§ We hope this year to take a considerable step forward in the matter of the education of officers. The Committee appointed with my right hon. friend the First Commissioner of the Board of Works as chairman, which was appointed independently of the War Office, has not yet presented its Report, and, therefore, I cannot touch upon that subject, but pending that Report we have decided to carry out a system of seconding officers for the Staff College and filling up their places in their regiments, and this, I think, will be a great inducement to officers who attend the Staff College. I told the House last year that we would do what we could in regard to checking officers' expenses; and the Financial Secretary has given great attention to this subject. Although we may not be able to deal drastically with the whole subject this year, we can in some respects undertake to keep down the initial expenses to which fathers are put when their sons enter the Army. At present it is not only the expense of living in the regiment, but to a poor man the outfit and uniform are a heavy burden. With regard to horses, I do not like to speak too fully at this moment, but I believe we can carry much further a system of inducing officers to take the best troop horses at an annual payment, the competitive buying of chargers for the service being art unreasonable strain upon officers' finances. In South Africa officers have largely availed themselves of the permission to take such horses, and we propose similarly to deal with the question of furniture. In the Navy a penny a day is provided by the officers for the upkeep of furniture, and my noble friend has drawn up a scheme by which an officer entering the Army in the future will be provided with furniture and camp equipment by paying this 1d. a day. The scheme will not only relieve the officers, but it will also compensate the State. In regard to uniform, we are hopeful of being able to make arrangements which, besides the reduction of cost on the new uniform as compared with the old, will enable it to be obtained at a more reasonable price by officers. We do not want 397 to deter officers from the manly sports which are traditional in our Army, but we do want to diminish an extravagant system of living in regiments, which practically checks the entrance of poor men.