THE TERRITORIAL FORCE.
Pro THE EDITOR OF TEE 'SPECTATOR:]
venture to ask you to allow me to bring to the notice of your readers who are desirous of furthering the objects of the new Territorial Army Act a scheme which has been adopted by a small Committee of freeholders in the district
of Kingswood to enable the employees of small trades or farm employers (that is to say, those employing only one or two hands) to avail themselves of the opportunities afforded by the Act of acquiring military training. When the Committee took steps to obtain recruits in this district they found a number of promising young men employed by small employers, and were confronted with two difficulties : first, the small employer was in most cases quite unable to dispense with the service of his employee for the whole fortnight's training desired by the authorities, nor was he, as many large employers are, able to pay the employee while absent; secondly, they found intending recruits of this class apprehensive that they might, by force of circumstances, run a serious risk of losing their employment. To meet these difficulties the Committee proposed the following scheme to enable young recruits of this class to join the Force. Each member of the Committee made himself responsible for two recruits upon an arbitrary basis of two recruits for every hundred acres or less of freehold tenure. The Committee pay to the small employer a sum equal to the wages of the employee recruit during his absence on training upon two conditions : first, that the employee shall train for the whole fortnight contemplated by the Act ; and, secondly, that the employer shall keep his place open for the recruit on his return. The Committee impose no other condition on the small employer. He can do what be pleases with the money ; he may keep it for himself, or share it with his employee recruit, or use all or any part of it in finding a substitute for the employee recruit while on training. As an encouragement to the recruit, the Committee further undertake to pay the premium on an insurance against death or accident to him whilst on training in camp upon the usual conditions of a policy issued under the Employers' Liability Act. The proposal has met with so much success that we hope to secure the assent of all the landowners in the district to the levy of a small voluntary rate analogous to the voluntary Church-rate made in many parishes.—I am, Sir, &c.,
EDWIN FEESHFIELD, Jun.
Juniper Hill, near Reigate.
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