We cannot deal fully with the rest of Thursday's debate,
but we must notice that portion of Mr. Balfour's speech which dealt with the shortage of ammunition at the end of 1899 and the beginning of 1900. The statement is so grave and of such terrible import that we give it in Mr. Balfour's own words ;—" I remember when in this country there was not more than 3,300 rounds of small-arms ammunition, and no reserve of artillery ammunition except that which was actually with the guns we retained at home, which in number were sufficient for a single army corps." After an inter- ruption from Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, Mr. Balfour continued:—" When the right hon. gentleman [i.e., Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman] went out of office there were 92,000,000 rounds, when, according to the official calculation, there ought to have been 146,000,000 rounds. We came into office and we raised that 92,000,000 rounds, not merely to 146,000,000 rounds, which we said ought to have been in store in 1895, but to 170,000,000 rounds ; and it was on the basis of 170,000,000 rounds that we found ourselves left in these critical and anxious days of 1899-1900 with, as I have said, a bare 3,300 rounds of small- arms ammunition in this country. The Government factories and all private factories were working twenty-four hours in the day and seven days in the week. I went through that period, and I shall not easily forget it. As far as I am concerned I never mean to go through a like experience, and so far as I am concerned I never will do anything which could by any possibility throw on our successors a trial and strain like that."
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