MOTION FOR AN ADDRESS. (Hansard, 17 April 1885)

THE EARL OF GALLOWAY
, in rising to move— That, in consequence of the severe strain now being placed upon the British Army, an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty praying that Her Majesty may be most graciously pleased to direct that the recommendation made by the Military Committee appointed in 1871–72 for the formation of a third battalion, 2 in the event of both the line battalions of a regiment serving out of this country, may at once be put into execution, said, that this subject had been raised in 1879 and again in 1881, when Mr. Childers was Secretary for War. On those occasions he could not raise any enthusiasm on the subject; but he thought they had now every hope of attention being drawn to what was the real strength of our Military Forces. He might remind their Lordships that when he gave his present Notice of Motion, more than three weeks ago, not only had the recent events on the Afghan Frontier not occurred, but the Message from Her Majesty as to the calling out of the Army and Militia Reserves had not been communicated to Parliament. Subsequent events on the Afghan Frontier had made it all the more imperative on him to bring this subject before the House. In order to show the exact point of his Resolution, he would ask their Lordships to carry their minds 3 back some years to the origin of the present territorial system, and to the principles on which it was based. It was now 12 years since Lord Cardwell started the scheme. Its basis was that there should be one battalion at home to be the feeder of its twin battation abroad, and that arrangement had continued down to the present. At the same time, it was thought desirable to establish a local connection between the Militia regiments in the districts in which these pairs of battalions were supposed to be localized, two Militia battalions being affiliated to two battalions of the Line, making the third or fourth battalions of the brigade, or, as it was to be termed, the "territorial" regiment. The noble Earl, having traced the history of the system down to the present time, and pointed out in what respects it had been carried out and what still remained to be accomplished, concluded by making the Motion which stood in his name.

THE EARL OF MORLEY
said, if the noble Earl meant by his Resolution that in the absence abroad of two battalions the depots should be largely strengthened, he was preaching to the converted, and he entirely agreed with him. At the present time there were a good many regiments in that position. The noble Earl was aware that the Vote of Credit had not yet been taken in the House of Commons; but he might remind him that the depots of the regiments referred to had been very largely strengthened. and that, according to the last Return, many of them were over 400 strong. The Motion, he thought, was a little premature. His noble Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs had informed their Lordships a day or two ago that a statement as to the policy of the Government would shortly be made. When that statement was made he should, if the House desired it, be happy to give all the information in his power as to the military measures that 4 might be necessary consequent upon the policy of the Government. Meanwhile, he could assure his noble Friend that the point which he had raised had not been neglected by the Government, but that, on the contrary, careful attention had been given to it.

§ VISCOUNT CRANBROOK
said, he thought that his noble Friend had attained his object in the answer he had elicited from the noble Earl, because what was required was that they should not make war on a peace establishment. The raising of the depots to a larger number was practically equivalent to the forming of a third battalion, and the Government had in that way really met the necessities of the case. The steps which the noble Earl had indicated having been taken, he would advise his noble Friend to withdraw his Motion for the present, and to discuss it hereafter if there should be occasion to do so.

THE EARL OF GALLOWAY
said, he had no hesitation in withdrawing his Motion after the very satisfactory statement made by the noble Earl the Under Secretary of State for War.