James Arthurs
Conservative (1867-1942)
Mr. ARTHURS:
gent was proposed, many of our people thought it was entirely unnecessary. This number has been increased from time to time, until, according to the figures that we now have before us, 420,000 men have enlisted. During the fall of
1915, and the beginning of the spring of
1916, an extraordinary effort was put forward, through most of the provinces of Canada, for recruiting. Hundreds of men and women gave their services voluntarily and freely to help this cause. Hundreds ,of thousands of dollars were subscribed by private parties to this end. Meetings were held in every city, town and hamlet in Ontario, and many other provinces, and the result was that we raised many battalions in a very short time. But the number of men willing to enlist decreased, and eventually, it became very difficult to secure recruits. Some pepple say that politics was the reason why voluntary recruiting failed. There may be something in that, Mr. Speaker, but if there is, the blame lies, not upon the party on this side of the House, but upon those on the other side, whp repeatedly went round, declaring that the whole game was "Tun along political lines. However, the real reasons for this falling off were; in the first place, in some parts, particularly the province of Ontario, that every available man had gone to the front. It was npt thought possible to secure more recruits, because they were not there, and, in the other case, the only men who were left were men who were absolutely essential to the workings of the farm and the industries in that part of the province.
Subtopic: DEBATE CONTINUED ON MOTION FOR SECOND READING AND ON THE AMENDMENTS.