THE Wairarapa Age. MORNING DAILY FRIDAY, APRIL 16, 1909. THE NEW BRITISH ARMY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3165, 16 April 1909, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age. MORNING DAILY FRIDAY, APRIL 16, 1909. THE NEW BRITISH ARMY.

The cable message which reported a day or two ago that the British War Office had arranged for the use of 2,000 taxi-cabs for the transport of soldiers "in case of invasion," symbolises the policy of activity which has sharply characterised the army administration since Mr Haldane took office, and has been reinforced by public enthusiasm duringthe last two or three months. Growing realisation of Germany's ominous naval preparations, even before the Government revealed the surprise it experienced six months ago on discovering that Dreadnoughts had been secretly laid down in German shipyards, accounts in part for this; and the play, "An Englishman's Home," came in time not to create public spirit but to give it a focus. But it would be easy to exaggerate the events of this year, which in reality only round out those of its predecessor. And we can see other reasons for the whole development than a spurt in army interest. A powerful one was indicated by Mr Haluane, when he said in the course of a notable speech on the Army Estimates in the House of Commons last month, 'There is no doubt that the army is becouiing a much more popular occupation than it was some time ago, and I trust that some of the reasons that made it unpopular have been effectively extirpated." At any rate, the sum of the oosition is that recruiting for the vpgulars is probably better than in anv previous equal period of peace time; that for the special reserve (roughly equivalent to the old militia) it has been much larger and of better type than for the superseded force, while the recruits are reported to include many who would not have enlisted under old conditions; and that the much discussed Territorial or volunteer force, undergoing what the Minister apologetically called a boom, sho,w* a total of over 240,000 out of a projected establishment of about 313,000. ' Of non-commiesioned officers and men, the forces showed at the end of February, 75.7, and of officers 78.2 per cent. To appreciate , those figures it is necessary to re-

member that this is a new force, which not only challenged the dislike that novelty usually awakens, but also had to survive the partisan be ■ littlement to which a large proportion of the political Opposition rather unworthily subjected it. Time enough has elapsed now to enable the system to be judged and to justify it in demanding a favourable verdict. Broadly the British defence plan is that of a striking or expeditionary force, a regular centra with voluntary arms radiating out from it, but ready under a gradually perfecting system, to be amalgamated with it on the linking system. Should the present idea be put into practice, and visible resources be drawn upon, the nation will be capable of providing twentythree army corps. "A sufficient home defence force to make impossible invasion on a, large scale, is the foundation of British strategy," said Mr Haldane. In pursuance of that ideal not only are the various forces —regulars, xeserves and territorials —being raised and equipped with every fighting convenience that ingenuity and investigation can suggest, but complete plans of home defence have been jjworked out, under which "every hundred yards of the coast of these islands" have undergone military survey and territorial units been allotted to defence accordingly. At the same time improvement of the general staff has been sedulouslv attended to. The gunnery experts have developed a new howitzer which is said to be a great improvement on the patterns now in use. They have also, according to recent cables, produced a gun that promises to bring the airship into range; while as to airships themselves, in the fighting variety Britain is reported to be well ahead. In fine, Mr Haldane seems to have been well within the mark in claiming that "what we have got for the money is an army undoubtedly better organised than the old army was."