§ THE UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR (LORD STRATHCONA AND MOUNT ROYAL) moved, That an humble Address be presented to His Majesty, praying His Majesty to make two Orders in Council trader the Military Manœuvres Acts, 1897 and 1911, drafts of which were presented to this House on the 13th February and 6th March last. The noble Lord said: My Lards, I beg to move the Resolution standing in my name. It is in the usual form except that it covers two Orders instead of one. It is proposed to apply the Military Manœuvres Acts to three separate areas—in the Southern Command to North Wiltshire and part of Gloucestershire, in the Eastern Command to an area comprising part of Hertfordshire and small parts of Cambridgeshire and Essex, and in the Northern Command to part of the area of the East Riding of Yorkshire, including the coast between Flamborough Head and Spurn Head. I think I ought to inform your Lordships that this programme may have to be modified owing to water difficulties. As far as can be seen at the moment, it is unlikely that there will be any great alto, alterations of the proposed programme for the Southern Command area, North Wiltshire, but in the case of the Eastern 646 Command area, the Hertfordshire area, the situation does not appear to be so hopeful, and it is probable that the idea of moving troops in that area will have to be abandoned. I beg to move.
§ Moved, That an humble Address be presented to His Majesty, praying His Majesty to make two Orders in Council under the Military Manoeuvres Acts, 1897 and 1911, drafts of which were presented to this House on the 13th February and 6th March last.—(Lord Strathcona and Mount Royal.)
LORD STRABOLGIMy Lords, I think we agree to this Motion, but I thought for one moment, when the noble Lord said that the programme might have to be modified because of water difficulties, that he was going to say "because of the result of the Disarmament Conference at Geneva," and I am very sorry that that is not the case. I think it would have been more decent (if I may claim the attention of the Secretary of State for War for a moment) to have waited just a few days until the Disarmament Conference at Geneva was over one way or the other, before bringing forward this Motion. At this late hour, we do not propose to divide against it.
§ VISCOUNT HAILSHAMMy Lords, I can assure the noble Lord that this Motion has nothing whatever to do with the Disarmament Conference. Even if there were an agreement for complete disarmament to-morrow, which does not seem very likely, still our Army, which exists and which would still be required as an Imperial police force, would have to be exercised.
§ On Question, Motion agreed to, and ordered accordingly: the said Address to be presented to His Majesty by the Lords with White Staves.
§ House adjourned at a quarter before twelve o'clock.