Of Mr. Haldane's speech, which lasted two hour* and was
packed from end to end with facts and figures, we can only give the barest summary. He began by alluding to the groat improvement in recruiting for the Regulsr battalions, a fact which he attributed to the greater popularity of the Army. This in turn was due to the improved states of the private soldier and the better conditione of service. Not only had it been a good year for the Regulars; there had also been a great boom in territorial recruiting. Since January 1st upwards of 30,000 had come in, and the force now numbered 240,000. Of these, 86,000 had engaged for one year only, but 33,302 had already re-engaged for periods varying from one to four years. The North Midlands had the largest percentage of the detablishment, but London in the last seven weeks had gone nearly to the front. For this waking-up he gratefully acknowledged his obligation to the Daily Mail and other newspapers and a large group of employers of labour. They had never been nearer compulsion ; but now this movement had established between the voluntary system and compulsion a stronger bulwark than ever.
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