more cautious

sbout pestering Housesolves them our alggle men!

This foolery may de repeated and the whole voluntary effort dissipated unless the equipment for training on modern lines is forthcoming. The men are not joining up for Baturday-afternoon soldiering, or for holidays in the Bunlight. They are enlisting to be trained as a citizen army in the up-to-dato. defence of country.

SOMETIMES

their

one won-

ders if we are not trying them too highly and overlanding the willing horse. As a Territorial officer said to me recently: "If only I'd joined the Regulars Instead, I might

have: found time for my business," and this is a point of view which the Government must consider before plung further responsibilities and commitments upon the Territorial Army and

Upon

our auxillaries in general,

There is a great stirring in the hearts of the people, a new pride of race evident on all aldes--but this must not be over-exploited, For the moment this great volun- tary spirit of service must be har- nessed to armaments, but some day the danger will pass.

Whether he has taken part in an Expeditionary Force or not, our eltizen soldier, sailor or altman will be none the less a hero. And let it be emphasised now-ho will expect and be entitled to a land fit for heroes to live in.

WIDOW, 90, LIVES ALONE

Conneaut, O... Ninety-year-old Mrs. Marlotta Annis has lived alone since her huk=`.` band died in 1921. She keeps her own house, cooks, her own meals, "And I like it," she said. "It gives. me time to think, "egynde a