SO

and risked their lives in the Army or Navy had a greater demand on the kindness of their fellow citizens and ought to have a certain advantage in obtaining employment over those who had not risked their skin in the service of the country. If they did not encourage the private soldier by holding out to him some chance of getting civil employment when he left the Army, they would be bound in the end to come to that method of military service which hon. Members below the gangway abhorred so much, namely, conscription. He regarded the territorial Army scheme as the last gasp of voluntary service. If the scheme could not be carried out the country must come in a few years time to the Militia ballot or compulsory service.

*MR. LANE-FOX (Yorkshire, W.R., Barkston Ash) wished to dissociate himself

their old traditions which they valued much and pass into the special contingents of the territorial Army. No satisfactory answer, though, had yet been given to the question when the territorial Army were to be called out for six months training. Were they to be called out on the outbreak of war, or only when there was a real national emergency, and a danger of these islands being invaded? If the former, he very much doubted if men would join in anything like the numbers that the Volunteers were enrolled at the present day. The hon. Member for Merthyr had criticised severely some of the right hon. Gentleman's proposals, and had prophesied that the influence of trade unions would be used against them. He was sorry to hear that, because if the territorial Army was to be real it must be brought about by the co-operation of the employers and the representatives of the workmen. The hon. Member for Stoke had complained that the private soldier had no opportunity of rising to a high rank in his profession but he would point out that the real obstacle to this was the inadequacy of an officer's pay; and he would like to have the co-operation of the hon. Member and his colleagues in asking the Secretary of State for War to increase the pensions of quartermasters in the Army. If they served ten years they were entitled to a pension of £200 and the honorary rank of captain, but if they served another ten or twelve years and got the rank of major, they retired on the same pension. He thought it was important that a man who had risen from the ranks should not be treated in this way. A man who had risen by his own work and devotion to duty, should, he thought, get a little more consideration than another who had not served for so long a period. The hon. Member for Merthyr Tydvil had complained very much that a considerable amount of favouritism was shown in regard to the getting of em-interest in military affairs. He thought ployment for men who had serv in the Army and Navy. He did not share the views of the hon. Member. He thought that men who had served their country Mr. Hicks Beach.

very strongly from the remarks which had fallen from the hon. Member for Merthyr Tydvil, and more particularly the remarks in regard to the employment of old soldiers. He was glad that the hon. Member for Stoke took a different line, and he thought it was one with which the House would sympathise. As to the reason why only rich men could hope to rise in the Army, he would say that the state of things complained of was likely to remain so long as the country insisted on officers being men of means. When the country was prepared to pay and when hon. Members ceased to talk so much about economy and thought more of what was right and fair to pay for service to the State, there would be a better chance for all classes to rise in the Army. He congratulated Mr. Haldane upon having abandoned the idea of the territorial Army being controlled by sanitary, gas, and water experts. Apparently they were now to have it managed by those in the county who were military experts and took an

they would have an easy task; at any rate he could assure the right hon. Gentleman that in his part of the country he would receive the cordial co-operation of

all classes. He wished, however, to deal thought that the £5 should be paid more particularly with the Yeomanry. to the commanding officer instead The Secretary of State for War had said of to individual men, for in many cases in a light and airy way that they were the money was wasted. If the money not going to cut down the Yeomanry, were paid to the commanding officer, a but how did that statement compare with better class of horses would be obtained. the memorandum he had issued? That The right hon. Gentleman had told the memorandum materially altered the House that this was a soldiers' Budget, conditions of the Yeoman's service. The but he would like to echo the very true right hon. Gentleman was taking the one remarks of the right hon. Baronet the force which was up to strength and Member for the Forest of Dean, when he admittedly efficient and trying to put it said that the soldiers had never shown into the position of other branches of the themselves capable of dealing with the service which were notoriously inefficient, Auxiliary forces. He earnestly hoped that and where there had been considerable the right hon. Gentleman would not be too difficulty in maintaining full strength. strongly guided by the opinion of the They might say that 5s. 6d. a day was soldiers. He had a strong feeling that the too much to pay, but for hundreds of alterations proposed to be made in respect years the Yeoman received 7s. per day. of the Yeomanry were not justified, and he In 1901 when the conditions were altered hoped that on re-consideration the right 1s. 6d. was taken as the cost of keeping hon. Gentleman would considerably a horse, and that was deducted. When, modify them. however, they considered that the 5s. 6d. per day did not represent clear pay, but certain amounts for food, equipment, and clothing, he thought they must agree that it was not an extravagant sum. Was it worth while risking the great ill-feeling which must undoubtedly be caused by the proposed altered conditions? The Yeoman would be distinctly worse off, and the force must suffer as the result of that cheese-paring policy. The right hon. Gentleman asked them to make sacrifices. The Yeomanry were prepared to make sacrifices and to rough it for their country, but they were not prepared to make sacrifices in order to prove what a great economist the right hon. Gentleman was or to redeem the election pledges of his Party. He did not think that the right hon. Gentleman would find, if he appealed to them in that way, as much support as he would if he appealed to them boldly to give up something for the sake of the country. He thought it was only fair that they should have an answer from the right hon. Gentleman as to what allowances for food, clothing, and equip ment were to be continued. The question of allowances for horses had been already dealt with. Personally he

