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engine of extortion by unscrupulous protégés against defenceless Arabs, unjust claims have been enforced against innocent people, and persons have been imprisoned without any redress. These abuses

have been committed with impunity under the sanction of the representatives of foreign Powers, which has, without doubt, contributed very much to the opposition offered by the Moorish Government to any further advantages being granted to Christians, because they use unmercifully the privileges which they have already gained. We cannot say that the European Powers are fully aware • of the abuses carried on under their name. We venture to think that, if they were really acquainted with the matter, they would adopt some measures for removing these scandals, which are a disgrace to Europe. We fully admit that in the present state of the Moorish empire, protection is necessary for carrying on commercial relations with the interior; but we think the consuls ought to have used greater vigilance, so as to have prevented protection being made an engine for oppression, instead of being used for the advancement of legitimate trade.

We are of opinion that protection, as now established in Morocco, should be abolished altogether. We consider that every one of the Sultan's subjects should pay legitimate taxes towards the support of the government of the country; but then it must be a

government that will give liberty and security to life and property, and administer the law justly. This cannot be expected from the present Moorish Government, which is utterly corrupt: therefore the Shereefian Government must be reformed before any improvement can take place in the country. The establishment of international tribunals is the only effectual way by which such reformation can be carried out, for these courts would be open to Christians, Jews, and Moors alike. That an institution of this nature is the only remedy for the evil which presses so heavily on Morocco, is the unanimous opinion of all those we consulted on the subject. In order to carry out this beneficent measure, we would urge that England, which carries on two-thirds of the commerce of Morocco, should call a conference of the various European Powers together for determining the reforms which are necessary for the wellbeing and prosperity of the inhabitants of Morocco. In the interests of commerce and civilisation, we trust that the Powers will cast aside their mutual jealousy, and join with one voice to put an end to a scandal which is a disgrace to Europe. If these reforms are carried out in a just spirit, Morocco in a few years may become one of the richest countries in the world, and Europe generally will benefit by its prosperity and ad

vancement.

DONALD MACKENZIE.

THE GROWING UNPOPULARITY OF MILITARY SERVICE.

THE question as to how long England will continue to be able to fill up the annual vacancies in the ranks of her army, by means of our old-world system of voluntary enlistment and recruiting, with the same conditions of pay and other general advantages as are at present in vogue, is one which must inevitably press more and more urgently upon the consideration of those who are responsible for the numerical strength and efficiency of the army. The reason why the urgency of this question grows greater and greater as each year goes by is, that during the last decade or so it has been growing more and more evident that the time is fast approaching when the present system of recruitment and enlistment must come to an end; simply because it will no longer continue to supply an adequate yearly quota of able-bodied and efficient recruits for the ranks. When that time does arrive in the near future-and the signs of its coming are so many and so plain that "he who runs may read"-then, one of two things must inevitably occur; either the pay, position, and prospects of the soldier must be greatly improved, or, if this is not done, no Government can continue to allow the vast majority of young Englishmen to evade altogether, as they do at present, the burden of personal service in some modified form, at any rate for the purposes of home defence. In fact, in creased pay or a conscription, in some form or another, are the only alternatives.

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I propose, therefore, in this article to consider what our present system of enlistment has done

for the country during the last eighteen or twenty years, what it is doing at present, and what it is likely in the future to effect. Furthermore, I will endeavour to point out the main facts which plainly show that military service is waning more and more in popular favour.

The main thing that the shortservice system has effected for the country during the last two decades is well known to all, and is soon told. It has given the country what it never had beforeviz., the First Class Army Reserve, a force consisting of upwards of 53,000 trained soldiers, available for filling up the ranks on the outbreak of war. The reality and efficiency of this force may be said, on the several occasions on which it has been called out, to have fully answered the expectations which were originally formed of it. In a word, this Army Reserve is, in spite of many shortcomings and deficiencies, a great fact, and constitutes a most valuable and welcome addition to the military and defensive resources of the country.

On the other hand, it must be borne in mind that the Army Reserve is the outcome, and represents the survival, of an enormous number of short-service enlistments during the last ten or twelve years; that it has no annual training; and that the systematic neglect with which the reservists have been treated by the War Office, and consequently by the country generally, have done much to extend, to deepen, and to accentuate the prejudices against military service that unfortunately exist among a large

section of our population, and which prevent the trade of a soldier from ever becoming a popular or desirable calling in the eyes of the working classes.

In order, however, the better to obtain a just and adequate idea of what our recruiting system is doing for the country at present, and what it is likely in the future to effect, it will be necessary, first, to take a retrospective glance at the history of its working during the last eighteen or twenty years.

It is well known that during the above period the army authorities have had a long uphill and toilsome task to perform. During that period continuous efforts have been made to develop to the utmost the recruiting for the army, to raise the comfort and wellbeing of the soldiers, and to render military service attractive to the classes from which recruits are likely to be obtained. These efforts have been hampered and impeded by many causes, and the difficulties with which the army authorities have had to deal have been neither slight nor few.

On the other hand, it would be a mistake to lose sight of the fact that they have had some counterbalancing advantages on their side, which may be enumerated as follows:

In order to aid them in their efforts they have had, of course, the State Treasury, with its practically unlimited funds at their back; several continued periods of great depression in the labour market- —a state of affairs which is always somewhat favourable to recruiting; a population which, during the whole period under review, has been increasing by leaps and bounds, and which, consequently, has been affording every year a larger number of youths of

eligible age from which recruits can be drawn. Last, but not least, they have had the great advantage of being able to count upon a continuous policy and system of recruiting being carried out by successive War Ministers, irrespective of all considerations of policy or party.

