§ MR. RADCLIFFE COOKE (Hereford)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for War whether, although all Volunteer battalions form part of the territorial system, this system is in many cases ignored in the organisation of Volunteer brigades, so that instances occur in which Volunteer battalions of the same territorial regiment are allotted to different Volunteer brigades, and Volunteer battalions belonging to several separate territoral districts are allotted to one and the same Volunteer brigade; whether, in consequence, colonels commanding different territorial districts have been obliged to attend the same brigade camp for the purpose of making the annual inspection of their own territorial Volunteer battalions; and whether he proposes to take any steps to remedy this inconvenience?
MR. POWELL-WILLIAMSThe wide extent of many territorial districts often renders it impracticable to place all the corps of one district in the same brigade; therefore, when inspections are held in the Brigade camp, it is inevitable 540 that the colonels of the different districts should attend. As every effort has been made in the present arrangements to meet the convenience of the corps concerned, to change is contemplated.