MILITARY CONTROL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 548, 1 July 1909, Page 5

MILITARY CONTROL.

. POSITION IN IHDIA« LORDS CURZON ANO KiTCffEHER. BREAK-DOWN PREDICTED. (By Telegraph.—Press A6Soclationu-On>yrfCkt.t ■ (Reo. Juno 30, 11.80 p.«u) ■ • :-i \ London, Jmto SO. ■ In the House of Lords Ijord Cuiaoji, formerly Vicoroy of India, initiated a- debate on • ;<■ tho question of Lord •KHcheofii's, pompon : • India •on Comraander-iu-Chief.i• -r' Lord Curzon predicted that Lord Kitch* boot's now system would, bnsak down. Tho , duties thrown upon tho Commaadcy-in-Cfahi. .. woulfl break a Napoleon. , , ■" Lord Morloy, Secretary for India, deakd tho chargo that Lord, Kitchener has acted: autocratically. -Lord Kitchenor had, he said, ;> ~ shown an unsurpassed gift of military ad-' - ministration-aud knowledge. .. ; ■ • Lord Lansdowno (who loads the Unionists ' ill the Houso of Lords), and other. Opposition members, described, tho extinction 0f... tho Military Supply. Department as ft stop in, t/be wrons direction. ■ .1 .-• ■: ( I Tho subject then dropped. , - , !"■ IS IT MILITARY AUTOCRACY? , Lord Kitchener's scheme of reorganisation «| the.lndian Army control was submitted in 190 S. Ho declared that the system then . ono. of dual oontrol, involving enormous delay/:.' and endlos!? discussion between; the Comm&ndto-in-Ghief, who' was nominally; responsible fqr the army, and the military member of tho Viceroy's Council, who was really omnipotent in military matters,-. A dispatch ftora '.tho Indian Government, approved by every member of the council except Lord Kitchener, describod-: tho- Commander-in-Chief's soheint! as. -'a, pw-. ' po6al,'not so much to improve, tins effioicncyi,, ; of the army, either in peace or war,, as •to , • .revolutionise the government of,- IndiA; and . to- substitute ior control of' the army by the •, Governor-General in Counoili which, we regard• ■ - > .•:• as.a'-fundgmental ■ principle of our conßtitn-, . tion, control'by a single individual, . i.e., j:h« \ , Commfind^r-in-Chicf. himself." Lord Kitchener, in' a minute, of disaent, said he did not. con^: template weakening the , control of the cor.ncil ' ' over military matters,' but, recommended;that ■: that control should bo exeroised through a dif- r, ferent channel. i ' /The immediate result was a - compromise, by which two Departments .were established—the ' "Army .Department,''' under the Commander-in-Chief, responsible., to. the, council. for com- ;■ • inand, < discipline, nnd other .military duties; : v ■ ' and the 1 "Department,' of Military Supply," ■ under another member- of the council, and: re- ' ,5, . sponsible -' for contracts, stores, ordnance) > re- «v i mounts, . and ' the.:, military 1 factories,'- ■ Tiutin,„ '.< ..Tnn/ , n r nf ' r f !. for India, sanctioned the ; nbolilion of .the Mili- 11 -vIn'ry,'SupplyDepartment,- thus confirming Lord , Kitchener's; original-Vsh«iw> : :<to ..concentrate; botlr the personnel and. the .'supply brjuiches.ofV tho army, under the control of the Commander-:., i 1 in-Chief., Lord Kitchener's triumph is• there- ■ fore' 'complete.