BRITISH DEFENCE.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14564, 15 January 1913, Page 10

BRITISH DEFENCE.

9 , LORD ROBERTS AND LORD HALDANE. "THE SUPREME STRATEGIST." (FROM OCR OWK CO_RESro«n)_N*.) . LONDON, December 6. A good deal of amusement has been occasioned by tho terms of a stora rcbuk© administered by Lord Haldano to Lord Roberts, whoso ardour in tho causo of universal service has been rather awkwardly felt in somo official circles. Beginning with a dissertation on- tho "higher strategy" tho Lord Chancollor said: "There is no such thing as an expert in higher strategy unless that expert be somebody who is not only an expert in a particular department but is also an expert in the senso that ho has studied in tho school and along, sido of tho men who are oxperts in naval things, and in the affairs of State. Our system of national dcs- J fence rests upon understanding-what it is that we. as an island centre of an Empire, havo to defend and protect, and that involves the sailor, soldier, and th© State. It involves even toeconsideration of finance, because we cannot keep up armaments unless w© take great care that our social arrangements aro such that the people have tho best chance of being able to bear th© burden.

"Tho export in de-fonco is tho man who looks at tho state of things,, not from the point of view of the moro soldier, or sailor or statesman, but as a person who has sot his mind to study all things. That is why lam bound to speak out on on© thing strongly. Nobody has a greater veneration for Lord Roberts than I have. Ho has done great things for his coun» try : he is one of the most distinguished loaders of troops in the field that we possess. It is one thing to lead troops in the field, it is another thing to bo a strategist; nnd unless you are a strategist you cannot carry out plans for the organisation of tho defenco of the country. I miss in Lord Roberts to-dny is just that undert standing of tho point of view of the seaman and of the statesman, which is absolutely vital if you aro to a proper military organisation. It hay always seemed to me to bo treason to tho true principles of strategy to spend a groat deal of your money, or to do-" vote your highest energies to tho merely military part of home deface!" You must of course havo something like your Territorial Force if you arc to deal with whatever mnv get through your double raval wall, but to put that first, or to imperil tho Navy for. the sake of that, is to make a most profound strategical blunder. "Why do I condemn the National Scrvico League? I condemn it first because it does not mean what it says. I hay© had a good deal to do .with soldiers. Most soldiors hanker .very naturally after a compulsory Bervico such as have been adopted by countries that hay© different strategical problems from ours. What those people want is not six months' training, what thoy want is, as in a Continental army, threo years' training for tho cavalry and artillery and two for the infantry. That would cost you two things—your professional oversea army- which you would not bo able to recruit on tho same basis, and secondly an enormous amount of money. Thoso very men who want that very army scout and laugh at. tho military .programmo of tho National Servico League. lam not talking of the colonels who sit in the bow-windows of the clubs, I am talking of export soldiers. I havo a worse objection to. Lord Roberts than that.

"If you carry out his would find you wore short of money, for the Army and tho Navy. ■'. You cannot keep up both. 1 consider w«y policy that is put forward •on any basis that "is uncertain about that, is a policy not of tbo strategist but of th° amatour. That.is why I stand before .you* to"- record my protest against the strategical principles of the National Servico League." . . Lord Rosebery, and ( a dozen"'newspapers have com© to tho veteran Field-MarshaFs support.. Lord JROsebory says ho is far too canny a Scot to intervene in tho "tremendous polemic and controversy between tho best Law Lord and tho best War Lord. of tho realm: "Tho Law Lord thinks that an infusion of statesmanship7is required in the head of our forces in which he rather hints that .Lord Roberts is deficient. On tho other hand,-Lord Roberts appears to think that somo military experience is/nOt wholly useless to the head of .our forces, and in which ho thinks that Lord Haldano is somewhat defective. (A laugh). My own conclusion '■ is that 1 should hop© that if tho facts alleged be trii© an expeditionary forco, as it is called, should make no expedition, outside this island until wo.are quit© suro that tho Territorial Army has received sufficient training to .dofend it. (Cheers). I appreciate both the leaders on each side in this controversy. Lord Haldano for six or seven years ha 3 given an amount of energy and ability and attention to his 1 duties which, I think, no War Secretary perhaps haß ever don© beforo, and as 'for Lord Roberts, his namo speak* for itself. (Cheers). I know ho moro pathetic or touching spectacle . than: that of this old hero, full of years and honours, giving up the last years or his life to urge on his countrymen what ho believes to be th© alai-mrng facts with regard to their military organisation, a task onerous and unpopular, but from which ho docs not shrink. (Cheers). I. beliovo. that history, when it comes to sum up this time, will regard it as one of tho most astonishing facts in our record and generation that wo should turn, a.heedJess and inattentive ear to tho. warnings—warnings full of weight, and full of experience, of tho greatest soldier \e are privileged to possess."; (Cheer*** • Lord Curzon said for yeaTs wo had been listening to the bland assurances of our War Minister, now our Law Minister, that our Territorial Army, of which ho was founder, would hare six months in which to orenarc after an outbreak of hostilities. Thoso who had scoffed at such optimism now saw themselves justified by what had tatom place in the Balkans, which hap knocked tho bottom out of our Territorial scheme.