The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-04-12
ITALIAN ARMY BADLY
CRIPPLED BY WAR
Question Of Reorganization
Caused Resignation Of Pre-
mier GiOlitti.
NEED BIG APPROPRIATIONS
Home Army Cut Down to 800
; 900 Men as Result of Con-
flict With Turkey.
NEED BIG APPROPRIATIONS

ROME. April 3.-The 1talo-TurAisn va
FOR TIE occupation &C Tripoli and cy-
:enaica besides lmpa!'ing italian nnan-
ces to such an extent as 10 render 4
policy OF retrcnchment Indispensable has
diminished the efficiency OF the Italian
army.
A. soon az Premier Gioiitti realized that
new taxes were necessary to meet the
Increased expenditure for tho occupation
of Lydia, which has cost Italy alrrld;
over s250.ooO o"c. h. rrluaushcd poE,i
and willingly lr:: To- lis success ". S.s-
nor Salandra tho difficult and ;heHkl"s :
task % financial reorganization SieUur
Salandra, IN" new Premier, decided
t. reduce estimates uH'l tire cost % ~"
war was paid -. IN order 10 avoid . III
deficit. ana "" requested Gen. por'o -
tax. charge 81 IA" WAY oHlr" Nobody
suspected that tn" war WIKI Turkey had
weakened III" Italian army. as % had
been rep. atedly announced ia Parliament
tina; fully $l17,'"".l") had been spci;
during the War - !ac"cas" the c"i '."ucy
% the arm. which was prepared .or ur,'
contingency.
Gen. PorrJ, however. refused To- accept
the post Of M.1istrr 81 War AMI very
plainly sNpl1 ned u" reasons Cor !'s ,c-
tusa, IN" pea. strength 81 tie asu'S,
/ he said, : nluiuplly %u".uV" mon. hut
actually y = much lower. less than 80. "u".
over $500" men are needed - gty~.'nn
! i.ybia. and as it il unlikely that . special
colonial force VIII be formed for the new
colony 4 is Indispensable That ~" peace
strength Of the hone Amy should h- ~
| creased To- 32I.0U6 men. Hence I've ARMY
estimates whicn NOW amount - an"Nt
$4,000, Uod should he increased Ny auput
SIG ,UUo.puu
! Bat besides TINS Increase In TIE orj.-
nary military expenditure G,n. rurr" m
sisted ul n" grant of an d3pluprla- ION
amounting - sl@0.U"o.uuu 10 be- diN!icG
over s"vsra. years for thorough re"c-
gaui2at!on ~ the army aNl the increase
OF It's e'iirieu,y as well zee g." ,h" ic-
newu -. stores. "aupMer. and mu'--
tons used during the war wiki Turkey
| and We; unrcplacri.
Gen. Iorro made his acceptance Of IN.
| post Of Minister Of War conditional On
/ the increase OF military expenditure Ia
the extent Ne propos.t AS i Was inn
possible t" comply with his demands, an
other General. who besides heiug an ON
/ Ger had also been "a M. Uher &c pa"'la-
mcu,. aforementioned Grand. was
asked To- take charge of i.c War Dlice.
Meanwhile. as luvarahl, j. tine case iu
Italy. the so-calicd "ciy ~ nlarIo' "a! -
BY Gen. rorro is being W.d.ly discussed
by the press and. Whi!o 10 is admitted
that Italy under pres %, conditions can
/ not afford To increase military oxpend,'
ture. sensational revelations are mad,
about the iucllic!ency OF the army,
The Italian army grew Out of the OLD
Piedmontesc army. with which the UNI
nCatiou Of italy was brought about, After
d 1919 Piedmont WAS az IN" head of the
J national movement VIII ch a"iinted ltalv
and ended IN her un!iicaton. Tn" fl"d'
lnontese army. nfirr many hard fought
battles against Austria, th"u succeeded
in uniting the whole peninsula under the
rule of Victor Emmanuel H.
The military ureanizat'o on Of Italy Is
determined 10y the cunscr.ption law OF the
F., Kingdom Of Sardinia, which mad" ami
| vtrsal liability to service the has : oi
recruiting. A. untlcation meant for the
! army IN" absorption of coutingr"'s f'o''
all parts of Italy. tho territorial system
was not adopted and The different typos
Of soldiers are blended by causing Their
10 serve together,
I'll. army consists Of nucty-s.N three
battalion regiments of infantry of the line
( and twelve of bersaEi!~rl ,T,iiCnr"nI, cnrh
OF the latter having u "yclis' company
twenty-siX regiments of CHValry, of when
ten are lHucerS, each OF six Sluadrous
/ twenty four regiments If artillery, each
OF eight batteries; on" regiment OF horse
artillery Of six batteries one or noun
tain artillary Of twelve batteries. and three
Independent mountain batteries
Tie garrison arr 'l'lH ''iNN'S ~ lHI''
coast and three fortress regiments, WIN
a total of srve1ty-tWo companies Ine.,
are besides -four regiments t"l"Yrn bat
talions) OF engineers and nearly 5000,
carabinrri tgcudarmeri"J recruited from
picked volunteers from the army.
Under the new recruiting s"ncuc ~
1907 the term for liability for service Il
the army IS dNli'i into nine years In III,
activ. army and reserve ,two Years a."
, tl!nl scrvirr), four in the mobile militl;
and six In the territorial militia, IN,
war strength Of III" army is N0",o0 iirs
line troois. l.i5o.oc0 s"'oud line troops
and oysr l,.ou.u0o aVuilth'o ,u excess 90
the above, SO mat i'uh's tuia! war re-
sources ~ all Kinds amount to 3,l5o,Oo'
TRAINED inca