London, Jan. 19. The Labour Conference and Mr.
—_continuing, Asquith spent ninety minutes in said that the Bill would en- discussion, chiefly of the possible showing that use of the Compulsory Military Service Bill against members of the trade unions.
Mr. Asquith gave the fullest assurances that such use of the Bill would be entirely against the intentions of the Government and offered to consider favourably any safeguards they liked to propose, A statement made with reference to the resignations of the Labour Ministers says that, after a discussion with Mr. Asquith, the Labour members of the House of Commons and the National Labour Executive considered the statement made by the Premier. As a conference of the Party will be held at Bristol at the end of the month—when the whole subject will be discussed—it was decided to withdraw the resignations of the Labour Ministers meanwhile.
In the House of Commons to-day the Rt. Hon. H. J. Tennant, Under-Secretary of State for War, said that it was estimated that military wastage during the current year would be fifteen per cent. per month.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.