SECOND READING. (Hansard, 15 December 1902)

THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR (The Earl of HARD-WICKE)
My Lords, I trust, even at this late hour, I shall be interpreting the wishes of your Lordships if I say just a few words in reference to the Bill that I now have the honour to move. The object of this Bill is to provide a Reserve for the Militia and Yeomanry, and it is in accordance with the modern idea of possessing as strong a Reserve as possible in all branches of the service. It is proposed to recruit from two classes: from men who have completed their term of service with the colours and with the Reserve, and from men who have served a certain number of trainings with the Militia or Yeomanry. It will be in the recollection of your Lordships that by the Militia and Yeomanry Act, 1901, the Yeomanry, which had hitherto been to all intents and purposes an independent branch of 1192 the service, was placed practically on the same footing as the Militia, and it naturally follows that, in creating a Reserve for the Militia, it is necessary also to create a Reserve for the Yeomanry. As regards the Militia Reserve, I do not think I need say more than a very few words to prove how necessary it is that we should have such a force. During the South African War, the, old Militia Reserve, which was a Reserve only in name, consisted of 30,000 men. Before the war was eight months old, these 30,000 men were absorbed by the regular forces. The Militia, when they were embodied, were, therefore, minus their Reservists, and the battalions sent to South Africa had absolutely no means of replenishing their ranks except by the recently joined recruits that were sent out. This, I am sure your Lordships will agree, was an undesirable state of affairs, and it is therefore with full confidence that I ask your Lordships to accord a Second Reading to this Bill, which will enable the military authorities to create a real Militia Reserve and place the auxiliary forces, as regards the Yeomanry and the Militia, on a sound, and I hope, a far more satisfactory basis than they have been in the past.

§ THE MARQUESS OF HERTFORD
My Lords, at this late hour I do not propose to discuss the provisions of the Bill. I merely rise to ask the noble Earl a question in which the Yeomanry are very much interested, viz., whether he can state if it has yet been decided whether the Yeomanry training is to be for fourteen or seventeen days. I believe that if the training is to be for seventeen 1193 days, a great many men will be obliged to leave the Yeomanry force, because their employers, who are perfectly willing to give them leave for a fortnight, cannot allow them to break into the third week. The doubt which at present exists as to the length of the training is acting very prejudicially against recruiting.

THE MARQUESS OF GRANBY
I should like to ask the noble Earl to explain one little matter in this Bill. The whole system of the Bill seems to be subversive of the principle we have gone on hitherto as to the sanctity of the territorial system, because, under this Bill it will be possible to transfer a man in this newly formed Militia Reserve from, say, a Yorkshire regiment down to a Cornwall or Devonshire regiment. That might act prejudicially in some respects. But, on the whole, I should say the formation of a Militia Reserve is a most important and excellent step to have taken. I am well aware what a sham the old Militia Reserve was, because the Militia Reservists in time of war went straight off to the Regular battalions. Under this system the Militia will have a permanent Reserve. That is a very valuable thing. Nothing disheartens the Militia more than to find, when they go to the front, that a quarter of their entire strength, many of them being the best and most seasoned soldiers, have been absorbed by the Regular battalions of their territorial regiments. I should like to know whether this transference is to take place during embodiment, or if there is any system of training during which that transference will take place.

LORD MONKSWELL
Do I understand that it is intended that the men in the Reserve should have no training? If not, what amount of training are they to go through, and will a man in the Reserve know what the intentions of the War Office are with regard to the relaxation of the training which, under other Acts of Parliament, he would be subjected to?

§ THE EARL OF HARDWICKE
I am extremely sorry that noble Lords should have found it necessary to ask these questions, because, obviously, I should 1194 have explained them in introducing the Bill. I did not do so merely for the convenience of the House. In reply to the noble Lord behind me, I do not think his question actually arises in connection with this Bill. Perhaps he was not present a few nights ago when I was asked a question with regard to the forthcoming issue of the Yeomanry Regulations. I then stated that these new regulations would be provisionally issued on the 1st of February. I gather from the noble Lord that the question whether the Yeomanry are to serve for fourteen or seventeen days is one a immediate importance. I am unable to answer his question tonight, but I will draw the attention of the Secretary of State to the matter, and if a decision can be arrived at in the course of a few days on that point, and it is possible to make it public. I shall endeavour to do so. As to the question raised by the noble Marquess, he seems to be under the impression that the provisions of this Bill are contrary to the territorial system existing in this country. I can assure him that the provisions contained here for the transference of men from one battalion to the other are wholly in accord with the existing system in the Regular Army as regards the Reserve. When a Reservist is called up, although the authorities naturally place him in the battalion in which he served, if possible, they are at liberty to attach him to any regiment they may think necessary. As to the Militia, we should only call up Militia Reservists in the event of a national emergency, and when a general mobilisation takes place. In Cornwall there are many Militia battalions which are only about 200 strong, whilst there are in Lancashire Militia Batalions very much over strength, and the authorities think it is essential that they should reserve to themselves a right, on a national emergency arising and a general mobilisation taking place, to make use of Reservists to strengthen the weak regiments rather than to place them to regiments which are already over strength. In reply to the Question of the noble Lord opposite, I would point out that Sub-section 2 provides that— All regulations made in pursuance of this Section shall be laid before Parliament as soon 1195 as practicable after they are made, if Parliament be then sitting, and, if Parliament be not sitting, as soon as practicable after the beginning of the next session of Parliament. The Bill, of course, does not enter into any detail, and in order to give effect to it regulations must be issued. As I stated the other night, the Secretary of State is shortly going to appoint Advisory Boards for the Yeomanry, Militia, and Volunteers. The principal duty of these Boards will be to consider regulations appertaining to the force to which they belong. The regulations under this Bill will be issued provisionally, and the Yeomanry and Militia Advisory Boards will have an opportunity of considering them and of making such suggestions to the Secretary of State as may be necessary to secure their thorough working.
On Question, agreed to; Bill read 2^a accordingly, and committed to a Committee of the Whole House tomorrow.