NEW ARMY.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 February 1920, Page 5

NEW ARMY.

FORCE OF 220,000. NO MORE CONSCRIPTION. By Telegraph.*—Press Assn.—Copyright. London, Feb. 23. In the House of Commons, Mr. Winston Churchill (Secretary of State for War)-, introducing the Army .Estimates, emphasised that conscription would terminate oil March 31. He claimed that Britain had created in a single year what was broadly the pre-war regular army, and had also organised additional troops to discharge temporary and new liabilities. He mentioned that the British delegates fought at the 'Peace Conference for the abolition of conscription, but the only response came from Germany under dire compulsion (laughter). All the other States retained compulsory service, including the United States, the originator of the League of Nations, and Russia, the home of advanced political thought (cheers and laughter). Nevertheless, Britain had returned to the voluntary system and would have by April 30, 22ft,000 white trccps compared with 175,000 before the war, and also, during the greater part of the year, 109,000 Indians. Mr. Churchill, summarising the army scheme, emphasised that the Territorial Army would be the normal means of expansion for the British forces for » supreme emergency such as in August, 1014. Britain would be able to provide complete one cavalry division and six divisions of regulars immediately and, in the course of the r.ext few months, one yeomanry division, fourteen divisions of territorials complete with equipment,' and the reserve behind these would be the cadets, capable of calling into being a further v twenty divisions. NO WAR CLOUDS NOW. It. was proposed to reduce garrisons in the Middle East to the barest minimum compatible with security, sending reinforcements from Home or India in the event of emergency.

Mr. Churchill alluded to the fact that the Dominions contemplated reproducing n. number of divisions from their present, very fine military material, but "the adjustment of our relations with them will be undertaken in future months." If the scheme succeeded Britain would have for soma years a large latent reserve of trained manhood fi.nl ample war materials, fiermany could net become formidable for a number of year.?, while France and who were organising large military fortes, were bound to Britain by ties of friendship and interest which would probably be embodied in military arrangements Therefore, temporarily, there ,vas no imminent. danger in Western Europe, but the time might come when the. revival of military strength by Germany, or Germany and Russia combined, might necessitate a drastic revision ?f the arrangements.

Continuing, Mr. Churchill ri-emphtis-ised the fact, that Britain alone among the nations had abolished conscription, thus resulting in the Hitiitation of her military power.

"We shall have to do our ocst. with the forces at our disposal to discharge our duties to the Empire, and. should a great emergency arise, must trust, to the fleet and air force to give time to bring, the might—irresistible might, as had been proved—of Britain into the field."

Discussing the increase of the army in view of the removal of th> German menace. Mr. Winston Churchill thought it idle to protend that the pre-war army was proportionate to the risk Britain ran or to her important rnlc. On the other hand, new and serious responsibilities, both temporary and p-.rmanent, had been placed on Britain as the result of the war, while the whole Eastern world was in a state of extreme disquiet.. RESPONSIBILITIES ABHOAD. In addition to temporary responsibilities on the Rhine and in <he plebiscitary portions of Germany, Constantinople, Egypt, and North-Went Persia, there were two important permanent responsibilities, Palestine and Mesopotamia, where thero were garrisons of 10,000 white troops and 13,000 Indians, compared with 17,000 whiten and 44,000 Indians before ~the war ended. Both garrisons must be reduced if either was to pay its wrv.

Considering the burdens in the East, no relief could be expected until a real peace had been made with Turkey. He trusted that; having dispersed their armies, we should not now take steps towards driving the Turkish people to despair or undertake new obligations, because our resources were not equal to their discharge. Mr. Churchill enumerated Die factors of uncertainty in the Middle East, for instance the Turkish reception of the Peaco Treaty, Bolshevik aggression, the effect of the Milner Commission in Egypt, the termination of responsibilities at Constantinople, but be decided to take an optimistic view and provide for the reduction of garrisons in the Middle East from 20,000 white troops and 21,000 Indians to half their present strength. The Irish garrison was 35,000. against 25,000 before the war. Discussing the finance of the estimates, which totalled 120 mil'ions, MrChurchill pointed out that costs had multiplied two and a quarter i imes compared with those before the war and this had resulted in less war power. Three or four years' detailed stufly would be needed to get the same value. During the debate on the Aimy Estimates, Mr. B. C. Spoor, Lubor member for Bishop Auckland, said that the Government's policy regarding the army revealed in Mr. Churchill's speech was a terrible disappointment to the Labor Partv.

General Seely expressed the opinion that it was impossible for one Minister to supervise the Army ant! the Air Councils.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.

THE VOTE AGREED TO. Received Feb. 25, 7.25 p.m. London, Feb. 25. In the House of Commons, the Army Estimates vote was agreed to by 115 votes to 52 Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.