BRITISH POLITICS.

Feilding Star, Volume III, Issue 82, 6 March 1909, Page 2

BRITISH POLITICS.

THE WAR LORD'S SPEECH. LABOUR RAISES A VOICE. ARNOLD FOSTER ALSO. |BX BIIEWBIO TKUJQIiAPIi — COPYBIQHT.J L^KK ittUftS ASSOCIATION. J ' , London, March 5. The Hon. Mr Haldane, Minister of War, made a long and detailed speeoh when introducing the army estimates. The recruiting for the year, he said, was singularly good, the special reserve being now 70,000, whioh was equal to the strength of the old militia. A generous tribute to the Daily Mail and to employers of labour in connection with the raising of the - Territorials aroused violent disapprobation from the Labour benches. Mr Haldane retorted that owing to the breakdown of the auxiliary earvices, the nation was never nearer conscription, but the recent movement had established a stronger bulwark Against conscription than ever before. There were 33,000 added to the Territorials in the last seven week*, the total being 240,000. The root of the idea was Imperial organisation wherever possible. In the oversea dominions, the work was of a similar pattern oi organisation as their own,, .affording the possibility of co-operation. In a case or great necessity. The last thing the Government would dream of would be to even suggest to the oversea dominions what they should do. The staff of the oolleges liad been enlarged, and it was now possible to receive any number of overseas officers. General Nicholson had completed' plans of home defence, which make a successful invasion even less likely than in the past. Sir Charles Dilke, Liberal member for the Forest of Dean Division of Gloucestershire, and the author of several works on military matters, criticised Mr Haldaiie's speeoh on the ground that it showed that his mind was full of Germany. The Hon. Arnold Foster, Conservative member for Craydon, and an exMinister for War, ridiculed the training of a special reserve. He said Mr Haldane dealt more in names than in things. He commented on the reduction of 100,000 men, yet the smaller army cost more than in pre-reform days. The reduction, he said, of £24,000 woe nominal: there was really an increase of £275,000, as £800,---000 was transferred to the Indian aocount. .ANOTHER BYJSLEOTION. The by-election for South Edinburgh, necessitated by the appointment of the sitting member, Mr A. Dewar, K.C., Solicitor-General for Scotland, resulted in Mr Dewar retaining his seat by a majority of 1221, against his majority of 2960 in 1905. The figures a*e:— Mr Dewar, Liberal ... 8186 Mr Cox, Conservative ..." 6964