HC Deb 03 August 1871 vol 208 cc774-6
LORD ELCHO

asked the Secretary of State for War, Whether he can state upon any reliable local authority, and, if so, upon what authority, that the harvest in Berkshire will probably not be gathered in by the 20th of September; and, whether, in the opinion of the head of the Medical Department of the Army and in that of the Military Authorities, the 20th of September, looking to the health of the Troops, is too late a period of the year for them to go into camp?

MR. CARDWELL

Sir, the time fixed was not the 20th, but the 9th of September. The question is not whether the 20th of September would be too late for the troops to go into camp in any case of necessity. The question is, whether it was desirable to fix the period of the equinox for the encampment for purposes of instruction of 30,000 men, consisting partly of Regulars and partly of Militia, Yeomanry, and Volunteers, and I am decidedly of opinion that it was not. On the contrary, I wish it had been possible to fix an earlier day than September 9. As to the authority on which I can make a statement with respect to the probable time of harvest, I have just received from Commissary Milne a Report, dated Newbury, Berks, August 2, in which he says— The farmers say that with the most favourable weather the harvest will not be over until the 25th of September, so that no horses could be spared, and they have an objection to hiring horses for military services out of their own county.

LORD GARLIES

asked the Secretary of State for War, What number of Regulars, Militia, Yeomanry, and Volunteers respectively, it is intended to employ throughout the intended manœuvres at Woolmer, now proposed to be substituted for the Berkshire encampment; and, what is the number of Troops for which there is sufficient means of Transport and Supply under the guidance of the Control Department?

MR. CARDWELL

It is proposed to assemble a force of about 30,000, and in addition to 15,000 Regulars and 8,000 Militia, about 2,000 Yeomanry and 5,000 Volunteers have been invited to attend. I am informed that it is doubtful whether, owing to the lateness of the harvest, the whole of the Yeomanry will be able to attend. The powers of the Control department are adequate to the supply of a much larger force; but as regards transport, a nucleus only is maintained in peace, to be supplemented by the local transport of any country in which there may be military operations.

LORD GARLIES

wished to know, Whether the Control department possessed the means of transporting 30,000 men at one time?

MR. CARDWELL

In the Paper which was laid upon the Table and circulated yesterday morning the exact number of horses employed by the Control department is stated. That number is not sufficient for the transport of 30,000 men without drawing on the local transport, and it is not intended to do anything so extravagant as to maintain a large number of transport horses in time of peace, which in time of war we should not be able to use, inasmuch as we should be obliged to rely upon local transport in the country where the troops were engaged.

LORD ELCHO

asked the Surveyor General of Ordnance, How it happens that local transport was available at an early period of the year in one part of the country and not in another?

SIR HENRY STORKS

replied that depended on the harvest. Other means would be available, as he had stated in his Minute on the Report of the Inspector General of Fortifications. Sufficient transport arrangements would be made for carrying out successfully the manœuvres in the neighbourhood of Aldershot.