§ SIR ROBERT HOBART (Hampshire. New Forest)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War, whether he has received a communication from the Court of Verderers of the New Forest in which they state that, inasmuch as the New Forest cannot lawfully be used for military camps and manæuvres except under the provisions of the Military Manæuvres Act, 1897, they cannot take any steps for facilitating military manæuvres except under that Act; and what course he proposes to take under the circumstances.
§ MR. HALDANEThe War Office received a communication from the Verderers which was duly forwarded to the Office of Woods and Forests. 489 It is understood that my hon. friend has already received a reply from that office on the subject pointing out that the Verderers are entirely mistaken in their contention.
§ MR. ASHLEY (Lancashire, Blackpool)asked whether the right hon. Gentleman was aware that the Act of 1897 expressly stated that no manæuvres could take place in the New Forest without the Verderers being consulted?
§ MR. HALDANEAs I have already explained, we are not conducting the manæuvres under the Manæuvres Act, but by arrangement with the Commissioners of Woods and Forests.
§ MR. ASHLEYasked whether, if the manæuvres were not conducted under this Act, the only remedy for any poor commoner whose property was damaged would be long and expensive litigation against the right hon. Gentleman, whereas under the Act, compensation could be received easil;
§ MR. HALDANEThe hon. Member is quite wrong. We conducted extensive manæuvres last summer in Scotland quite apart from the Manæuvres Act, and most friendly relations obtained between the War Office and everybody else. We paid everybody their claims, and, in addition, we took the stores we wanted from the local people, so that it was far more popular than any arbitrary manæuvres.
§ MR. ASHLEYasked whether the right hon. Gentleman was aware that clauses were expressly put in the Act of 1897 in order that any manæuvres in the New
| Militia. | Special Reserve. | ||
| Drill on Enlistment. | Preliminary Drill. | Drill on Enlistment. | |
| Total numbers | 5,599 | 2,418 | 5,354 |
| Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers | 25 | 41 | 27 |
| Royal Irish Rifles | 117 | 182 | 107 |
| Royal Irish Fusiliers | 32 | 11 | 28 |
§ Forest might be carried out in accordance therewith.
§ MR. HALDANEsaid that if they were putting compulsory powers in operation, no doubt that was so; but if they were acting on a friendly agreement with the people concerned they did not need to take that course.
§ MR. ASHLEYasked whether the right hon. Gentleman had come to a friendly agreement with the hon. Member for the New Forest.
§ MR. HALDANEsaid he had the greatest regard for his hon. friend the Member for the New Forest, but he was not the whole of the public.
§ EARL WINTERTONNo, but he is the official Verderer of the New Forest.