Turning to the cavalry, Mr. Haldane said that he proposed
to establish six cavalry depots, which could also be used as training schools for Yeomenry, and to add to each regiment a reserve of trained horses, which when not required would ledge out with farmers and others for light work. To meet the difficulties of finding men for the Artillery, they had adopted a new system by which long and short-service men would be combined in a single battalion, and greater efficiency would be attained at less cost, The Artillery of the expedi- tionary force would be increased by two howitzer brigades, and the number of Royal Engineers available ' for peace. training would be increased partly by the absorption of field companies drawn from South Africa and partly by increasing the home establishment. After alluding to the adhesion of the Canadian and Australasian Governments to the creation of the General Staff, which would involve air increase in the professoriate of the Staff College, Mr. Haldane' described the satisfactory experiments in motor-omnibus traction which had been recently carried out. The Army, like the Navy, was considering the best patterns of dirigible balloons, and, as to aeroplanes, had begun negotiations with private individuals. The manoeuvres this year—involving a month's work by fOur divi- sions of infantry and a division of cavalry7--would be carried out With greater effect and clearer approximation to war conditions than formerly.
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