KECBUITINGr. 
57 
towards the new establishment of two battalions, after filling up the 
depots and the establishments of the existing battalions, the number 
was none. For the Garrison Artillery, out of 3471—'the number 
actually recruited to the good up to the beginning of November, was 
225 men. That is out of 738 men who were to have been recruited 
during the year and out of 3,471. As to the Cameron Highlanders, 
the new battalions had been a little more fortunate, and up to the 
date when I obtained my information they had obtained 180 men 
bub you will see that is a very feeble response to the strenuous 
appeal which has been made. And speaking here, I speak to men who 
know very well that there have been special efforts made to obtain 
these men. In the case of the Guards, there have been what I may 
call heroic methods taken to get the men into the battalions, a class of 
men have been taken as specials, who have never been taken as specials 
before, whole recruiting districts have been thrown open to the Guards 
which have hitherto been considered closed to them, and though I do 
not grudge the men to the Guards, I do very much grudge taking away 
the flower and the cream of the population which furnishes the recruits 
from the regiments which are localized in those districts (applause). 
Lastly, with regard to the cavalry. I want to say a word a little later 
about what has been done with the cavalry, bub I say here that if we 
are to have a very meagre establishment of cavalry kept up on its 
present basis, the methods which have been taken to recruit the cavalry 
and to stimulate the recruiting of the cavalry are deliberately calculated 
in my opinion to diminish our chances of obtaining good recruits and 
possibly to diminish our chances of obtaining recruits at all. I have 
heard it stated on an authority, which was to me very convincing, that 
the reports of the most experienced recruiting officers are to the effect 
that within 3,000 or 4,000 the limit of recruiting in the classes we 
ordinarily go to is exhausted, and I am unable to reconcile these facts, 
and many others with which I need not trouble you, with the statement 
which has lately been made by the Secretary for War to the effect that 
there is no difficulty experienced in obtaining men and that the 
condition of recruiting is satisfactory. I believe all the facts—the 
notorious facts—point the other way, and that the condition of recruiting 
is profoundly unsatisfactory, and that if we attempt to make this large 
promised addition to the army on the present terms we shall find our¬ 
selves confronted with the impossibility of obtaining the men at all. 
How “not to Attract Recruits.” 
Now to me it is not a matter of surprise, nob at all a matter of 
surprise, that we should fail to get recruits; to me the astonishing 
thing is that, on the terms we offer, we get as many recruits as we do, 
and on the whole that we get as good recruits as we do (applause). 
Of course it is superfluous in an audience like this to call attention at 
any length to the difference between a conscript army and a non-con¬ 
script army. In a conscript army everything is subordinated to what 
you conceive to be the ideal convenience of the working of the military 
machine, All other things are subordinated to that; you can dictate 
