The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-06-04
THE ARMY OF AUSTRIA.
It's Strength in Peace and War, It's
Arms and Its Fortified Points.

WASHINGTON, May 20.-Severely simple
as are the statements and statistics of Field
zeugmeister Baron Won Kuhn in his contri-
button to the June number OF Harper's
Magazine, they give a good idea of the
composition and general characteristics of
the Austria Hungarian army. The draw
back to the efficiency of that army, or,
rather, the obstacles to be overcome by
special efforts, are 1.-The heterogeneous char
acter OF Its soldiers, unfavorable climatic
conditions, aud the distant connections
many troopsn However the greatest at
tention Is paid to the uniformity of orders,
and the officers are kept hard at work,
while IN the education of these officers no
pains are spared. Again, Baron Won Kuhu
points out as feature of Importance that
the language OF the military service is Ger
man, save in Hungarian landwehr, where
hungarian and Croatian prevail; and be
adds the unity of the army is secured by
the German speaking and German educated
corps OF officers"
Peace has 80 long prevailed in Austria
hungary that 1t is difficult to judge with
precision what point of efficiency the i'm
perial army has reached. But it is quite
certain that in the quarter of a century
ince Sadowa there has been a decided gain.
The main thing hard to discover, without
the actual demonstration of the battle field,
is how this advance compares with the
progress effected during the same period by
Germany, France, Russia, and Italy After
1866 Austria remodeled her establishment
upon the Prussian basis, and in 1889
further gain was made in the system.
There are now three classes in the military
system of Austria, namely, the line the
landwehr and the landsturm. They cover
total period OF twenty-four years In the
life OF the Austrian subject. Only three
years or service. however are required in
the line proper, followed by seven in the
Ersatz or substitute reserve; while some
pass the whole ten years in the Ersatz re-
serve. Two years follow in the landwehr;
but here, also, there may be appointments
to the landWehr or its Ersatz reserve Ia the
first instance, which would accordingly give
twelve years in that body. Finally, nine
years follow in the landsturm, making
twenty-one in all, which, with an enrolment
of three years in the landsturm prior to a
youths reaching his majority and entering
the line, makes an aggregate Of twentY-four
years.
1t is apparent that the three years in the
line corresponding to the active service In
the armies of other European nations is the
requirement that imposes the chief restric-
ton. The service in the militia classes, as
we should term them, permits the ordinary
civil vocations to go on. The lendsturm is
intended to supply the army with laboring
forces, and also to serve as home guard,
and the landwehr is to make no the gaps in
the first class, or standing army proper, in
the casualties of war. II appears that I'M
| der the law of 1889 there is now a further
shortening in the required term OF serv-
ice. "a one year (socslled) volunteer
service will satisfy the military obligation
of an educated young man. He ia not al
lowed, however, during this volunteer year
to continue his professional studies, and in
case he fails TO pass the examination of the
reserve officer at the expiration Of this
period, he must continue his service a sec
ond year along with the troops. These
regulations cause at present greater num-
Der OF the one year volunteers to attain the
rank OF reserve officer.n There is a mill
tary tax levied, based on business or in
come, for the support Of widows and Or
phans of soldiers.
Without going into details of the different
arms of the service, as presented by Baron
Won Kuhn, it may be said that the first
class or standing army comprises 1850
men, to which are to be added 5000 in the
navy, which is under the general direction
Of the war Office, and 1890 Bosnia -Herze-
govinian troops, making total OF about
$4,000 men; while the second class yields
10000 men in the imperial and royal land
wehr, and II 900 in the royal Hungarian
landwehr; so that the grand total peace
strength is 800, 900 men. "In war these
figures are increased as follows: In the
first class, SOS, 600 men in the second class,
100000 men. Including the members of
the third class Qandsturm) that have mill
tary training, the monarchy has the dispo-
sition of about 2, 800, 00O men-6 per cent. of
the entire population" The Hungarian
landwehr Las distinct position in the
army, carries emblems and flags with the
national colors Of Hungary, aud is subject
during the war to the command placed over
1t, but in peace to the royal Hungarian
military authority.
The infantry weapon is the mannlicher
magazine arm, made at the Steyr factory,
and having range of about IA miles,
while 100 rounds are carried by the soldier
The cavalrymen carry saber aud a We
radl carbine OF little less than a mile in
range. The artillery have guns of steel
bronze, called Uchatius' bronze, after the
inventor. The navy guns are Uchatius
and Krupp, the latter being the only weap-
ons in the Austrian service not made at
home.
OF the fixed camps of evolution the most
important is at Bruok-on-the>L eytha,
where in the summer months the divisions
of the Vienna garrison practice target
shooting. A military post of supreme i'm
portance is Pola, Austria's chief naval base.
The strong fortified camps OF Cracow and
Przemys watch Russia. The Trannsyl-
vanian Alps are fortified in their passes
on the Roumanian frontier and Harrisburg
Is a fortified depot on the second
line. On the Dalmatian coast the port of
Cattaro has been strengthened. TRENT is
the central post for the defense of Southern
Tyrol. Komorn, on the island at the con-
fiuence of the Weag and the Danube, can
be held by q comparatively small force.
Various other stragetic points are suitably
guarded by garrisoned works, The Austria
Hungarian monarchy has shown itself for
many years DESTROYS of maintaining peace,
but has recognized that preparation for
war Is a means of securing peace.
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