THE BRITISH TERRITORIALS.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14887, 29 January 1914, Page 6

THE BRITISH TERRITORIALS.

Opponents of universal military service in Great Britain are fond of saying that if the advocates of such service would devote half tho energy they give to their propaganda to getting recruits for the Territorials, that force would not bo short of its establishment. But thero aro quito a number of supporters of universal service who have done their best to mako the Territorial scheme a success. Sir Evelyn Wood, that fine soldier who, at seventy-five, is as active in mind and body as most men of fifty, is one of these. A firm believer in conipulsory training, ho has worked hard to stimulate interest in the London Territorials, but, according to a cable message we publish this morning, he confesses his .'failure. In resigning the chairmanship of tho London Territorial Association, the body whose business it is to keep recruiting in London up to the mark, he said that tho efforts of tho Association for five years had been unsuccessful. He was only repeating what Lord Esher had said a couple of years ago. During the v-ear. Lord Esher pointed out, there had been a loss of nearly 4934 men. while only 3872 recruits had enlisted, leaving a net loss of 1062. "It *'is obvious that unless some change " takes place, unless we can give

"some stimulus to recruiting which " we havo failed to do hitherto, there " will be a gradual attrition of the " force in London." No change for the better has taken place in the Territorials in London or throughout the country. .The figures of July last year showed a deficiency of 63,000, as against 51.000 in 1912, and 42,000 in 1009. That is to say, the force was slowly going back in numbers, and there is no reason to suppose that this year's figures will show an improvement. Indeed, it is rxissible that this year's figures will be so alarming that the Government will bo forced to do something, though what it can do, short of the only real remedy, is hard to say. "When a man like Sir Evelyn "Wood fails to make the Territorials what they ought to be. who is to succeed? Ministers go on talking bland platitudes, but in their hearte they mutl. know that tho Territorials are a failure. Mr Asquith talks of spending more money on the force to make it moro attractive, thereby giving away one of the principal arguments of his own side, for if tho Territorials are to cost more, why not go the whole way, and have some system of national service? At present, the country is spending a great deal of money on the force and getting a poor return, and even if more Englishmen could bo bribed to train themselves for the defenco of their country and tho shirkers in it, thero would be no guarantee that the force would bo any moro efficient than'it is now.