AN IMPERIAL ARMY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 72, 21 April 1909, Page 4

AN IMPERIAL ARMY

-Ml! IUUIAXC OUTLINES ms SCHEME. London, l'Vlinmi'V 2(i. Tin- Stir.'iiiiy of Stale for war made an important speech at lioweastlc Just Saturday on tin; ui-jrnnisatiun uf the military forces uf the Empire. Jt seems Wat at. the Imperial Conference in JIIU7, Mr Hablaue pointed out to the Colonial Premiers tlio mormons advantage anil increased strength, liotli to the colonics and to England, tha.t would result if the organisation of the forces ot Hie Crown could he accomplished on one uniform basis, and if they aimed at tlie organisalion of their' forces in Canada, Australia, Xew Zealand, and South Africa, on a pattern as nearly as possible the same ns that which 'was being adopted in the .Mother Country. |-J ( . SU gested to them that the u.'w general stall', which we had organised at Home for our own military forces, should lie organised on an Imperial basis, so as to make it a commoi, scnool ot military thought for the Empire. His proposal was thai the colonics should send officers of high distinction to this country to |„> trained in military science, anil t'iiat we should send to the colonics officers who had already received training, and that thus there should he circulation through the Empire of men who Were the representatives of u school of high military thought. Thus they hoped to weld the forces of the Crown into a great whole throughout the Empire. These principles woe warmly endorsed hy the Colonial Premiers in IIKI7, and the War Office has been at work ever since fashioning the machinery to give ell'cct to the principles whicli were adopted at the Conference. Canada has telegraphed a warm assent ami Mr llaldanc has reason to hope that, other dominions will speedily follow suit. Already the army at Home has Iw refashioned, and for an expeditionary force large provisions have been made. With the divisions between the Cape and .Malta, and those which Lord Kitchener lias in India, the regular army has for oversea work sixteen divisions, equivalent to eight army corps, whicli is larger than any other nation has for oversea work, the reason being that (treat llritain, unlike others, is responsible for twelve million square miles and -1110 millions of human beings. The second line, what one might call tac local line of Home defence, consists of the fourteen divisions of the Territorial Army.

Supposing, said Mr llaldane, Dial Canada, tile population of which was rapidly increasing, were to build on the foundations laid at the Conference, by the new proposals which Canada hail accepted she might easily add live or six territorial divisions (if her

• \vn. Thov« would be for her own defence, but they knew that in IS!)!), when a supreme emergency arose, she did not scruple to send forth her strength to help the Mother Country. In Australia there was a remarkable movement for the organisation of the forces of tne Crown, which might easily produce live Australian territorial divisions. Xewj Zealand might produce another division, and Noutli Africa could rapidly produce four or live. Al the Conference no "je was more hopeful than tJeneral Botha, lie was saving what was possible—what they could' do if they would. If they could add In the fourteen second the divisions m Home sixteen for the second line army of the Empire, there would be thirty divisions altogether, and tlle.se, added to the sixteen' regular lirst line divisions for use over seas, would give us an army for war conceivably and practicably of forty-six divisions, equivalent to twenty-three army corps. The army of tlermany had twenty-three army corps, and no other army in the world had an organisation so great, lie was speaking of possibilities. Hard and united work was necessary belore this result could be brought about—sand he was sure it could—we should have a great guarantee of peace, and we should have our defences so organised that in time of supreme emergency we should have a force which, when concentrated would ensure our power to defend ourselves against any aggressors, It'would be fashioned, through the instrumentality of the new imperial general stall', on the highest scientific pa Horn, and it would be so organised that it could lie mobilised with the utmost rapidity possible in the case of an army so scu'ilc d over die seas.