New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-03-16
HALOANE'S OPTIMISM.
4 National Army That VIII Be
Cheap and Efficient.
London. February %.


formers he has profted by their mistakes
avoiding Mr.. Brodrck's credulity over paper
schemes and Mr.. Arnold Forster's over-conf-
denee in official deXterity. and rallying around
him the experienced organizers and sagacioCs
veterans Of the regular army and the auxiliary
services He has SHOWN trained lawyers ca
pacity for working up his case and having the
details Al his fingers ends He has spoken in
the Commons for more than three hours at
stretch. and broadly outlined a homogeneous
plan for providing n scientific organization for
two armies. designed for foreign service
and The other for home defence If unchecked
auency and lucidity If exposition are decisive
proofs England has another Cardwell. If not a
Garnet. i'm the War Office. Mr.. Haldane has the
Incompatible gift of arousing enthusiasm for
HIS comprehensive system Of reform. He is per-
sonally popular on both sides OF the House and
has secured the cooperation Of the best men
in the service by separating himself from cques
~ martinets. professional reformers and per-
manent officials. and obtaining Information and
advice from all sources. He has gone about his
work in the right way. With his plans in n
transition stage. il Is not Yet clear whether he
has succeeded or failed. Results rather than de-
hating power mast be the supreme test OF his
method Of strengthening the military defences
CT tho kingdom.
Mr Haldane's general purpose is clearly de
fined in his speech in the Commons 1t is sll-
perior efficiency at reduced cost. There is now
regular army with nominal strength of 49,
Gro men. ard three divisions aggregating $4,000
men which can be speedily modified for an
emergency. He expects TO increase the forces
available for immediate service 70 10000 men
without depicting ffty-two battalions in India
and twenty-five battalions in the colonies He
proposes 10 attach to the field force a special
contingent If 500 man with
ing recruits and full liability 10 foreign SER
vice. Behind every pair Of line battaons will
he the nucleus Of third battalion for training
recruits and supplying drafts TO the regular
army; ard reservists viii be brought in 10 fl
the places OF drivers and transport workers in
the ammunition columns and army service
corps. While Strengthening the first line and
doubling the striking force which can be
modified at short notice he proposes a com
plete reorganization Of the second line Of aux
liaTy forces. This now consists Of 100000 men
On paper. with so many gaps and shortages that
he prefers TO level down the force to 30OO ono
men. He contemplates the creation of ne,,
territorial army Of fourteen divisions. made I'D
OF volunteers and militia, with yeomanry as the
mounted force. The second lire will he as
thoroughly organized and as homogeneous as the
first line County associations VIII assume The
financial ana general management Of II under
the supervision OF the Army Council. and dis
trict commanders Will direct its training during
periods Of camp service ranging from eight TO
fifteen days The two lines together win form
what IS now lacking in the Kingdom genuine
national army without compulsory service. This
Is his system as seen through an optimistic
glass.
II Mr.. Haldane has succeeded in providing a
field force OF 10000 men which can he rapidly
he las T-la ~,
the War Office has ever accomplished. Mr.
Brodrick and Mr.. Arnold Forster also asserted
that they had increased the striking force. but
the new relays invisible except in paper
estimates. MT. Haldane. when he unroded his
scheme Of reform last July. seemed 20 look for
his reinforcements from an improved militia
which would be liable to foreign service These
proposals have not been we'll received by that
branch Of the service, for he now relegates the
militia 70 the second line. where il can be re-
organized for home defence with the volunteers
and yeomanry. He has substituted for the
militia special reserve Of 1890 men. which
VIII stihen the field force in time Of war This
contingent viii not differ essentially from militia
except in having more direct connection with
the regular army 1t IS TO have six months
training and the recruits are TO be encouraged
10 enlist i'm the line: and in the emergency of
sudden mobilization The force is to be utilized
fer ammunition columns transport and rail
way service or other work for non-corn-
hatants Without this special reserve. returning
for fortnight's training every year the dorlb-
ling Of the field force becomes purely spec
ulative Whether the men VIII be found when
they are wanted or be 1T for the work to which
they may be assigned cannot be determined
Until an emergency arises. Reseryists who have
served their time regulars will be drafted INFO
tho fighting service; but these irregular reserv-
lists VIII be mainly young and inexperienced
soldiers who VIII be recruits even for am
Tnunition columns and non-conF ataut branches
Apparently they will be largely drawn from the
second lire.
The reorganization Of the auA -. Y forces is
an even more artificial phase Of the rlo essionaI
game Of playing at sodernh. The tn &c forces
81 home suards-intia. yeos lanTy a voIun-
ieers-are 10 be amalgamated so as 10 form !,
territorial army OF fourteen lnfan r, divisions
and fourteen cavalry brigades wi an aggre-
gate muster Of 100000 men tn F. arc to. enlist
for four years. 10 go into camp at asst once a
year, and 10 lac liable 10 six months service in
time Of war. The commanding officer Of each
division viii be n major general Of the regular
army. but some Of the brgadiers viii be auxl-
larry officers. The County Associations are ex-
pected 10 do the administrative work and 10
expend the War Office grants for the volunteers,
and the rivalry Of the shres may exert slim
ulative effect upon the efficiency and morale of
the forces. The militia. which has occupied an
intermediate rank between the regulars and the
volunteers viii lose prestige by its Identification
with the second lire. The yeomanry can hardly
gain much additional dignity as the cavalry
force Of the reorganized home guards II is a
practical scheme for bringing order out of
chaos and imparting unity and simplicity 10 the
system OF home defence by Incorporating the