The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-01-30
WAR FOOTING OF NATIONS.
Comparative Strength Of the Armies and
Navies of England and Germany.

Navies OF England and Germany.
4 comparison between the forces OF
Great Britain and Germany shows that
! the total army of the former amounts
10 217,7s9 officers and men, with 25.-
$50 horses and 600 guns. The total
force of regular troops maintained III
| 1888 in the United Kingdom was, ac-
cording 10 the official reports, 107,
men of all ranks, with 1896 horses
and 2S2 guns, and in Egypt. India and
the colonies. 1O9.S officers and men.
with 1910 horses and SIS guns The
electives, including reserves, militia.
etc, were returned as follows: Regular
forces, home ard colonial, Il, 334; army
reserves, 1850; militia, 123,744; yeo-
many. 1857; volunteers. e25.i23; reg
ulars on the Indian establishment, u.
SS4; total electives. 656.3S2
In Germany the total force under
arms in time OF peace is 511, SIS officers
and men, with $3.50 horses. while the
war strength is supposed 20 be 100000
men OF military training. In case @.
war every battalion is increased from
544 10 1902 by calling in portion OF
the peace strength Every able-bodied
man is compelled to serve in Germany.
About 400, 900 report annually for mill
tary duty, of whom perhaps IS per cent
are excused on account of physical dis
ability or evede serv. by emigration.
Of the remainder those who are no.
drawn TO serve with the colOrs are liz
bic to be called out for training at Ger
tain periods-the first time for 10, then
,or and then for weeks The sol
1iers of the regular army were former
IL compelled TO serve for years. but
IN 1898 the period was reduced To ,
gears. About 5000 Join the army an
nually as 81 year volunteers'-that is
TO say, having passed an examination,
il is required of them TO serve only l
year, they paying their own expenses.
The total force of efficient fighting
ships in Great Britain consists of %
frst-class battle ships, with an aggre-
gate displacement of $4,000 tons; IL
second-class battle ships, aggregating
114.O30 tons displacement; II third
class battle ships, 1880 tons dispiace-
ment; IL coast defense ships, displace-
ment about So. 600; 80 armored and first
class protected cruisers, 241, 100 tons
displacement; GO second and third-class
protected cruisers, 229,60J tons dis
placement; % torpedo gunboats, about
28. 900 tons displacement. These do not
include about 10 gunboats stationed i'll
Australia In addition to these vessels
H. Z . Il
26 frst-class, second-clsss and 20
third-class, 81 seagoing and 19 lockout
ships. The reserve of merchant cruis-
ers comprises a large number of YES
sells.
The German navy consists of little
over so vessels, excluding torpedo boats.
Of the II armored battle ships only
are of the first-class, with an aggregate
displacement of 39,36S tons, and 7 OF
the second-class, with an aggregate dis
placement of 50,152 tons. OF coast de-
Tense barbette ships Germany has 8.
aggregate displacement s, 100 tons, and
of sea-going gunboets, u, with en- az
gregate displacement OF 12,06s tons, 10
of which are armored. Germany has
also % unarmored cruisers, aggregate
displacement about 6,7o0 tons, and i
torpedo fotilla of IL destroyers, CT sea-
going, 81 frst-class, 4 second-elass
boats and IS vedettes. When the tor
pedo boats now in course of construc-
tion have been completed Germanyswin
have fiotilIa of IL torpedo division
boats of from 25O to $50 tons and 10
first-class torpedo boats. As regards
speed, Is of tho British and IL of tho
German armored ships steam at less
than 10 knots. OF the unarmored YES
sels-cruisers, etc.-27 of the British
and 1 of the German steam at less than
y knots. The British navy has 81 that
steam at 90 knots and over, while Ger
many has 15.-N. Y. Sun.