Nanking, June 30.
Able-bodied male citizens here be-
drafted for military serv tween the age of 20 and 25 are PEDE 25 are being of a nation-wide tope Pod gramme which, it is hi eventually have 40,000,000 able-bodied persons under military training in this country.
While no definite figures can be obtained at the present moment, city authorities estimate that there are 30,000 men in Nanking between, the ages of 20 and 25, but only 10,000 men will be included in the first draft. The city government has issued a lengthy statement explaining to the public the "necessity and advantages" of conscription and giving the full ext of the conscription law.
Foreign countries, it says, maintain comparatively small standing armies, thus keeping down their annual military expenditure to a minimum, but, because of their conscription programme, they are able to organize immediately millions of fighting men to defend their countries in times of national crisis.
After dwelling on the disadvantages of a mercenary army, the statement emphasizes that conscription was always enforced in China by ancient With 40,000,000 able-bodied citizens having gone through full army trairing, the statement proceeds, China will be ready to defend her rights in the event of foreign aggression, Under the conscription law, all able-bodied persons between the age of 18 and 45 will have to undergo military servic. They will be divided into four groups, according to their ages, namely, 18 to 20; 20 to 25; 25 to 40; and 40 to 45,—Reuter,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.