The question of the value of the post of Commander-in-
Chief and High Commissioner in the Mediterranean was dis- cussed in the House of Lords on Monday. Lord Midleton, who raised the subject, said that in spite of its high-sounding title the post as originally created three years ago had very few responsibilities, and this was the cause of the Duke of Connaught's resignation. " The fact was that the late High Commissioner had absolutely no work to do except to inspect the troops within his command and those seventeen thousand troops had already got the advantage of being com- manded by nine Generals." Since Lord Kitchener's appoint- ment a year ago the inspection of troops throughout Africa had been added to the duties of the post ; and yet the Govern- ment had thought it compatible to appoint him at the same time to a seat on the Committee of Imperial Defence and to the Presidency of the Selection Board, which meets monthly in London. " If it were necessary to unite these duties in one individual, then that individual must have his headquarters in London, and not in Malta."
Previous page
