BRITISH ARMY

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 24 March 1922, Page 5

BRITISH ARMY

NEW ESTIMATES ATTACKED

BY CABLE—PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT LONDON, March 22. A powerful array of soldier Commoners strenuously attacked the new Army . estimates, on the ground that it is dan- ' gerous to reduce military strength. j i Mr F. B. Mildmay (Coalition Union-' ; ist), who moved a nominal reduction of • the vote, Field-Marshal Sir H. Wilson, General Sir T. Townshen, Sir John , Davidson and Mr Cecil Lowther were amongst the most prominent of the critics. { I Field-Marshal Wilson said he did not J advocate an army of eighty divisions, as ! he was not thinking of a great European war, but how to avoid war inside the. Empire. "There is," he said "a way to: , save money. Leave places which do 1 not belong to us in the grasp of those to whom they do belong, by which means we can effect a large enocomy.", Sir L. Worthington Evans (Secretary for War), replying, said that if we attempted to shape the Army on FieldMarshal Wilson's basis we are faced with .the problem that we can only secure recruits on higher terms, or by conscription. Mr Miidmay's amendment was defeated by 243 votes to 54. (