The San Francisco call., 1899-04-01
WARFARE in THE TROPICS.


( \ statistics of England and France relating to
their military service in their tropical armies OF
occupation and conquest, Wherever possible the
British military stations in India are located in dry
climate, heat and humidity together are recognized
partnership of deathy influence. The British
army in India consists OF 10000 men and officers.
Their average annual hospital admissions o7738
1896 hospital cases for each 1000 men, The aver
age number Of days each soldier sick is 3435, and
the number in each thousand constantly sick is o385
AS these include the dry stations in the hills, the
showing is better than that made by the hot and
moist camps. Taking Ahmedabad average of
the latter, the hospital admissions 34I7 to each
1000 men, than three to each man. One-ha
the cases the tropical maarial fevers which sap
the constitution. Of 24o3 stationed at Alahabad
the annual average suffering from cholera, smallpox
enterc, yellow and other fevers 63I from malaria
ever 38I from the dreadful constitutional disease
of vice. 1928, and from other diseases 1875, making
the total annual hospital admissions yearly 36I5. The
Royal Fusiliers, numbering o3I men, have II8 con-
stantly sick; the First Royal Welsh, numbering 877,
have I4o constantly sick. For the dreadful and in
eradicabe constitutional disease referred to in
each treated in Scotland, I23 in Ireland and
I53 in England, Of the home troops, while in the
tropical forces the number is 3I4 in the West Indies
per 1000, 333 in Ceylon, $50 in China, 47o in the
Straits Settlements, and 522 in India In the Roh-
khand district the number OF such cases is III per
1000 men.
1t must be remembered that in the Philippines our
army OF conquest and occupation has to face both
heat and moisture, and all the physical and moral
dangers which long experience has failed to guard
against in the British army. In campaign OF ten
months in Madagascar the French army of 1880
men, without any hard battle, lost 4I8o men, or 325
On rood
upon Tsarasora, and all died OF disease the way,
not one living to reach the objective.
In the first year of in the tropics eleven
died OF disease to OF battle causes Yet the
main body OF our army sojourned but briefly under
vertical sun, and most of them our base
OF supplies.
Until get the uncensored statistics of opera
tons in the Philippines the sanitary facts of
paign there will be unknown, but there reason
to believe that are escaping the consequences Of
tropical occupation which have fallen so severely
upon the armies of every country that has its feet
in that hot and poison path to glory.
Kipling who was born in Bombay and was sent to
England to be reared and educated returning to
India for his career has set forth vvidly the results
Of camp life there The white Mans Burden" is
imposed solely by the intractabe tropical races
but is the curse of climate to which the natives
temperate zone races
1t is grave question in economies whether the
profits of trade secured by any northern people from
the tropics has paid for the sacrifice of money life
and health required in securing it by conquest, mill
tary occupation and forced labor.
In their normal state, and controlled by indigenous
races, the tropics would yield certain volume Of
trade for the temperate zone nations. 1t this
natural trade that fattened Venice and Genoa. When
it is substracted from the volume secured by con-
quest, ownership and military occupation, basis is
furnished on which estimate the actual returns Of
such ownership and Offset it to the cost.
1t is certain that the nations which have such
ownership do not make it pay in public revenues. The
tropical colonies of Spain showed deficit in revenues
to cost of for thirty years before she lost
them Holland has had deficit of colonial revenues
since 1877.
1t may be said that while the public revenues have
paid the cost of government private individuals
have been enriched. No doubt this is true, but out
of it arises the grave question of the right Of
ton to hold subject people in bondage at public
cost while they are exploited for private profit