THE BRITISH ARMY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 55, 6 March 1901, Page 4

THE BRITISH ARMY.

SPEECH BY WOI_SELE¥.

HE DENOUNCES TIJE PRESENT SYSTEM,

LANDSDOWNE STARTLES THE LORDS.

A SENSATIONAL ATTACK.

THE TRANSVAAL BLUNDER.

(By Cable.—Press Association.Copyrlght.)

(Received March S, 9.30 a.m.)

LONDON, March 5.

In the House of Lords the Duke of Bedford complained of the army system, and said it deprived the Com-mander-in-Chief of real responsibility ; Lord Raglan defended the present system. Lord Wolseley, ex-Commandfsr-in-Chiel, and in a carefully prepared speech, which lasted an hour, advocated professional control of the army, and rehabilitation of the office of Coat-mander-in-Chief. He said the only exceptions among- the nations to the rule that soldiers should control the army; were China (which was a. bad example) and Britain. He had for five years as Commander-in-Chief, hone-tlft tried the present system, and he had found it wanting. He could show that the efficiency of the army had been subordinated to the wish to produce a low budget. The virtual command •had been transferred to a Civilian Secretary of State, and the Comman-der-in-Chief could suggest, -recommend and exhort nothing beyond. BS had often been sick at heart on seeing national risks deliberately accepted bJJ the Government, because it was afraid to ask for money. Had the anaual demands made by the commanders of tb<3i last fifteen years been published, with the reasons they gave for their damands, the taxpayers would have been! enabled to judge between the experti and the economist, and would, have insisted upon compliance with those demands. They would thus have escaped 7 many terrible risks. Lord Lansdowrie, Secretary for For* eigh Affairs, replying, despite a suay* ity of manner and courtesy equalling that of Lord Wolseley, startled. tb<3 ? House. He said the present systenJ was. better than the one which Lara Hartington's commission so emphatically condemned. Their failures irt South Africa were not due to a system* but to not giving the system full effect. Lord Wolseley had initiated proposal* concerning the different departments of the' War Office, but only fitfully, an (. when the spirit moved him. The -auxiliary forces had been neglected. H*^<* Lord Wolseley more fully realised tha immensely important duties aissljgjnett him by the Order-ih-Gouncii requiring him to prepare ..Schemes of offett*3^ and defensive operations, duties v-There-for he was alone responsible, he migh-3 have told us before the war that Lady* smith was not a very suitable military] . station. He might even have warned us to take more than one army corps tb subjugate'the republics. When Lord! Wolseley resigned he memorialised tha Premier on the score of his inadequate powers as Command-dr-in-Chief, hui;.! the metnorial did not mention What h«S j was now adivo-cating, viz., re_p<mSibl« for direct control in the mobilisation of the ariuy,'for utilising the ve_urit*eforces, ahd the Intelligence Department, * The debate was adjowaed, ._^>.«Jijjß