 The bill had its second reading in the Commons on 9, 10, and 23 April, and was passed into Committee, where it was discussed at some length over nine days.The opposition to the bill, whilst verbose, was not very effective.Hugh Arnold-Forster, the previous War Secretary, argued that the Territorial Force would prove ineffective in opposition to conscripted Continental armies, whilst the Labour Party objected generally to any increase in military strength.