MR. A. J. BALFOUR said he understood the Government were prepared to assent to an arrangement by which the Bill which practically embodied the scheme of the Secretary of State for War would be taken as the First Order on. Monday, and on which, of course, the discussion could be continued. In these circumstances he hoped his hon. friends would raise no objection to the Vote being taken before the House adjourned.

*MR. LUPTON (Lincolnshire, Sleaford), called attention to the system of courts-martial. He suggested that the private soldier should be treated in the same way as the officer was treated. When an officer was court-martialled, he was tried by his fellow commissioned officers, and when a private was courtmartialled the court ought to be constituted of private soldiers. The prisoner would then receive more sympathetic treatment, and the sentences passed would not be so frightfully cruel as those frequently passed now by a court of officers judging a private who had committed some trifling breach of rules. He wished to associate himself entirely with

Copy presented, of Order of the Local Government Board, amending The Motor Car (Registration and Licensing) Order,

The House met at Twelve of the 1903, relating to the County of London [by Act]; to lie upon Table.

Colliery on the 14th October, 1906 [by | joining estates which have been purchased Command]; to lie upon the Table.

PRISONS (ENGLAND AND WALES). Copy presented, of Draft Rules proposed to be made by the Secretary of State for the Home Department under the Prisons Acts, 1877 and 1898, with respect to the constitution of the Visiting Committee of Bristol Prison [by Act]; to lie upon the Table.

BUTTER AND MARGARINE BILL.

Copy ordered, "of Enactments applied or adapted by the Butter and Margarine Bill." (Sir Edward Strachey.) Copy presented accordingly; to lie upon the Table, and to be printed. [No. 62.]

RATHMINES AND RATHGAR URBAN
DISTRICT COUNCIL.

by the Board for several years; and would he, in the interests of some of the poorest tenants in Ireland, use his influence with a view to inducing the Judge of the Land Court to sell this estate as quickly as possible.

The case

(Answered by Mr. Birrell.) I am informed that the petition for the sale of this estate in the Land Judge's Court was filed in 1893. All the parties to the case are agreed that a sale to the Congested Districts Board would be desirable, and the Land Judge is anxious to have such sale carried out expeditiously. The delay in the matter hitherto has been due is to come before the Land Judge during to the complexity of the title. the present month, and in the meantime efforts are being used to obviate the difficulties as to title. The Congested Districts Board have already purchased Return ordered, "of the following Papers in respect of the Kathmines and the tenants' interest in three farms on the Rathgar Urban District Council, viz.:-estate, and are prepared to purchase the (1) the Auditor's Reports for the years ending the 31st day of March, 1905, and the 31st day of March, 1906; (2) written objections by ratepayers, Messrs. O'Driscoll, Moran, Rattigan, and Sullivan, to items in the account for the year 1906; (3) Auditor's reasons for decisions in respect of the same; (4) terms of appeal to the Local Government Board by Mr. Sullivan; (5) Local Government Board's decision, No. 54,638, 1906; (6) any correspondence on the matter between the Local Government Board and the Rathmines and Rathgar Urban District Council."-(Mr. John O'Connor.)

the Court. It is not the case that the fee simple when it is offered for sale by non-sale of this estate has prevented the Board from distributing two adjacent estates. The only adjoining property belonging to the Board is the Jones estate, which has only recently been vested in the Board.

Collections for Presentations to School

Teachers.

MR. MARKHAM (Nottinghamshire, Mansfield): To ask the President of the that last Christmas a subscription was Board of Education whether he is aware collected from the children attending the Skegby National Schools, Nottinghamshire, by one of the assistant teachers for another teacher at this school; will he the purpose of making a presentation to take steps to prevent money being collected from the children of working men by teachers in council schools for making presents to other teachers; whether he has any information that a parent of one of the children attending the Skegby National Schools protested against this system, and that, arising out of this protest, the child of this parent was publicly spoken to in the school by the wife of the teacher to whom the presentation was made, to the annoyance of the parent and discomfort to the child; and will he issue instructions to the Nottinghamshire County Council that they are