A NATION OF RIFLEMEN.

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 May 1906, Page 3

A NATION OF RIFLEMEN.

MR HALDANE’E MILITARY SITIK.Vu A COMMITTEE APPOINTED. [ll ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH. —COPYRIGHT.) [PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.) LONDON, 11th May. A committee has been appointed to enquire into the best means of organising the auxiliary forces into a territorial army in accordance with the scheme outlined in the House of Commons by .Mr K. It. Haldane, Minister of War. Mr Haldano submitted his scheme when ho made a statement in the. House of Commons on the Army Estimates on the Bth March. The points are : 1. Acceptance of the Blue Water principle that the Navy is capable of defending onr shores, and basing the constitution of the Army upon that principle. 2. Old forts called the defences of London to disappear. 3. Three hundred obsolete coast defence guns to go. 4. Garrison at St. Helena to he dispensed with. 5. Strength of colonial garrisons under consideration. 6. Native regiment at Weihaiwei to he disbanded. 7. Policy of raising money on loan to be abandoned in favour of paying our way. 8. Formation of a citizen army to he encouraged. 9. Key to economy to ho found in onr policy abroad, in India, and the Colonies. 10. The ideal is a “nation under arms for peace” —voluntary training of all, hut not conscription; we should shoot as well as plav foolhall. 11. Encourage the now class of thinking officer, which has arisen since the war. Mr Haldane compared the Army expenditures of the. Powers thus:Britain .. .. £30,000,000 Germany .. .. £31,000,000 France .. .. £29,000,000 United States .. £23,000,000