Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1915-01-08

ond reserves. So is the Landwehr,
having two leYies-the first and sec
on Aufgebot.
Every ~able-bodied man on reaching
the age of twenty-one may be called
upon to serve the colors. One in five
only is taken, as there is more ma
terial than the country needs-the
fifth being selected for one Of five
branches-infantry, cavalry, artillery,
Genie corps or the navy. The time Of
service in the infantry is two years;
In the cavalry three, in the artillery
three. In the Genie corps two, and in
the navy three. Well-conducted men
get from two to four months Of their
time. This is by no means a charity
on the part of the authorities, but a
w~ell-thrashed and deep-laid scheme to
>circumvent the reichstag, for it gives
the emperor another $4,000 men.
A certain class Of men passing an
examination called Einjahriges zeug-
Miss or possessing a diploma called
Abiturienten-Examen (the equivalent
of a B. A. serve only n year in each
branch. This class provides most of
the reserve officers. The active Off
GERS, usually the scions of ~aristocratic
houses or the sons Of the old military
or feudal families of Germany, are
mostly educated In n Of the state
Kadetten-Anstalten, military acade-
mics, of which Observation-Disclosures
Berlin is the most famous.
The real backbone and stiffening OF
the German army and navy are the
noncommissioned officers recruited
from the rank and file. In fact, this
body of men Is the mainstay of the
thrones In the German empire, espe-
cially of Prussia. These men, after
about twelve years of service in an
army where discipline, obedience and
efficiency are the first and last word,
are then drafted into all the minor
administrative offices of the state,
such as minor railway, post, excise,
municipal and police. The reader will
see the significance of this when 1t Is
pointed out that not only the empire
but the war machine has these we'll
trained men at its beck and call. The
same thing applies to the drafting of
officers to most of the higher and
highest administrative positions in
the state.
There are twenty-five army corps,
all placed in strategical positions.
The control of the army in peace
or in war lies with the emperor. He
is the sole arbiter and head. No po-
litical or social body of men has any
control in army matters. No political
~jealousies would be permitted. ODE
dience and efficiency are demanded.
Mutual ~jealousies and political tricks
such as we have seen In the Russian
campaign in the East are impossible In
the German system, for the emperor
would break instantly-in fact, has
done so-any general guilty of even
the faintest indication of such an
offense. And there is no appeal to a
congress, a chamber Of deputies or po-
litical organ against the emperor's de-
cision.
The War Chest.
Last but not least under the heading
of organization comes the financial as
pect. Out of the five milliards of
francs, the war indemnity paid by
France to Germany in 1871, 200. 600, 900
marks In gold coins, mostly French.
were put away as the nucleus of a
ready wal chest. In a little medieval
looking watch tower, the Julius Thurm
near Spandau, lies this ever-increasing
driving force of the mightiest war en-
CINE the world has aver seen.
1t is ever increasing, for quietly and
un~obtrusively 10000 900 marks in
newly minted gold coins are taken
year by year and added to the store.
On the first of October each year
since 1871 three ammunition wagons
full of bright and glittering 20-mark
pieces clatter over the drawbridge,
and these pieces are stored away in
the steel-plate s-ubterranean chambers
of the julius Thurm, ready at an in
stant's notice to furnish the sinews
to the mar welding this force. This
is a tremendous power In itself, for
there are now close to 100000, 900
marks ($120. 600. 000) in minted gold
coinage in storage there. This pro-
vides the necessary funds for the Ger
man army for ten calendar months.
The authorities have no necessity to
ask the country, warning politicians
in this instance the re~ichstag-for
money to start a campaign. They
have got 1t ready to hand.
This money is under the sole con
troll of the military authorities. 1t
has often been declared a myth. |
know 1t to be a fact. Notwithstand.
ing the financial straits Germany has
gone through at times, or may go
through, this money will never be
touched. 1t is there for one purpose
only and that purpose is war.
Needless to say, 1t is amply guarded.
Triple posts in this garrison town. de-
vices to food instantly the whole I'm