The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1891-05-07
monitomof pilot.
THE BRITISH ARMY.
It's Numerical Strength and Relative
Weakness in Peace and War.

liB NuheFtcat
Weakness in Peace and War.
The total expenditure on the army.
ont of taxes. in the year in the case of
the United Kingdom was last year.
according to Sir Charles Dixie. fl6.-
500. 900. saws the London Saturday Re
rie,c. aud IN India the same. or GSS3.-
600. 600 (t34 900 600 in the present
ycar) besides the expenditure out of
loans and that of the sclf-governing
colonies for the armies of the British
empire The colonies altogether spend
for themselves about 81. 100000 year
for army purposes. in addition to the
contributions made by some of them
toward the imperial forces and toward
marine defense. While the armies of
the British empire cost about t3j. 300
600 year. the German empire costs
about E33 500 600 and the French army
a little over f2S. 600. 900.
Our armies cost us. therefore, con-
siderably more than theirs. but while
each Of these powers would have IN the
field on the twenty-iirst day of mobili-
cation over 1000, 900 Of men. with be-
tween 5000 and 1000 guns. and be-
hind this vast force large garrison
and territorial army in reserve. we
could altogether muster but $4,000
men from all the resources at our com
maud. But the ingenious Briton will
retort that. though our forces are
small, they arc OF exceptional quality;
that one Englishman is equal 10 two
Frenchmen: that one volunteer is as
good as two pressed men. and so on
und so weitcr. etc. Not so.
The 100000 active German or
French troops of whom we have just
spoken. are pretty much the same all
through"-ttat is TO say, they are of
uniform quality, even if it be granted
that their standard be not as high as
ours. Our mustcr-roil. on the con-
trary, is built up from the most hetero-
geneous sources. and the quality. when
the training and education of the SOL
der are considered. if in some cases
high. is in others dcplorable. The
total we arrive at is made up of 17O.-
900 troops, excellent though deficient
in some particulars; 80 900 to %, 900
tirst-class army reserve, useful but not
periodically drilled rs is the reserve of
every continental army; 1000 second
class army reserve, hardly worth
counting; ll3 600 militia, who may be
said 10 be without half their officers;
8 900 Channel island militia; about
1000 Malta and st. Helena militia;
1000 yeomanrv; 224 900 volunteers;
1900 regulars in India (undoubtedly
Il splendid force); $4,000 good native
troops in India; 30 900 bad native
troops, and Il 900 of what Sir Charles
Dixie terms odds and ends"
In other words, the figures we can
produce include everything we can
possibly term soldier from a guards
man TO a native policeman. They in-
clude some regiments of Indian in
fantry which are recognized even by
ourselves rs worthless, and whom we
from time TO time disband as SUCH
They include the st. Helena militia
and the ROYAL Irish constabulary- who,
however efficient in their own sphere,
would probably be so occupied in it
that they can hardly be available to
fight foreigner. But, more than this,
not only is our force thus variable and
sometimes unsatisfactory as regards
the quality of its component parts, but
it is singularly badly proportional as
regards the arms of which it is COM
posed.
If there is one thing which recent
experiments have established more
than another. AMI upon which there is
complete unauimilv of opinion among
military men. it is thiS-ti 1t modern
armies should in future campaigns be
remarkably well furnished with both
cavalry and artillery; infantry will be
unable TO face modern muSkctrY I'M
less they are well supported by guns,
and have the way of their attack pre-
pared for them by artillery fire. A
thick veit of horscmeu will shruud the
movements of 4 modern army from its
opponent. and an army which has not
strong iOrce OF cavalry. both to gain
information for it and to ward off its
opponents scouts, will be ut the mercy
Of Il better-iuiormed antagonist.
1t will neither he able TO see nor re-
main unseen. Yet how do we lind
that our attenuated levies are furnish
ed with these necessary adjuncts?
Contemptibly so, it seems as regards
artillery. We have but nominal 600
guns all told. against 1900 to 1000
belonging to the powers that may OPP
pose Us. and of these we could not
place above $40 in ;he field
Not only have we IN abSurdly small
number of batteries. but we propose
on an outbreak of hostiiiteS to reduce
them by fourteen in order TO make up
ammunition columns! That is TO say,
we organize, equip and educate
scientific body OF men in order that
they may on the outbreak of hostilities
be equal to the duties which Pickford's
or Garter Paterson's dravmen daily
perform in our StrcctSi The Germans
on Oct. l last added TO their artillery
almost rs many guns as we have in the
whole world. and Roumania and Swift
zerIand can each of them put in the
field about rs many guns rs can the
British empire. Nor when we come 10
analyzc our cavalry returns are mat
tiers more reasSuring. We have only
l. 600 horses To mount l9. 600 troopers
both in India and ut home together.
Fo. Charity.
1. 4 I,