Expert Opinion on the New Arm. 115 



State for War, viewing the expenditure to be 

 incurred, the great national disasters certain to 

 follow on an error of decision, the serious and to a 

 great extent successful manner in which the new 

 rifle has been impugned, no human power that I am 

 aware of would induce me to assume the responsi- 

 iDility of imposing this magazine rifle on the army. 

 The Small Arms Committee and other highly-paid 

 expert and inexpert ofiicials with which our 

 country is blessed or oppressed have taken fl^'e 

 years to decide upon a weapon. After such an 

 extravagant consumption of time, a few months 

 more would be of little account. A review of all 

 the circumstances of the case by fresh and equally 

 well-informed, but by more impartial and less 

 personally interested judges, would probably allay 

 public anxiety, increase military confidence, and 

 certainly relieve the load of responsibility which 

 must attach to any minister or ministry who make 

 the final decision. Xor can it be said that there 

 is any great hurry. A good magazine is probably 

 a better weapon than a Martini-Henry, but the 

 diflerence is minute and insignificant compared 

 with the diflerence between a known and tried 

 Martini-Henry and a bad magazine. 



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