ADDRESS FOR RETURNS. (Hansard, 23 March 1874)

THE EARL OF LIMERICK
rose to call attention to the increased difficulties attending the recruiting for the Militia, and to move for a Return. The noble Earl said that, from his own experience, he could state that the recruits that now entered the Regular Army did not come up to the standard which they reached some 10 or 12 years ago. It might be said that the courage and endurance which had been shown by the three regiments which had taken part in the Ashantee War did not bear out that statement; but it must be remembered that those were three of the best regiments in the Army, that they had been specially selected for the work, and that it was only by filling them up by drafts from other regiments that their numbers had been raised to something over 600 each. Had we to send out 10 or 12 battalions filled up to war strength, the battalions left at home would be mere skeletons. But if our Regular Army was small, there was the greater reason why our Reserve Forces should be kept in a thoroughly efficient state. He had been informed that in 1873 the enrolled force of the Militia was far below its standard strength, and that of those enrolled, from 14 to 20 per cent were absent during the period of training. In certain regiments, recruiting had been almost stopped in consequence of those regiments having been sent into camp year after year, instead of in due rotation with the other regiments of the Force. With regard to the bounty and allowances, the system introduced last year placed the men at disadvantage as compared with what they would have received had the old system continued in force. Again, great hardship was 224 inflicted upon militiamen left in hospital by their pay and allowances being stopped at the termination of the period of training. It was of great importance that the permanent Staff should be kept in a thoroughly efficient state, which could only be done by taking care that its members were adequately remunerated for their arduous labours. He believed the efficiency of the permanent Staff might be improved by holding out, as was the case until recently, to the Volunteer non-commissioned officers the prospect, if they performed their duties well, of being ultimately placed upon the permanent Staff. But what, after all, was wanted to improve the Militia was an increase of remuneration: for of late years the remuneration had actually been decreased, instead of increased. It was perfectly true that the pay had practically been increased from 7d. to 8½d. a-day; but this was not sufficient to compensate for the reduction in bounties and gratuities and the increased length of the training. The question of clothing, too, was one which ought to be carefully considered. Until recently the clothing, after a certain period of wear, became the property of the men, who, consequently, took care of it. In future it was to be retained by the public—a change which would produce little money and cause much bad feeling. It might be asked why he did not propose a remedy for the present insufficiency of the recruiting. As a colonel of Militia, he must say he knew but one perfect and sufficient remedy, and that was the ballot—a remedy upon which the Government would probably be unwilling to risk their popularity. If they did not choose to adopt that plan, the only other alternative was to go into the labour market and offer such terms as would prove attractive.

§ VISCOUNT MIDLETON
feared that there were few Militia regiments that 225 were not below their proper numbers, and in which a difficulty had not been experienced in obtaining a proper class of officers. Under the present system the class connected by hereditary ties with counties, and who were the back-bone of the Militia, now refused to enter at all. Valuable material was thus running to waste, and the evil was becoming serious.

THE EARL OF PEMBROKE
said, there was no objection to give the Returns asked for. The present Government had been so short a time in office that they could hardly be considered responsible for the present state of the Militia. The subject was well deserving of their Lordships' consideration; but he would suggest that the discussion had better be deferred until the Returns which were asked for had been laid on the Table.

§ THE MARQUESS OF LANSDOWNE
thought it would be well to defer the discussion of the larger subject of Army recruiting until the Report of the Inspector General of Recruits had been laid on the Table: that, he thought, would afford solid grounds for discussing the subject which were wanting at present. As for Militia recruiting, the noble Lord was not the only person whose attention had been directed to the question. The noble Lord did not, however, seem to be aware that last year from 25,000 to 26,000 recruits had joined the ranks of the Militia, and although that number might not be entirely sufficient, yet it was evidence that recruiting had not come to such a stand-still as the noble Lord seemed to suppose. The late Government were advised that for an establishment of 140,000 men, and for a five years' term of service, about 28,000 recruits were annually necessary. There was now an establishment of 125,000 men, and the term of service had been extended from five to six years, so that the present number of recruits bore a fair proportion to the shorter period of service and the larger establishment of men. At the beginning of February this year, the strength of the Militia was 101,000 men. That was somewhat less than in 1873, but, putting 1873 aside, the noble Earl would have to look back many years before he would find such a strength of Militia. The falling off in the Militia regiments had been attributed to 226 the frequency of encampment, and he admitted that in some cases this might be unpopular; but all the authorities agreed that the practice of encamping the Militia more frequently conduced greatly to their efficiency. It was an error to suppose that the rate of remuneration for the Militia had been on the whole reduced. The effect of the changes which had been made was to leave the Militiaman very much where he was—and, indeed, to give him some slight advantage. Another noble Lord (Viscount Midleton) said, that recruiting had fallen off because a suitable class of officers could not be found for the Militia. At the beginning of 1871, there were 849 subaltern Militia officers, while there were 1,197 at the beginning of this year, and there was no reason to suppose that as a class they had deteriorated. With regard to the difficulty of obtaining Militia recruits, the Government, like other employers of labour, had to go into the labour market, which was at present much disturbed. At a time when agricultural labourers in some parts of the country were striking, and in others were actively exerting themselves to obtain an increase of wages, and when manufacturing labourers wore agitating in the same direction, it would be strange indeed if the class from which the Militia were recruited did not participate in the general movement. The mild winter we had passed through had not been without its effect, as it had enabled agricultural operations to be carried on without any of those temporary checks which in ordinary seasons stimulated recruiting. These causes would account for the temporary falling off in recruiting for the Militia; and against this was to be set off the increased efficiency both of the men and officers, many of the latter having attended and passed the School of Instruction. Upon the whole, therefore, the state of the Militia regiments could not be regarded as unfavourable.