§ MR.ARNOLD-FORSTERI beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether, in the event of the Yeomanry and the Militia being incorporated in the proposed Territorial Army, any issue of clothing will be made to the men; whether the present scales of clothing for the Militia and Yeomanry respectively will be maintained; and, if not, what scale will be substituted.
§ COLONEL KENYON-SLANEY (Shropshire, Newport)had given notice of the following Question: To ask the Secretary of State for War whether it is proposed to make any grant to the men of the Territorial Army towards the purchase of uniforms for review and walking-out purposes; if so, what is the estimated amount of such grant; and, if no such grant is to be made, will territorial units be required to provide such uniforms from private funds, or will the wearing of such uniforms be discontinued.
§ MR. HALDANEIn reply to this Question and to one put on a similar 1486 subject by the right hon. and gallant Member for the Newport Division of Shropshire, the clothing of the territorial force in peace time will be dealt with by the county associations, which bodies will receive for this purpose a sum of money based on an average allowance per man on the strength, plus such additional sum as may be required to meet first outlay on increase of numbers. The grant, which will be based on the assumption that service dress is to be worn by the whole territorial force, will be rather higher in the case of mounted than of dismounted men. The question as to whether any extra grant is to be made towards the purchase of uniforms for review and walking-out purposes is still under consideration.
§ MR. ARNOLD-FORSTERsaid he considered this to be a very important question. At the present time the Militia and the Yeomanry had a large amount of their clothing, other than service dress, paid for out of public funds. Would the Militia continue to have their underclothing paid for, and would the Yeomanry and the Volunteers still have their walking-out dress, apart from their service dress, paid for out of public funds?
§ MR. HALDANEIt is clear that the public must provide these people with the dress and clothing necessary to enable them to perform their duties. The working out of the details of that principle is still under consideration.
§ MR.ARNOLD-FORSTERasked whether the Militia would continue to receive the whole of their clothing, or whether they would receive merely the ordinary service dress.
§ MR. HALDANEThe new conditions will apply to the whole of the territorial force. Any peculiarity will have to be considered. Our obligation is to provide the new territorial force with all the clothing that is necessary to enable them to perform their duties. We shall consider the details as we come to them.
§ COLONEL KENYON-SLANEYasked whether there would be absolute uniformity of dress in regard to all the regiments of the territorial force. He understood that one regiment would not 1487 be allowed to have walking-out dress if it was denied to another.
§ MR. HALDANEWe are aiming at uniformity. The principle is to organise the second Line as regards clothing and everything else on a uniform principle, just as in the case of the first Line.
§ MR. MYER (Lambeth, N.)Will there also be uniformity of colour?
§ MR. HALDANEThat point too is under consideration.