Over the Army estimate there has bren another Conservative revolt, the " Cave'? which was formed on the subject of Mr. Brodrick's scheme of Army Reform being considerably increased. On' Mr. Beckett's amendment to the address nineteen Un-ionis's voted against the Government; for Mr. Guest's motion to reduce by 27,000 the umber vf' men authorised by the Army estimates. twenty-six voted against their party. To nny ordinary Goveroment such secession, including in' its number men like Sir John Gorst, Mr. Winston Churchill, Lord Hugh Cecil, Mr. Vicary Gibbs, Sir Gilbert Parker, and Mr. Yerburgh, would be fatal. Even this Government, with all its immense majority, would have, come periiously nest defeat if they had not conciliated the Irish by the premiss of 'a Land Purchase Bill. Whether'thnt measure will come up to the expectation of the Nationalists remains to Lo seen; but in the meantime they will do nothing that might imperil the introduction' of the measure. As a consequence only' two 'Nationalists out of 83° voted against the Government, and one actually yoted with' them, the result being that the Government carried their estimate by majority of 91.
The Navy and Army Estimates.
At the bottom of this revolt is of course the enormous growth of our expenditure on the Army and "Navy. Within the pnst week or so both, the Army and'Navy estimates have been issued, and from these it—appears that the expenditure on the Army and Navy combined has increased in.ten years from £32,042,900 to nearly £69;000,000. The naval estimates show' an increase of over £3,000,000 as compared with the current: year; but' against" this there is. no particular outery.' Everyone admits that the Navy uiust be maintained at its-present ora greater strength. Buti it- is
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.