Sir L. Worthington Evans, the Secretary for War, speaking at
Chorley on Thursday, February 23rd, said that the Geddes Committee's Report, though valuable, was not sacrosanct. The Government were responsible for the public services and could not transfer the responsibility to any committee. As for the Army, while the Geddes Committee proposed a reduction of 54,000 officers and enen—but actually 39,000—in the strength and of £20,000,000 in the cost, he intended to reduce the .Army by 33,000 men and the Estimates by £16,500,000. With the increase of pay and the higher cost of living the old Army would cost to-day over £60,000,000; he hoped, however, that next
year's Estimates would be less than £60,000,000, as compared with £95,000,000 for the current year. He proposed to disband 24 battalions of infantry,47 batteries and 5 cavalry regiments. He would take the risk of reducing the Army rather than face a certain economic crisis.
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