Las Vegas optic., 1914-09-09

months concerning the necessity of
economy in the administration of the
city government New York is finding
1t extremely difficult to achieve that
economy. The figure which the may
or has sent to the board of estimate
as necessary to meet the expenses of
the city for 1915 is $60924,O57. This
represents a saving of exactly S3,-
66l, ,6S over the 1914 budget. figure
so small as to be entirely lost sight
of in view OF the size OF the whole
appropriation. However. the economy
is perhaps more real than apparent
since in past years the budget has
been growing by such leaps and .
bounds that the ability TO get along
without an increase over the preced-
ing years expenses must be looked
upon as notable achievement. While
the appropriations for few of the
departments show increases these are
not large For charities $4,000 |
more is asked; for the department of
correction $4,000; for the department
OF health $4,000. The street clean
ing department tops all others with
an increase Of $137.9SO, while the
park board gets the smallest increase
amounting to only 5000. The mayor
continues to sound insistently the ne
cessity for economy. THE develop
ments of the past weeks in Europe,
says he, commenting on the budget,
''make imperative every possible econ
omy. It must be borne in mind that
the city may be called upon to assist
many brought to distress by the sn-
settled conditions resulting from the
European war. If this occurs it may
prove necessary to revise the esti-
mate for the charities department"
The public works, such as the sub
ways, already under way. are being
continued, but so far as it is possible
it is really believed that the country
will be afforded the spectacle Of
Father Knickerbocker actually achiev-
ing economy instead of merely talk
ing about it.
War News Made Clear
Many persons reading the war news
from day to day have been handi-
capped in understanding the magni-
pde of the movement of troops OF
Ire losses reported because it is not
natter of general knowledge in this
lntry how many men go TO make
the different army units, such as
/ attalions, brigades and divisions in
the various foreign armies. Accord
fngly a statement has been prepared
which should aid considerably in a
more intelligent understanding of the
war news. In the German army the
smallest unit is a company composed
of $50 men. Four companies, that of
1000 men, form battalion, and three
battalions, 5000 men, regiment. A
brigade is made up of two regiments
or 5000 men, and division Of two
brigades or 10000 men. The largest
unit, an army corps, comprises two
infantry divisions, two regiments of
field artillery, total of 70 pieces,
two squadrons of cavalry, one or two
batteries of heavy field artillery, a
machine gun corps, and various COM
panies of pioneers and field hospital
corps, making total of 10000 men,
In the French army company bat
talon, regiment, brigade and division
are the same as in the German army.
with the exception that the division
contains squadron of cavalry and
II batteries. An army corps likewise
contains 10000 men, but differs from
the German army corps in that it
apparently contains less artillery. In
the British army the unit is bat
talon Of 1000 men, and four of these
battalions comprise brigade. In the
Russian army battalion is 1000 men
and the cavalry squadron 125 men
The division, however. is larger than
IN the other armies, numbering $4,000
men, composed of 16 battaliona of
infantry, one squadron of cavalry and
six or eight batteries of artillery. The
army corps, as in all other cases,
numbers 10000 men.
Yacht Race Expensive
That the American cup yacht race
dasco means loss of at least ST.
100000 to the various interested par
ties is the statement made here by
persons in a position to know. With
the challenger and the three boats
built to defend the cup, now laid up
stripped of all their spars and rigging
and their decks boxed in, they are lit
tie more than symbols of the most
expensive miscarriage of plans in the