The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-03-20

/ 1904. ............ 77.8S8T52
1905. ...... 77,070,300
/ 1906. ............. 70,396,631
1907 71.S17.165
1908. 7S,634.5S2
1909. ..... 94,3S2,247
The figures as given for 1909 were
appropriated at the last session of Con,
gress and run for the fiscal year that
ends June 80 next. The appropriations
at this session are known as those for
1910, because the fiscal year ends in
1910
Practically all these and the extra
funds are used for purely military pur-
poses. The most notable exception is
the comparatively small item of pay
for those officers of the engineer corps.
engaged upon the construction of River
and Harbor projects. Reckoning the
entire military establishment of S1,687
men, the appropriations voted at the
first session of the last Congress aver
preparations voted for tho Kavy at the
same session, with its 4T.251 officers
and men, aggregating sI29,972,97l,
without counting the expenses of the
civilian force in the Navy Department,
averaged $2752.
Even the small items in the main
tenance of an Army run into consider.
able sums Medicines for horses and
mules in the cavalry, light artillery and
elsewhere cost about $4,000 year;
blacksmith tools, $4,000; horseshoes,
$1,000; horses 100000 annually. New
barracks and quarters cost enormous
sums in the aggregate every year. Con-
gress is now providing the best OF ev-
erything on the advice that that will
be cheaper in the long run. The Quar-
termaster General recently asked Con-
gress for $8,000,000 for the construc-
ton and repair and furnishing of bar
racks and quarters for the coming year.
Oneshalf of that sum. he would use for
the Coast Artillery; the other half for
the mobile army. One item in his esti-
mate was 100000 for furniture, anoth-
err was $4,000 for screens, storm
doors and so forth. - According to the
standard of construction now adopted
one field officer s quarters cost to build
about $4,000; one double captain 8
quarters, $4,000; six commission
ed officers quarters, $4,000.
Estimates for Morris chairs, for use
ait all army posts, amounted this year to
$4,000; hatracks to $4,000; window
shades to 100000; parlor tables to $685.
900. A year or two ago little item
of a few words was put into an army
bill providing heavy furniture for all
army officers. 1t is estimated that this
will result before long in total ex-
penditure of about $3,000,000.
While military service in European
nations is on altogether different basis
than in the United States and the
standing armies across the Atlantic are
much larger, the annual army budgets
are nearer alike in totals than one
might suppose. The following figures
are in the rough:
| United States $115, 000,000
| Great Britain ........ 139,o00,000
| France ....... 190,000,000
Germany -. ..... 206,000,000
| Suecinct comparisons of army
strength of these four nations can not
| well be made. The forces that more
nearly correspond with our National
Guards are far better organized and
drilled in Europe. Including in the
! United States army, those organized
| militiamen, who turned out last year
for joint maneuvers-these being about
half of the organized militia of all the
| States-the comparative strength of va
| rious armies. sfavailable for active SER
| vice. would stand about as follows:
| United States -. .12o,00O
Japan ...... ............ .225 600
| Great Britain -. ........250, 900
France -. ..............5 $4,000
| Germany $50. 1890. .617 900
The unorganized reserved militia in
| the United States, which comprises
practically all able bodied men between
! the ages of eighteen and fortyfive is
about $4,000, 900 The reserves in Ger
many are 1,225,000 and those morgan
| lied but available for duty 1900, 200.
| That is the German war strength, out
| side of her 617 900 who are ready for
| immediate hostilities. In such strength
| Germany is ahead of Great Britain, or
| France, or Japan. During the last few
years, the General Staff of the Army
has been making strenuous efforts
| toward the organization of great
| militia force, but, while great deal
| has been accomplished, the work has
hardly begun as compared with the re-
| suits in European countries.
The standing army of the United
| States is scattered over a great ex-
panse of territory. AS a fighting unit,
| that could be made effective in time of
| war, it would not be very formidable
| till it could be modified. The Infantry
| is about one-third of its entire strength
1876 officers and 25,4o5 men without
counting the Philippine Scouts. The
Cavalry are 700 officers and 1876 men;
| the field artillery, 215 officers and ATT
men; the engineers III Officers and 1908
men The Coast Artillery is very
large branch, second in numbers only
to the Infantry, but is not available
| for service away from the seaboard-
| In officers and men the army strength
| Continued on Page Ten.)