WAR OFFICE METHODS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1740, 3 May 1913, Page 11

WAR OFFICE METHODS.

TERRITORIAL LOSS OF 10,000 * MEN. £283,000 MORE FOR FLYING,,' Colonel Scdy's Memorandum- explaining tho Anny Estimates for 1313-11 was pul>lished in Lon-lon on MarchvlT as-a. Poi ; -. liamenlary Paper. The Estimate's show-an expenditure of £28,220,001, an wcrcaso of £360,000 on tho Estimates of last' year. Tho,chief jwints with which; tliC'Memurandum deals aro theso: Tho Royal Flying Corps appears for tho first time as a separato arm of tho service, Mill four squadrons (ono an airslii[ squadron and three aeroplaus' squadrons with twelve aeroplanes each) have already bc-cn organised. The total strength of th> military wing of tho-Flying Corps and o) tho. Oenlrjl TFlyimf School.'is 123 officcri and 598 men, of wliom all tho officers except 3 are qualified aeroplane flyers; whil« 8 men hare been trained as flyers.'j.'£ "Tho supply of aeroplanes has proceeded moro slowly than could have liean wished'. Considerable difficulty has been experience od in obtaining machines, oithbiv of British or foreign make, and from I .:'various causes there has been great, diday in livfery by almost all tho makers'.,...' . . I confidently witieipate a ment in this respect. The greatest difficulty still experienced is in the supply ol aeroplane engines of British manufacture, but in conjunction with tho Admiraltj I am taking active steps to remedy thii weakness. •?;! "Work on airships suitable for military purposes is proceeding in tho lloyal Aircraft Factory." • /: J, - ; Tho strength of tho military uring isfto be raised to over 1000 officers, andv In Ml, and Colonel Seelv "looks forward ,confi< dently. to tho establishment om,a.,permati'< ent basis during 1913-U of six out of tli« eight units required to completo.our Expeditionary Force." Six units, ono beina an airship unit, give a net jstrength )ii sixty Army aeroplanes-by March. iicxly-' 'i'iio sum provided ■ for the. .militairy branch of tho air service in,,1913-14 -is .£501,000,. as oga-inst ,£218,000 in 1912-13, an incroaso of ,£283,000. Provision haa also been ni'ddo for guhs for the attack 'of airoraf t.

The Regnlar' field-' artillery ••if to bo m; duced by six batteries, (tliidjvsix guns).' These batteries have been lnthci'to used for training Special Reservists for 6crvia's in tot in the ammunition coliilmis of th< Regular .Army. Henceforth this duty will bo carried out'by the Army Service Corfm, using mechanical transport: . • Tlrero is a decrease, of 1000 in the Regit lar Army, duo in part to the. changes in tho artillery and in part lo tKo fact that "tho extra numbers (2800) voted in 191213 .. . . are no longer required." 5 Thero has been a'gain'of .-140 officers," but a loss of ISOO men in ho Special He;; serve. • •• .. •• fc.S' The strength of-tho Territorial Forts; showed a decrease of 97 oflicera and 10,C5il other Tanks on March 1, 1913, as compared; with the corresponding, date last year.'Ee-i 1 cruiting is better than in. tho last.. tw<" years. The Dean and Chapter of St. Paul'shave addressed a-letter to the Lord Mayor ; of London inviting tho Corporation' to . enter into a general agreement to safe-, guard the Cathedral against: auy-.. future tunnelling in its. vicinity. Through a cat -getting into the m'a-i tliincrv at the eleetrio generating station at Cardiff the whole ' city was v plunged; into darkness.. Rome time ago a\ similar; accident occurred as the result <jf R-'mousfl; getting into the gear, *-v-