Seeing, then, that the recruiting department has had all these advantages to back it, the public and the country in general may reasonably be justified in thinking that, after the lapse of nearly two decades, recruiting might fairly be expected to be established upon a firm basis, and to give good promise and augury of success for the future.

As an aid to the formation of a correct judgment upon this point, I will begin by quoting from the official figures, annually published, the number of recruits annually obtained during the last seven years-viz., from 1883-1889, both years inclusive :—

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A brief analysis of these figures will serve to show and explain what their true significance really is.

It will be seen that in the year 1884, 35,754 recruits were obtained. In 1885 the number rose to 39,552, which was the highest number of recruits ever enlisted in any one year. In 1887 the number sank to 30,751; and in 1888 to 24,719. Now, it should be borne in mind that the years 1885 and 1886 were those during which the long-continued depression of trade and manufacture was

at its worst—a condition of affairs which is always more or less favourable to recruiting. As a direct and natural consequence, the number of recruits who joined the service was greater than ever before. Even during this most favourable period, however,―i.e., 1883-1886 it was not found possible to obtain the requisite number of recruits without, on two occasions, lowering the standard of chest measurement and height for some sixteen months. Last year, moreover, the same device had again to be resorted to-viz., in the Foot Guards and Artillery, both of which are branches of the service in which it was most desirable that no further reduction should take place. In 1887 the number of men offering themselves for enlistment had sunk to 60,976, as against 74,991 in 1886, a decrease of close upon 14,000 men; and the number of recruits enlisted was 30,751. In 1888 the number of men offering themselves for enlistment was less than in 1887 by nearly 12,000 men; and the number of recruits obtained sank to 24,719, showing a further decrease of more than 6000 men. It had become plain to every one by this time that if this alarming annual decrease was allowed to continue at this rate, the British army would soon disappear, and that therefore something must be done. As every means and device which might be calculated to attract recruits had long ago been tried, and might well be deemed to be utterly played out, there was no alternative open to the War Office authorities but to reduce either the standard of height, of chest

measurement, or of age in some branches of the service. As these standards had already all been reduced in the infantry, down to a point beyond which it was impossible to go, it was decided to reduce the standard of height by half an inch in the Artillery and brigade of Guards. At the same time it was also found necessary to lower both the height and chest measurement of the drivers of the Royal Engineers by one inch-viz., to 5 feet 3 inches of height, and 33 inches round the chest.1 The net result of these measures was that 53,888 men offered themselves for medical examination, and that the number of recruits actually enlisted was brought up to 29,401. With regard to the artillery, 1299 more artillery recruits were enlisted than in 1888. This increased number, however, was probably obtained at the expense of the infantry, which was at the beginning of this year 4500 men below its establishment.

During last year it was estimated that 34,500 recruits would be needed-i.e., 5100 in excess of the numbers raised during 1889.

Taking these and other collateral figures and facts, which easily come to the knowledge of any one who seeks information upon this subject, into consideration, let us see what is the actual position, and what are the actual prospects, of recruiting at the present time.

Leaving out all side issues and unimportant details, the essential facts of the case may be summed up as follows-viz. :

Firstly, That during the years 1886, 1887, and 1888, the numbers

1 It is a grave and significant fact that, though the physique of our population has, as is universally admitted, greatly improved during the last twenty or thirty years, the standards of chest measurement and height are now as low as, or lower than, they have ever been.

of recruits annually obtained dwindled from 39,552 to 24,719, and that in the year 1889 the number could only be brought up to 29,401 by reducing the standard of height for the Artillery, the Foot Guards, and the drivers in the Engineers.

Secondly, That even these results were only achieved after having, on three occasions, made such reductions in the standards for chest measurement and height that no margin for further reductions has been left upon which to fall back in time of need.

Thirdly, That these results have been obtained only after every means and device to make known the advantages of a soldier's career, and to make the terms of service as elastic and palatable to all who would be likely to enlist, has been resorted to, till it would seem that in this direction ingenuity could no further go.

Fourthly, That in spite of all that has been done during the last fifteen or twenty years, with the object of popularising the service and bettering the conditions of the soldier, there is no improvement, physically or socially, in the class of young men who enlist; that the supply of recruits is as precarious as ever, and as much dependent upon the fluctuations of trade and the demands of the labour market as it was two decades ago.

Fifthly, That in six years out of the last seven, the establishment of the army has never been up to its normal strength; and that on the 1st of January of last year this deficiency amounted

to more than 4500 men.

Sixthly, That though our population during the decade of 187080 increased by leaps and bounds, there is now no corresponding increase in the number of recruits coming forward for enlistment.

Seventhly, That inasmuch as more than 450,000 short-service recruits have during the last twenty years or so been enlisted in the army, the conditions, the advantages, and the disadvantages of army service are now thoroughly well

known and understood throughout the United Kingdom, and that, therefore, there is no reasonable ground for supposing that recruits will in future enlist in greater numbers than at present, or that the service will become more popular.

Eighthly, That although the War Office only requires recruits to be 5 feet 4 inches in height and 33 inches round the chest, and from 115 lb. to 128 lb. in weight, the men and youths who offered themselves for enlistment were last year of such poor physique that 47 per cent of them were rejected upon medical examination, and this, too, after the lame, the halt, and the weakly had previously been sifted out by the recruiting sergeant as being manifestly unfit to send up for medical examination at all.

Lastly, That during the year 1889, out of a total strength of all arms of 210,298, only 5639 men were found willing to extend their service. In other words, about 97 per cent of our soldiers were well content, after an experience of some years of the service, to leave it. Considering how highly prized and sought after Government service is in all other departments of the State, no greater proof of the unpopularity of military service could be shown than these figures reveal.

It must surely be thought by any one who looks at these facts dispassionately, and with a desire to come to an impartial judgment upon them, that this is a result with which the country cannot

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