According to the "Standard" the new scheme virtually sweeps away the mi and reduces the volunteer force by sixty thousand men, The South African station is to be reduced by five thousand men and the coaling stations and naval ports, Malta and Gibraltar and other outlying bastions of the empire, are to be partly denuded of their. regular military guards. How far these details are reliable has to be soon; put we know that Mr. Arnold-Forster proposes make a substantial reduction in the cost of the army, so there is no reason to doubt the "Standard's" accuracy. The scheme is of course quite in accord with the views of what is called the "Navy School," which contends that a large part of the money which we spend on the army could be more effectively devoted to the navy; but it can hardly fail to provoke strong opposition from the army. With the masses the scheme would probably be popular; and it is not impossible that, Mr. Balfour would regard with equanimity @ hostile vote on it in the present House of Commons, since army reform, coupled with reduced oxpenditure, would make avery good ery for the general election., The Allens Bil which also was popular with a very Jai selection of the masses, has just been dropped on the d. that Liberal obstruction. in Grand Committee has rendered
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.