§ LORD TRURO, in rising to ask, Whether, inasmuch as no scheme for providing the Volunteer Force with proper transport had been yet issued by the War Department, Her Majesty's Government would be willing to adopt that recently initiated by Colonel Gordon Ives? said, that, as far as he knew, no steps had been taken by the Government towards providing proper transport for the Auxiliary Forces; at all events, no system of any kind had been promulgated, and up to the present time they had been left in ignorance of any mode or scheme of any sort for the transport of commissariat and ammunition for these forces. He was aware that those who brought forward these matters were spoken of as alarmists, but the object of his question was quite the reverse of this; it was, if possible, to stir up the Government to take such steps as would render the Auxiliary Forces adequate to the duties which they had undertaken. The question of proper transport was a most important one. One special feature in the Magdala 178 Campaign had been the admirable way in which the Commissariat arrangements had been carried out; while, on the other hand, they could not fail to remember the effects of the failure of the Commissariat in the Crimea. In the war between Germany and France a great part of the disasters which had occurred had been due to unsatisfactory Commissariat arrangements. The Auxiliary Forces of this country would not, without proper transport, be able to perform their duties in time of need, and the inevitable result would be panic and disaster. A very active and zealous officer of the Volunteer Force had ventured to obtrude upon the Government a scheme which, though carried out only on a small scale, had, he believed, been found admirable. He had drawn up terms of contract with persons in possession of horses and waggons, and had them numbered, so that in case of war the Government could purchase them for immediate use. Perhaps the noble Lord would state whether the Government had made any contract of a like nature, or whether we were to wait for a lengthened period before the Transport Service of the Auxiliary Forces was fully organized?
THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR (Lord HARRIS)said, he believed that two schemes whereby the Volunteer Force might be provided with transport had come before the Secretary of State for War. One was known as Sir William Humphrey's scheme, and the other as that of Colonel Gordon Ives. The scheme of Sir William Humphrey was reported on last year by the General Officer commanding at Portsmouth as highly satisfactory, and the result was that the Secretary of State for War consented to its being tried by, he believed, 10 corps in different parts of England. It was now being tried, and he believed would prove a success. In that case there was a small Government contribution. The scheme of Colonel Gordon Ives was entirely voluntary. In that case, also, the attention of Volunteer corps had been called to the matter, and he was informed by the Quartermaster General that a considerable number of corps had provided themselves with transport equipments under one or other of these schemes. He could assure the noble Lord that their best consideration was being given 179 to the subject by the Military Authorities.
§ House adjourned at half past Five o'clock, till To-morrow, a quarter past Ten o'clock.