New Britain herald., 1919-03-11
MILITARY STRENGTH
 OF GERMANY IS CUT
Peace Treaty Terms Provide Army
 Smaller Than SWitZerland'S
TOTAL SET AT 100000 MEN
volunteers Up to This Number Enlist for Period of 1o Years-Can Make NO Surplus Munitions During This Period

NO Surplus Munitions During This
 Period.
 Parls' S:10 F. M., March 1O.-Mili- larE Germany will go out of exist elice as the result of the adoption by tie supreme council tonight of the military terms of German disarma- ment as they will go into the peace treaty. These terms provide for a, sweeping reduction of the German military establishment down to 1Oo.- oOO men, With four thousand officers. the army to be recruited bv the VOL untary system for the period of 12 years. The effect of this is to limit Germanys military strength for the next 12 years to 100000 men, which Is fewer men than Switzerland has in her army.
 Munitions Also Limited. Other provisions in the military terms limit the arms and munitions Germany may possess to a quantity sufficient for 100000 men, and all the remainder must be delivered over or destroyed. The German forts along the Rhine also must be destroyed. The l imperial general staff is abolished, as 1 the result of reducing the force. FOch E'ayO OrS Reduction. Discussion of the subject was re- l stunned by the supreme council today l the basis for the debate being Mar l shal Foch's report on Premier Lloyd 1 Georges proposal to reduce Ger l many's armed force from 100000 as has been suggested, to 14O, 1000 men, and to substitute voluntary for com- 1 pulsory service. Marshal Foch fav- l ored the change, as the conscription 1 plan providing for 100000 men serv- l ing one year terms would have given l Germany trained army of 2,G0O, ,000 l men in ten years.
 Figures Reduced to 100000.
 As against this, Mr Lloyd George ! proposed to fix the enlistment term 1 at 12 years Marshal F'och embodied 1 O0ls in his report, which proposed an 1 arpny of 14O,0 men, but the council l f1nA4ly adopted an amendment fur 1 ther reducing this figure to 100000. ] One of Premier Lloyd Georges 1 main purposes in substituting volun- 1 tary service for the conscription sys- 1 tenn was to pave the way for the dis l appearance of the conscription sys- 1 tenn throughout Europe as it was be- l lieved the effect of the abolition of l the system in Germany would be that ! l generally follow it, thus ending the | menace of large standing armies and 1 their provocation to warfare.
 The council has already adopted
 the naval terms of the treaty, except for few reserved provisions, which l will be discussed tomorrow.
 Treaty Ready By March 20. The progress in the work of fram-
 ing the peace treaty ensures comple-
 ton of the task by March 20. The 1 first rought draft will be ready when l President Wilson arrives in France on 1 Thursday and the revision will be
 concluded before the goth. lit is the l present purpose of the peace confer l cnce to call the Germans to Yer
 sailles probably from March p to
 March 25 The document then will
 be delivered to the German delegates
 and in case they are not prepared to
 sign it at once they will be given op-
 portunity to return to Germany to
 consider it and return for the formal
 signing at Versailles.
 This plan obviates the necessity of
 holding sessions for debate at Yer
 sailles and restricts the functions to
 be conducted with the Germans to the
 delivery of the document and their
 return for it's signature or such other
 action as they desire to take.
 Von Be1nstorff Not q Delegate.
 It is known definitely that Count
 Non Bernstorff, former German am bassador to the United States will 1 not be one of the German delegates
 at Versailles.
 The presence of Premier Lloyd
 George in Earisais permitting of daily
 ronferene eAAtAoi& th ea serera iers of the l powers assa" sort of steering commit
 tee to direct the course Of the main
 work of the conference. The session
 this morning was attended by Pre-
 miers Clemenceau and Lloyd George and Col. F.. M. House, representing z President Wilson. Premier Orlando 7 of Italy will join the other premiers tomorrow, and when President Will
 son arrives it is expected that these | conferences of the government heads will gradually take the place of the council of the great powers, which experience has shown to give too much time to speeches. The confer
 ences of the premiers, on the other
 hand, are providing an effective ex-
 ecutive organization for the rapid
 discharge of business. This rapidity
 insures drafting of the peace within , the limit fixed, a week from next