The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-12-11

tl0nal task; consequently, they were
 compelled toseek out and impress into their service many Of the French arti- sans and skilled mechanics employed in the shops honorably paying these men
 for their forced labor.
 For facilitating and accelerating mo-
 bilization and concentration on frontiers
 like those of France, Germany and oth-
 CT Continental countries, 1t has been long
 realized that railways are invaluable.
 Of little more than academic interest,
 however would be an account of the
 special military railway systems or
 ganlzed for the purpose, since the re-
 quirements of those nations are so en-
 tirely different from our own. In short,
 1t is not here necessary to discuss the
 question of our own railroad system as
 a factor of national defence beyond re- l marking that the basis of the whole | scheme rests in the, recognition of the
 fact that as the system, per SC, 1t Is ac-
 knowledged to be the best in the world,
 and is being worked always at high
 pressure, therefore its own civil func | tionares are the proper persons to be
 retained to control it.
 | There can be little doubt that this
 plan is greatly preferable to those of France, Germany Austria. etc., where
 the actual technical working of the
 railways is taken out of the hands of
 military officers whose only practical
 knowledge has been gained by occasion
 al exercise and periods of training.
 Some years ago. however, Colonel H. M.
 Hozier read a paper before the mem
 bers of the Royal United Service Insti-
 f1r t,, xxrai io1 I,a 1,,1r +1o
 idea that in addition to a well thought out railway mobilization scheme for
 home defence the peculiar requirements of the British army demanded provi- sions by which special railway corps or only the nucleus of one, might be forthcoming from the great railway works of the country, to accompany it on expeditions or in operations abroad. For, as the lecturer pointed out, there could be no possible doubt that it would be of the greatest assistance to those conducting such operations, particularly in a civilized country well equipped with railroads, to have at their disposal not only trained engineer officers, but specially enlisted artificers, engine dri- vers, firemen and skilled workmen of | all the various crafts concerned with the construction repairing and working of railroads.
 The dispatch of an army corps to | South Africa is case in point, and happily, the troops are to be accompa- | nied by just such semimilitary and unique departmental corps, If the term may be applied to the men now mobil- izing at Chatham, from two, if not | more, of the principal railway works.
 How did the creation of the material for this eminently practical force come about The scheme owes it's origin to the patriotism and foresight of the late . Sir George Findlay, the general mana ger of the London and Northwestern Railway company, who conceived the idea of forming technical volunteer corps solely from the men employed at the famous Crewe works and early in 1877 an effective force of over six hun dred men was here embodied under the title of the Second Cheshire (Railway) Engineer Volunteers. The corps is almost entirely of men who in their everyday avocations are smiths filters engine drivers, signal men, etc.--in short, acquainted with every phase of railway work, and who undergo, in addition to the ordinary drill, a course of instruction in military 
 But Sir George Findlay's patriotic en- deavor did not stop here. Realizing that the corps, from having been ir- corporated upon the ordinary volunteer principle, was liable only to be called out for active service in event of inva- sion, he next approached the war office with scheme by which a certain DOT ton of 1t might be rendered available for service abroad His idea, which was at once heartily acquiesced in by the and soon came to pass, is as follows: A certain quota of the men each of the six companies are enlisted as a matter of form in the Royal Engineers for one day, and are then placed in the First Class Army reserve for six years, during which pe- riod they are liable for service if called upon, and receive the ordinary pay of their rank. Among the men themselves the proposal was well received, and from starting with seventy-five Re servists of this unique type the number has since swollen to quite one hundred and fifty.
 In June, 1888, the Crewe Engineer Volunteers were reviewed by H. F. H. the Duke of Cambridge who conipi mented them very highly upon their efficiency, and spoke of their ''r>bable ,alue to the country in the event of war at the same time expressing the hope that the example so we'll set at Crewe would be followed at other great vail way centres. This has been the case, for the Great Western Company the Great Northern company, the London and Southwestern company, the South eastern company, the Great Eastern the Northeastern company md Caledonian company, at Swindon, Easteigh, Ashford, Strat-