[To 777 EL0707 Or 777 .. SPEC71707. " 1, SIR, — According to "Eyewitness" (Spectator,
June 6th), Lord Roberts in his address to the Surrey National Reserve called attention to the chief danger connected with this movement. His Lordship rightly insisted that the National Reserve must not be used as a "reservoir." The profligate finance of Mr. Lloyd George and the partial failure of Lord Haldane's Terri- torial scheme compel Ministers to look out for every means of saving expense and adding to our forces, and they are very glad to draw upon a force supplied by private patriotism and benevolence. I earnestly hope that the organizers of this movement are too shrewd to be caught. If they are caught, the movement may even do harm instead of the great good of which it is capable. Why, for instance, should not it be extended to the Colonies and to India, and the Reserve become an Imperial Reserve ? Such was the dream of some of us who, after the South African War, desired at least the regis- tration of the names and addresses of all who had served in that war ; but the opportunity was neglected. In the National Reserve we have the nucleus of an all-embracing Imperial scheme, but it must refuse to supply contingents to any other
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