When the House of Lords on Tuesday gave a second
reading to the Military Service-Bill, Lordeluckmaster alone opposed it as unnecessary, and suggested that' the Pleet might take over the watch en the Rhine. An ex-Lord Chancellor might be expected to show moreknoWledge of the situation in Central Europe, which is not a subject 'for flippant proposals. Lord Curzon reminded the House that under -the Bill we shall have a conibatant'force of six hundred and fifty thousand-men, whith is none too- large for the task of hOlding the occupied territories and securing just and effective Peace. H we were to demobilize the whole Army, as Lord Buckmastm apparently desires, the enemy whom we have defeated would be able to dictate the terms Of Peace to us, and our Allies would never respect nor trust us again. Of coarse lord-Buckmaster does not really want a German Peace. Yet he me-ed the rejection of the Bill, which alone gives the Government power to -enforce a British and Allied Peace. An ex-Lord Chan- cellor owes Ate-himself and to his position to abstain from such dubious political manoeuvres, -which - are naturally, misinter- preted abroad- and do- much-harm -to the Allied cause.
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