ARMY REFORM

Evening Post, Volume LXVIII, Issue 80, 1 October 1904, Page 9

ARMY REFORM

In the House of Commons on Monday Mrl Arnold-Forster still further urifolded his scheme of army reform, and attempted to answer nis critics. In all cases he 'stuck to his guns, and showed no w-illing-iiess to relent in the matter either of the militia or the volunteers. It is curious, 'in view- of the sympathy expressed by Mr. Arnold-Forster in regard to the yeomanry, that he does not realise that if the militia were paid on a scale approaching that of the yeomanTy, and wure shown the same consideration by the War Office, it might be redeemed from -that inefficiency, which Mr. Arnold-Forster is always throwing in its face. - The" militia is eminently a force to be mended, not ended. The debate which followed Mr. Arnold-Forster'fc speech wa'& weighty in the extreme, and with 'one exception —-that of Sir F. Came RascH^-the speeches were all unfavourable to the new pioposals. Lord George Hamilton, speaking as one who had held the office of First Lord of the Admiralty and Secretary of State for India, showed how rasu and ill-considered the scheme was as a whole, and strongly urged delay. His -best practical suggestion was that the defence of our naval stations should be placed under the Admiralty and that they should be manned by marines. .After a sensible and moderate speech, from. Mr. Winston Churchill, Mr. Asquith made a dignified but most necessary disclaimer on behalf of himself and his colleagues of-any responsibility in regard. to J the ecnerae.