The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-04-13
THE DUTCH ARMY.

The debate on the Legerwetten, or Dutch chamber, is the result of a move
 ment similar to that which has also
 manifested itself in Belgium for placing
 the defences of the country on more
 efficient footing. The proposals before the Second chamber have much in com
 mon with those under discussion by the reform commission now sitting in Brus- sels; but the conditions under which the standing army is formed in both coun- tries present some essential points of | difference. In Belgium the system of
 remplacement, or substitution by pay
 nent is still in force. and is likely to
 continue under the present Catholic government, notwithstanding the eff forts of the progressive party. In Hol- land it was abolished three years ago. l Roughly speaking, the Dutch army is | numerically one-third less than that Of
 Belgium, and is recruited in the propor- l tion of two-thirds by conscription and
 one third by voluntary engagement un-
 der contract extending from six to eight years. Every youth who has at l tained the age of nineteen is liable to serve for perior of from five to seven years The conscription furnishes an annual contingent of about ten thou sand men, the drawing of lots being conducted on the principle that all those
 are elected whcse number falls short of
 a stated maximum, which varies in the
 different villages and communes ac- cording to the population. Although < ,J,,a, yi<st, emptions from service on the score of height, rnalformation or similar physi- cal disqualifications, are granted on q liberal scale Exceptions are made in favor of only sons and of three out of
 every family comnpsed exclusively of
 five males. TheA effective strength of
 the army on a peace footing is slightly
 under thirty thousand, including officers
 and men, the prescribed period for ac-
 tive service at any one time being
 twelve months in the infantry and
 twenty-four months in the cavalry.
 Of the reserve corps, the chief is the
 old-fashioned Schutterij, answering to
 the Belgian Garde Civique, which is
 formed from those over twenty-five
 years of age who have escaped the con- SCIlpltcIl, anu WIio cta aiii tieNFU " SANA"
 lots. Finally, there is the Landsturm,
 which Is only called out in case of dire necessity, and is composed of all males \ capable of bearinG, arms between the ages of nineteen and fifty AZ.
 These few particulars are necessary to understand the nature of the reforms now advocated by the government. l Generally speaking, the idea is to re- | model the army on the German pattern, | and in the words of the minister of | war, Lieutenant-Genera K. Bland, to obtain the maximum number of men at | 9 minimum cost. The simplest way to attain this object is, in the opinion of authorities to reduce the re- | spective terms of service under arms to eight and eighteen months instead of twelve and twenty-four, and to bring | the contingent up to seventeen thousand | men. This is the keystone of Lieuten- nt-General Eland's proposal. and it finds favor with the bulk of the mode rate liberals. The conservatives are against it; from what motive is not clear. beyond their natural dislike of or the, prejudice against any measure in the direction of pOpu- larizing the service. But the increase of the contingent renders a reduction in the term of service a necessity upon financial grounds; and it is quite likely that the chamber will give the scheme its support, The fundamental principle, however, which is involved in German izing the Dutch army is the abolutfon of the lottery system and the imposi- tion of military service upon every youth, not otherwise disqualified, who has attained the prescribed age
 The reform is of too sweeping na- lure to be carried out otherwise than gradually, but public opinion has been ripening in that direction. The chief are the socialists, who, Nn- ike their Belgian colleagues, have no necessity to maintain the principle Of universal service as protest against he remplacement. Another innovation which it is proposed to copy from the German army is the establishment of l Landwehr, to be formed from all hose who have already served their ull term of seven years. the further erms of service to be eight years, mak- ng fifteen years in all. This would obviously furnish a more effective re- erve force than the obsolete Schutta- . ii previously alluded to. Lastly, the 4andsturm would be exclusively com posed of officers and men pensioned af- CT their full term of service, a natural to a reform invilving the en- I olment in the regulars of every youth apable of bearing arms. Established ] n such lines, it is argued that Holland would be able to hold her own ln the
 eld against one of the great powers, r at least any such force as it would e worth while to send for the invasion f Dutch soil.-Brussels Correspondence f Ia | nIlInr1 IIraanr