IMPERIAL DEFENCE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2443, 6 March 1909, Page 5

IMPERIAL DEFENCE.

SPEECH BY MR. HALDANE. LABOR OPPOSITION. United Press Association, Copyright (Received March 5, 11.40 p.m.) LONDON, March 5. Mr. Haldane, in a. long detailed speech introducing the army estimates, said that recruiting for the year was singularly good. The special reserve was now 70,000 men, equal to the okT militia. He paid a generous tribute to the “Daily Mail” ■and employers of labor in connection with the territorials, which aroused the violent disapprobation of the Labor benches. Mr. Haldane retorted tliait owing to the breakdown of the auxiliary service the nation was never nearer conscription. The recent movement had established a- stronger bulwark against conscription than ever before. Thirty-three thousand men had been added to the territorial army in the last seven weeke,. and it was now 240,000 strong. The root of the idea of Imperial organisation was that, where possible, oversea dominions should work on a similar pattern of organisation to our own, 'affording the possibility of co-operation in case of great necessity. The last thing the Government would dream ot would be even to suggest to oversea colonies what they should do. Staff colleges had been enlarged, and it was now possible to receive any overseas officers.. Plans for home defence had been completed, making a successful invasion even less likely than in the past. Sir Charles Dilke criticised the Germanic trend of Mr. Haldanes mind.

Mr. Arnold Foster ridiculed the training of a special reserve, and said that Air. Haldane dealt more in names than in things. He commented on the reduction of 100,000 men, and said that the smaller army cost more than in .pre-reform days. The reduction of £24,000 in the cost of the tion in case of great mfwypmfwyp army- was nominal. There was really an increase of £275,000, as £300,000 had been transferred from the Indian account. THE NEW 12-INCH GUN. A SATISFACTORY TEST. fgr , ** The “Chronicle” says that the new naval 12in gun has an effective range of 18 miles, and has been satisfactorily Jested at Woolwich. Experts declare ! it is the finest weapon in the world.