§ LORD CHELMSFORD, who had given notice of his intention to ask the Under Secretary of State for War whether he would lay on the Table a comparative statement of the enrolments in, and discharges from, the Volunteer Force between November 1st and January 31st, 1900–1901, and November 1st and January 31st, 1901–1902, said: Since putting my Question on the Paper I held a conversation with my noble and gallant friend the Under Secretary of State for War, who tells me that a Return for the broken periods mentioned would be very inconvenient to prepare, in consequence of the Volunteer Returns being made up quarterly. I will therefore modify my Question, and ask for a comparative statement between October 1st and March 31st, 1900–1901, and October 1st and March 31st, 1901–1902.
* THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR (Lord RAGLAN)It is the case, as the noble Lord says, that the Returns are only received quarterly from the Volunteer Force, and therefore we could not prepare a statement with regard to the periods mentioned in his Question. But if a Return from October 1st, 1900, to January 1st, 1901, and from October 1st, 1901, to January 1st, 1902, will meet the wishes of the noble Lord, I shall be glad to lay it on the Table.