ARMY (ANNUAL) BILL. (Hansard, 10 March 1915)

THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES (LORD LUCAS)

My Lords, I may perhaps explain why this Bill and the Army Act Amendment Bill are both put down to-day. There are certain rather urgent amendments to the Army Act which it is necessary to get passed as soon as possible, and they would under ordinary conditions have been embodied in the Army (Annual) Bill. But as your Lordships know, the Army (Annual) Bill does not usually come up until a rather later period in the session, and it was the opinion of the War Office that, that being so, it would be necessary, in order to get the amendments which they require, to have a separate Bill. Therefore the Army Act Amendment Bill has been framed. Since that measure passed through the House of Commons it has also been possible to pass the Army (Annual) Bill. Therefore the amendments which are required do not appear in this Bill but in the Bill which. I shall ask your Lordships to read a second time after the Army (Annual) Bill has been passel. The only alterations in the Army (Annual) Bill are two- one in the second paragraph, where the total number of men is now given as 3,000,000; and the other in the schedule of prices given for billeting, where, owing to the increased cost of forage, the allowance is now 2s. a day whereas it used to be 1s. 9d.