§ MR. MCCRAE (Edinburgh, E.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War if he can state whether the Army Council consulted Volunteer opinion before arriving at the decision to abolish fourteen days camp training for next year; and whether the Institute of Commanding Officers of Volunteers unanimously approved of four- teen days training.
§ MR. HALDANEThe Army Council's decision to abolish the fifteen days training of field Army battalions is based on reasons which I have already given to a Question by the hon. Member on 21st November last;† it implies no judgment as to relative value of the longer and shorter periods of training for Volunteers. On this latter question Volunteer opinion deserves, and will receive, full consideration.
§ MR. MCCRAEWas not a proposal to abolish the fourteen days camp for one year only made by the right hon. Gentleman's predecessor, and had to be abandoned because it was so detrimental to the force?
§ MR. HALDANEI can only answer for my own misdeeds.
§ MR. MCCRAEI beg to ask the Secretary of State for War if he can lay upon the Table of the House the Report of the Volunteer Advisory Board of 19th December, 1903, on fourteen days camp training.
§ MR. HALDANEThe Reports and the statements made in the confidential
† See (4) Debates, clxv., 814–5.1548 conversations which are recorded make up a document which it would not be right to publish, but I will show it privately to my hon. and gallant friend. It was promised that it should be treated as confidential in order to encourage individual officers freely to express their views.
§ MR. CARLILE (Hertfordshire, St. Albans)Was not the Report in favour of fourteen days training—were not the officers unanimously in favour of it?
§ MR. HALDANEI think it is very likely.