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Show oo LORD DERBY'S RECRUITS. It is a little puzzling to understand )the demand on the part of the British J government for a compulsory milltarj I enactment by parliament in the face of Lord Derby's recruiting figures as published today. Nearly three million men offered themselves for service between Oct 23 and Dec. 15, a period of 53 days, if we accept the report just made pub lie as correct. Prior to Lord Derby's recruiting campaign, British writers placed the number of men at the front and in training at 3,000,000. This would give a total of close to 6,000,000, or figures so large as to Indicate the unrella bility of either Lord Derby's attestations attesta-tions or the announced enlistments before October 23. If 2,829,263 Britishers responded vol untarily to the call to arms, in addition addi-tion to the millions who had been placed in training within the first twelve months of the war, there is uo great need for conscription except to compel the real shirk to do his part. The Lord Derby figures must prove most confusing to the average American Ameri-can who has been trying to determine lo what extent England has responded respond-ed in men to the aid of her allies. nrv |