ARMY ESTIMATES,

Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 59, 11 March 1909, Page 7

ARMY ESTIMATES,

A REMARKABLE DEBATE. - IMPERIAL DEFENCE. , NOTABLE SPEECH BY MR. i BALFOUR. j I By Telegraph —Press Association.— Copyright. (Received March 11, 8.5 a.m.) LONDON, 10th March. ' The debate on the Army Estimates was remarkable, firstly, because Mr. Asquith, Prime Minister, in his reply to criticisms, hinted at tho possibility oi a future date being set apart for disI cussing the Army and Navy Estimates together — thus dealing with the whole problem of defence — and secondly, Mr. Balfour's notable speech in favour of Imperial defence committees and periodical re-examination of the defence question. While regretting a reduction in the numerical strength of the regulars, Mr. Balfour said he was certain they would have really good militia and yeomanry regiments. He admitted the earnestness of Mr. Haldane (Secretary of State for War), in organising the territorials, and added, amid Ministerial cheers, that this organisation might, at some future time, be absolutely invaluable as a force making for the safety of the Empire. Sir Charles Dilke (Member for Forest, of Dean) deprecated Mr. Haldane'e comJ parison of the British and German armies' strength, and added: — '"Such declarations have a damaging effect on Australia." Personally, he wished to see Australian co-operation. Australasia and Canada were ,devoted to peace, and objected to any pressure being used. Colonel Seely, Under-Secretary for the Colonies, replied that the Government had received Canada's and Australia's most cordial acceptance of the General Staff proposal. ______ THE TERRITORIAL ESTABLISHMENT. LONDON, 10th V March. In the House of Commons yesterday, after the defeat of an adverse amendment moved by Dr. Rutherford (Liberal) by 247 votes to 100, the Army votes were agreed to. The total establishment of the Territorials is to be 313,314 men, and the present strength is 227,561. Dr. Rutherford moved to reduce the strength of the Regulars by ten thousand men. The amendment was suppoited by several Ministerialists, but the Secretary of State for War, Mr. Haldane, characterised it as "a proposal calculated to throw the whole of our military arrangements into a state of chaos." On the ?,Bth January, Mr. Haldane, speaking on the duty of the country to the Territorial Army, said that the "slacker" who simply amused himself and did nothing for his country was a poor creature, and he had some confidence that if the time of need came he •would be shown what the country the light of him. Not improbably he would find a short and sharp Act of I Parliament passed, if war were to break out, compelling him to do duty in some very inconvenient and unpleasant part of the country, where he would not hove the 'prominence or undoubted public esteem which would belong to the men who trained themselves as voluntary soldiers. Lord Esher, addressing the Artists' Corps of the Territorial Force the same night, said that the country could not wholly rely against raids, apart from invasions, upon the fleet alone, and 'that if under a voluntary system a territorial force could not be raised only one logical conclusion was possible. It would have to be raised by other means. If they were strongly opposed to compulsory service they should make every effort to complete the Territorial Force under the voluntary system.