CAPTAIN VIVIANsaid, he would beg to appeal to the right hon. Member for Inverness-shire (Mr. Henry Baillie) not to proceed with the Motion of which he had given notice, for a Select Committee to inquire into the management and organization of the War Department. The question was a very important one, and would involve considerable discussion. He had asked the Secretary of State for War for the Report of the Committee that sat last year on the Transport of the Army, and as that inquiry was most directly involved in, and connected with, the subject proposed to be brought forward by the right hon. Gentleman, he thought it would be impossible to debate the question properly till that Report was upon the table of the House.
§ SIR JOHN PAKINGTONsaid, he must join in the appeal, as it was almost impossible to conduct the inquiry profitably 374 so late in the Session. The Report referred to by his hon. and gallant Friend (Captain Vivian) would seriously affect not less than seven of the twelve branches of the War Department; and without expressing any opinion as to the desirability of the investigation at some future time, it would be almost impossible this Session to carry through an inquiry which, to have any effect, must be very extensive.
§ MR. HENRY BAILLIEsaid, he was quite ignorant as to the nature of the Report alluded to, or of the departments to which it related, and before he made any reply to the appeal he wished to know whether the Report had any reference to the Ordnance Department, which the question of which he had given notice affected particularly. He did not like to take any course which should seem discourteous to the right hon. Gentleman, and he should therefore be very much disposed to accede to his suggestion.
§ SIR JOHN PAKINGTONsaid, that the seven branches of the War Office to which the Report more or less directly referred, were the Ordnance, Stores, Commissariat, Purveyors, Barracks, Contracts, and Accountant General.
§ GENERAL DUNNEsaid, he thought it advisable that his right hon. Friend should not proceed with his Motion that night; but, at the same time, it should be remembered that every nation in Europe was now re-organizing its military system, and there was no country which wanted military re-organization more than this.
MR. HERBERTsaid, he rose to call attention to the recruiting orders of Her Majesty's regiment of Foot Guards.
§ SIR JOHN PAKINGTONsaid, the Notice stood for the Army Estimates, and as those Estimates were not coming on he was not prepared to meet the hon. Member's Motion.