In the House of Commons on Monday Mr. Haldane's scheme
for a Special Reserve was discussed in Committee of Supply. The vote was for £840,000. Mr. Haldane spoke on the defensive, and declared that there was no reason to think the venture would be a failure. He had already secured a large proportion of men over twenty years of age; recruits were coming in; an organisation of officers had been provided for ; and the force was constructed in accordance with the advice of the General Staff. For the first time machinery was being created to make good the wastage of war. The strength of the Militia infantry and artillery had been 83,672 on January 1st, and on July 1st the number of Militiamen was 44,137 and of Special Reservists 30,160, making a total of 74,297. In other words, the new force was already not far behind the Militia strength of January. It was not too much to say that " for the Special Reserve 54,000 men were in sight." We sincerely hope that all Mr. Haldane's predictions will be fulfilled. At the same time, we cannot help feeling that the sweeping away of so many Militia battalions, with all their tested organisation and their excellent traditions of service, is still threatening Mr. Haldane's scheme with difficulties which it need never have encountered.
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