The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-12-13
Civil Control From London Brit
iSh Armed Forces.
THERE is To BE MUCH REFORM
Officers Of High Rank Held to
Small RuleS-A Few Incidents,
Fear Of Lord khartoum.


| turning the thoughts of intelligent peo-
pie to the state of the British army,
and especially TO the control exercised
by the British War Office. The Indian
and Egyptian armies, being exempt
from the bureaucratic control Of Pail
Mall, are in a state of efficiency, but
the deplorable nature of the system in
force at headquarters in London is
gradually being brought home to the
people, and should be a solace TO AM
orleans who do not regard General
Alger and perfection as convertible
terms. A droll document has just been
presented to Parliament under the title
of Report of a Committee Appointed
by the Secretary of State of War TO
Consider the Decentralization of War
Office Business" In this blue book
broad farce is mingled with the seeds
Of tragedy To Americans. angered
with the defective organization of their
own army some passa geS from the
farce disclosed by the latest blue book
on the British army may prove both
interesting and amusing. The princi-
pal fact brought out by the evidence
is that the home army is strangled by
red tape welded by hundreds OF civil
ian clerks, who have managed TO
snatch the real control of the army out
of the hands of experienced generals.
All power is concentrated in London.
A general officer commanding a dis
trict in the United Kingdom is not
trusted to expend a larger sum than So
on his own judgment. Mr. Ismay stat
ed in evidence that a White Star cap
tain with salary of $4,000 year may
be trusted with the unfettered expendi-
ture of S1OO 900. The New York agent
of the same firm is allowed to control
81 100000 a year. A British lieutenant
general is trusted by the civilian staff
of the War Office to the extent of 20
shillings. Some time ago the Admir-
atty was afflicted in the same way as
a post captain whose claim for cab
fare from the dock yards gates to
Portsmouth railway station was refus~
ed on the ground that there was no
evidence of his having made the jour
ney. The reply of the gallant officer is
historical. He is reputed to have said,
In the first place, I am post captain
in her Majesty's navy, and I have in
fact taken the cab, but if evidence is
required 1 can produce the testimony
Of . hoo Il CT
were on the spot at the time, and who
would doubtless satisfy their lord
ships
A story illustrating red tape was
told me the other day by an engineer
officer In the course of his duties,
which involved travelling over the
country, he sent in a bill which con-
tanned a charge. porter, Cd The
word porter is one of those dubious
terms in the English language which
are capable Of two interpretations One
signifies the man who carriers ones
baggage at a railway station; the other
is the form of black beer which is
known under the name of porter.
When my inforNant, therefore, claim
ed a return of the siXpence he had eX-
pended, he was told by the War Office
authorities that alcoholic drinks were
not to be included in the travelling al
lowances of officers. He rejoined that
he was not claiming for alcoholic drink
but for the hire Of a man to transport
his baggage at a station. Upon which
the sapient official rejoined that in fu-
ture he should not claim for porter, but
porterage. On the next occasion on
which this officer, who was a wag, was
travelling on behalf of his country, he
sent in a bill which included the item
cabbage, Is" The bill was promptly
returned by the War Office authorities,
with the statement that green vege-
tables We're not TO be included in the
travelling allowance of officers. The Of
ficer replied that he did not mean to
imply that he had bought green vege-
tables, but that he had taken a cab,
and that as when he had asked for the
hire of a porter he was instructed to
call it porterage, he could only pre-
sumo that he was carrying out their
lordship's wishes in claiming for the
return of the sum he had laid down on
the transport Of his person and goods
from the station under the head of
cabbage The real trouble in the
British War Office is that the regula-
tons and warrants under which the
British army now serves have grown
entirely for the benefit Of the War Of
fee clerks, and serve to find work for
them at the War Office rather than to
culous regulations were abolished to-
morrow, as they will be If Lord Kitch-
ener is installed in power, the War Of