ANGLO-COLONIAL NAVAL AND MILITARY SCHEME.

Evening Post, Volume LX, Issue 18, 21 July 1900, Page 5

ANGLO-COLONIAL NAVAL AND MILITARY SCHEME.

PROPOSAL BY LORD BRASSEY. [press association.] (Received July 21, 9.35 a.m.) LONDON, 20th July. Lord Brassey, late Governor of Victoria, called attention in the House of Lords to the resources of Australia for providing naval and military reserve forces for the Empire. He urged that the Motherland should co-operate with the new Commonwealth in raising an Imperial Yeomanry force of five thousand men in Australia, the expense to be borne by a joint Imperial and colonial fund. Lord Lansdowne, Secretary of State for War, expressed his entire concurrence in and s\mpaihy wibh two proposal, but advised that caution be shown lest increased numbers and increased efficiency in the colonial forces were brought by the sacrifice of some of that spontaniety which had been shown in the last few months. The Government was perfectly ready to discuss any scheme, but it was desirable that the initiative should spring from the colonies themselves, ' but the Government would certainly give advice and assistance, and would expect co-operation. He added that the Right; Hon. <j. J. Goschen, First Lord of the Admiralty, entirely accepted the idea of a colonial naval reserve.