Meantime We gladly acknowledge that Mr. Haldane has done great
service in giving us a force of home guards which, if not raised on the proper principle, is at any rate excellently organised. In other words, he has provided a frame of exactly the right kind. It remains for the nation to put a finished picture into it. All that is wanted now is a short Act of Parliament, making it obligatory on every lad, rich and poor, between the ages of seventeen and eighteen, to join the Territorial Force and remain in it for three years, with the addition that to begin with he should go through three months' recruit training. For ourselves, we are inclined to add that, with the leave of the military authorities, men specially circumstanced should be allowed to clear themselves of the liability to go out for the fortnight a year for three consecutive years by putting in a period of six months' recruit training instead of three months. Such six-months men would, however, be required to put in a few drills and do a certain amount of shooting each year, and to take part in at least three field days a year.
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