Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-01-22
What England's Army Costs.

! In paper read the othor tiay before
the RoyalStatistical Society Sir Charles
Dixie gave his countrymen something
to think and talk about. He showed
how much more England pays for her
army thaa does either Germany oil
France, and how much less she gets
for the expenditure.
| 1t appears that the armies of the
British empire. including the forces of
India aud of the colonies. - SIT 500
600 IA year. On the other hand, the
German army costs about S167 500, 900,
and the French army little more than
$40, 900 900. In return for the outlay
either Germany or France can put in
| The field on the twenty-frst day of
mobilization over 1000, 000 soldiers of
| uniform quality with between 5000
| and 4 900 guns while behind this stu
| pendous force would he held in reserve
| vast garrison and TERRITORIAL army.
| The British empire, though compris-
| ing an aggregate area fortyfive times
| greater than that of either Germany or
| France in Europe, could muster but
| 7G5 900 men of various quality, some
being quite worthless, and only small
proportion being applicable to Euro
pean campaign. We should mark how
this total is made up to appreciate its
iIIlEIioIitN W tIc ISSoul CCS vi
the great Continental powers. In the
nominal aggregate of 765, 600 Sir Charles
| Dixie includes. besides 2ll 900 regular
soldiers scattered throughout the en-
pre and IS, 900 good native troops in
India, So 600 of the first-class army re-
serve, which, unlike the reserves ofth
Continental systems,is not periodically
drilled; 1000 of the second-class army
reserve; III, 900 militia, who have out
half the requisite number of officers;
l l 900 yeomanry; 224,OOO volunteers,
whose value is question: BILE, and at all
events has not been tested; 1000 un-
trustworthy native troops in India, and
2, 900 described as odds and ends.
These figures comprise everything from
the battalions of the Guards 10 the
Irsh consta5ulury, the St. Helena mil
itia, and the native policeman in India.
Not only is the military force, for
which Great Britain pays such great
sum of money, heterogeneous in respect
of discipline and aptitude for war, but
it reveals another source of weakness
in the dispropOrtion of the several arms
The British military authorities have
only 10000 horses to mount $4,000
troopers, both in India and at home.
The nominal number of guns is 600.
and of these not over 320 could he plac
ed in the field. 1t is impossible to make
one battery ready without disintegrat-
ng three batteries, and the largest
force that England could within reas
enable of time send from her shores
would be single army corps. These
facts were recently testified to by Gen.
Brack injury and other army officers
before the House ofCommons Commit
tee on army expenditure.
How mucn of the British outlay for
military purposes is accounted for by
the fact that England has to pay the
market rate for soldiers, whereas on
the Continent these are secured by
compulsion? According to Gen. Brack-
enbury's evidence, the addition of $780,
900 900 to the German estimates would
balance the excess Of expenditure re-
qured by recruiting as compared with
conscription. But in calculating the
cost of cOnscription as contrasted with
recruitm eut, the effect of the former
system on the, productive energies of
people ought to be kept 10 view. Sir
John Adye has shown from careful
analysis of emigration statistics that in
single twelvemonth over 100000
men, or more thBn the whole contin-
gent of the year, were lost to Germany
through the desire to avoid compulsory
military SeTVlce. oHc IIIust hiSU Dehf
in mind the loss TO agriculture and
manufactures resulting from the with
drawal of hundreds of thousands ofl
young men from labor during the time
that they are serving under the colors.
1t is also true that the cost of NOV
ing soldiers from one point to another
is necessarily far greater in the case of
England than of Germany. The terri
tory which the German army is called
upon to defend is compact and rela-
lively small, whereas the possessions
of Great Britain are scattered all over
the world. Yet after all deductions
have been made on the various grounds
mentioned, the fact undoubtedly re-
mains that English men pay too mucL |
for what they actually get in the way |
of military resources, That was the
conclusion frankly expressed by Lord |
Randolph Churchill who presided over |
the last committee on army expendi-
ture His frankness gave so much um-
bragg to the permanent officials of the
War Office that they determined to
prevent a reappointment of the COM
mittee, and thus far they have sue
ceeded.-N. Y. san.