The sun., 1902-03-09
yoREIeN coLoNIAL ARMIEs.

The Military Information Division Of
the Adjutsnt- -Gensrars once Of our army
has Just Issued q report on the colonial
army systems Of those countries whicn
have colonies, . study Of which may oe
OF value to our Congrcssmen in deciding
how our own insular POSSESSIONS are 70 he
guarded. At present our contribution
TO the literature of the subject consists
OF few sections Of the Army act OF last
year. providing for temporary and pro-
visional organizations such as the Porto
Rico Provisional Regiment Of Infantry
and the Philippine Scouts, also merely
provisional. II 10 certain that as wc de-
velop our transmarine possessions we
shall have to devise some permanent plan
OF colonial troops and tho new report.
though made probably without that ne
cesslty In view. will provide information
regarding the systcms found by other
countries to be available.
The report considers tho colonial army
systems of the Netherlands, Great Britain,
France, Germany. Portugal, Italy and
Belgium. The last named country is In
cluded because the Congo State 10 prac-
ticslly a Belgian colony.
Tho Netherlands have perhaps tho most
systematized colonial army. No part Of
the regular Dutch army 10 sent TO the col
onies, but individual officers and soldiers
may volunteer for service In the colonies,
and they form tho nucleus Of the army OF
Dutch India. In that army whites and
natives serve in separate companies Of
the same battahons, all the officers are
Europeans. and most Of the enon-comissionod
"a oil In In ta
colonial War Department. with its general
staff, it's four arms Of the service, its mill
tsry school. its student corps, and every
thing else. ordnance factories, 6c., that
obtains in the home army.
The British colonial army is less system
stized than that OF any other country;
but practically il is admirably adapted
70 the ends il serves. Capt. Heron, tho
compiler Of the reports, says;
wherever there are coasts to guard or wherever
the local troops need watching or support, Eng
land sends earrisons from her own standing army;
wherever the colonies furnish their own troops.
En- gland sves them oficers. but leaves independent
the military organization OF the colonies. Thus n
Ia seen that police troops exist In one place. re-
cruited mnitia beadcs the police In another. In
another volunteer troops instead Of or Jointly
with standing militia, while at other places there
eIists obligatory service only In case Of war
To the imperial army belong several
LOCAL forces, such ss the Ro2al Malta Ar
tillery, the. two West India Regiments,
the Sierra Leone Frontier Troop and the
Wei-hai-wei Regiment. In the colonies
about eeven-tenths Of the regular army
IS serving normally, nearly four-tenths
being In India. The Indian native army
z the most interesting and Systematically
developed Of the British colonial forces.
This army IL about twice as strong as
he impartial forces In India; but II has poorer
arms, practically no artillery, and is com
handed wholly by British officers. The
'egimente Of the Indian army are now
British officers. who rank the native on
,ers, are all attached 70 the Indian Stef
Jorps; the native officers, many times
more numerous, are promoted from the
ION commissioned officers after fifteen
years Of service, and whatever their mill
oined British subaltern. Neither the
unior Officers nor the privatee OF the Eng
ish troops are required TO show native
,ff1cers any mark OF respect.
The strength Of the British control over
he native army lies In the Indian stan
ought after, and require their holders 20
pend their military careers wholly In the
indian service. and to be conversant with
oriental Ian guages as well as In military
ubjecte. Their interests are thus bound
lp with India and their importance TO the
state is consistently increased In every way.
France is the only country whose 'colon-
al army is raised at home to any extent.
ZEN regiments Of colonial infantry arc
tationed permanently in France, while
My about half Of the army is In the col
mics. Besides this colonial army there
re native troope In each colony. officered
" Frenchmen. The Alsero-T,inisian army,
aieed locally. Ia not a part OF the colonial
rmy. but has a separate status; some Of its
roops may be used In the colonial army.
Iowever
The colonial forces Of the other countries
ollow the general plan Of recruiting natives
or the lower grades, under Eurepean
Ulcers. Portugal, however. has also a
egiment Of Europeans In its colonial army:
md about one-third of the Italian colonial !
orce is composed Of Europeans.
The figures given In the report show that
bout 70 900 whites and 72i 900 natives Of
he different colonies are enrolled In the
olonial armies Of these countries All OF
hese forces are permanent, but the officers
nd other Europeans in them, except in
treat Britsin's Indian army, are merely
ttached temporarily. retaining their rank
n their home armies, or serving special
nlistments