<18 Beech Range, Levenshulme, Manchester,>
[OOL]|
Dear Old Friend, ~~ Weeks before [OOL]| this reaches you the general compulsion business [OOL]| will be in operation. I refuse to acquiesce in [OOL]| this, as they have, in my opinion, utterly failed [OOL]| to show military the responsibility, first, of [OOL]| maintaining the necessity for it. As you will have [OOL]| observed this country has been saddled with navy [OOL]| equal to all requirements for the Allies, in [OOL]| itself a very big order, as it has meant, and [OOL]| still means, an enormous production of [OOL]| battleships, cruisers, torpedo boats, destroyers, [OOL]| mine sweepers, etc. etc. Second, this country is [OOL]| saddled with the financing of the war for the [OOL]| Allies and Dominions, again a very considerable [OOL]| task, which is only possible by the production of [OOL]| value by industrial workers. Third, we are further [OOL]| called upon to be the chief munitions factory for [OOL]| the Allies. After accepting all these [OOL]| responsibilities, and on the understanding that [OOL]| the Allies, particularly Russia, had enormous [OOL]| numbers of men who could, and would be, equipped [OOL]| for the Front if only supplied with essentials and [OOL]| maintained ~~ after all this, they actually demand [OOL]| that every man of military age (other than a few [OOL]| hundred thousand specially exempted) shall leave [OOL]| the country and actively participate in the war. [OOL]| Asquith states that over five millions have joined [OOL]| the fighting forces since the war began, and there [OOL]| is only another quarter of a million available, [OOL]| and Russia alone has 20,000,000. This is fact ~~ [OOL]| the Allies' forces, without Britain, amount to [OOL]| 30,000,000, that is, the men of fighting age, on [OOL]| the same basis of calculation as the enemy [OOL]| countries, have 20,000,000.
It is [OOL]| political faking, and as a delegate to the [OOL]| Scottish Trade Union Congress, held last week in [OOL]| Glasgow, I opposed conscription, and it was [OOL]| carried by a good majority. In Glasgow I was with [OOL]| a group of fellows, such as Bailie Stewart, [OOL]| Councillor Turner, and others, and very kindly [OOL]| enquiries were made about yourself, and a glass [OOL]| was raised to you, etc. etc. Hyndman, as you will [OOL]| have learned, was at the Conference of the British [OOL]| Socialist Party (into which the old S.D.F. was [OOL]| merged five years ago) at Easter here in [OOL]| Manchester, and the majority being less favorable [OOL]| to war, and all that is connected with it, made it [OOL]| uncomfortable for Hyndman, Dan Irving, and the old [OOL]| gang to such an extent that nearly a third of the [OOL]| total number, headed by Hyndman, left the Congress [OOL]| and ran a little show of their own. Still another [OOL]| Socialist Party has been formed, as no doubt you [OOL]| will have seen if you still look at [OOL]|
My family [OOL]| are all pretty well. Tom and Bob, the two boys you [OOL]| will remember in Australia, are pretty tall, as [OOL]| you will see by the photo card I enclose. Tom [OOL]| indulges in rhyming, and sometimes touches the [OOL]| spot. I enclose some lines he knocked off roughly. [OOL]| I thought them pretty good, though very blunt. [OOL]| Hoping to have the pleasure of fraternising. [OOL]| ~~
Sincerely yours,