TERRITORIAL FORCE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 7, 9 January 1912, Page 7

TERRITORIAL FORCE.

FIFTY THOUSAND SHORT. AN APPEAL TO THE COUNTRY. By Telegrapb.— Preit Aiioclation.— Cogyriihfc (Received January 9, 8.30 a.m.) LONDON, Bth January. The National Service League has issued an appeal signed by Lord Roberts, .who, while supporting tha efforts to» make the Territorials efficient, does not conceal • his opinion that the country would never be able to rely on protection while it rests with voluntary enlistment. The force is still 50,000 short of the requisite strength. In the House of Lords on Monday (20th November) Lord Portsmouth put a number of questions as to the strength, cost, and efficiency of the Territorial Force and the Imperial Yeomanry. One .of hit. objeots. (says The Times) was to get some opinion as to the strength of the force which would remain at home if we were to send a striking force out of the country. He emphasised the fact that a large number of the Territorials were absent from camp training, and next, dealing with the Territorial and field batteries, he asked how many of them carried out- practice- As to the total cost, he held that a great deal of the money was wasted. Lord Haldane, after answering th» question, said he was advised by the (jreneral Staff 'that from every point of view the Force was sufficient to provide for three 1 things-— first, coast defence; second, defence against raids j and third, the formation of a central force capable of the reinforcing of .local forces required for' defence < against those raids, and' also capable of dealing with an attack by the 'estimated maximum invading force of 70,000, but it was now considered by the Admiralty that no force of anything approaching that strength could possibly be landed on there shores, They had to consider as to the expeditionary force the whole of the circumstances under which that would be required. If the force was to gp away for a long time or to a distance the Territorial Force would be adequately trained because it must be embodied the very day the expeditionary force went away. There would be 400,000 troops left at home after that took place to deal with the 70,000 of the invading force. Same people were taking the trouble to urge young men not to join the Territorial Force, and what was wanted was the energy of the public to bring the force up to its active establishment. He thought they need not despair. Lord Slidleton agreed that the noble lord had 'no occasion to deapair, but the fact remained that he asked for 315,000 men and had only got 260,000. Hei hoped that next year they would be allowed to take stock of the national position, without being told that they were animated by a desix*e to make political capital out of the possible failure of the force 'to come up to the expectations of the Government. Lord Newton could grasp only two factß from the statement of Lord. Haldane — that the force was decreasing in numbers and increasing in cost; The plain truth was that the voluntary system was played out. The Duke of Bedfprd reminded the House that as the number of the Territorial^ Force decreased the number of untrained men in the country must increase.