On Monday Mr. Haldane addressed a large meeting of employers
of labour at Glasgow in support of the Territorial Force. The provision for home defence could not be adequately made, he declared, without the co-operation of the nation. It was impossible for a country like ours, which had far more to lose and was more vulnerable than any other, to let down her defensive preparations. After dwelling upon the necessity for preserving the command of the sea, "the root of all military policy," Mr. Haldane pointed out that there was a certain element of chance in naval defence, and every General Staff abroad would be considering, if we had only one line, the naval line, what were the chances of breaking through it. The way to prevent this was to have a second and strong line resting upon a Citizen basis. We had never been serious in our citizen Army in the past, and were appeals ing to the people of this country to do on a voluntary what the Continent did on a compulsory basis. He appealed to employers of labour to help the Government, because the Territorial Force must be made a reality if it was to succeed.
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