In dealing with the question of recruiting, Lord Lane- downe
mentioned that there had been some eight thousand more recruits during the first four months of this year than during the first four months of last year. He hoped in future to improve recruiting by better conditions of service, including improved barrack accommodation. That is, of course, excellent news, but we deeply regret to be unable to find in Lord Lansdowne's remarks any comprehen- sive view of the needs of the Army. The desire to do the best for the Army and the willingness to make any personal sacrifice in the national interests can be clearly read in Lord Lansdowne's speech, but there is visible no grasp of the central facts or of the imperative needs of the present situation. He speaks in the tone of a well-intentioned but bewildered amateur rather than in that of a man who knows clearly what is wanted and means to have it.
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