AUSTRALIA'S WAR OFFERING

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2262, 23 September 1914, Page 6

AUSTRALIA'S WAR OFFERING

MEETING THE BILL TEN MILLION POUNDS FORCE DESCRIBED LINES OF COMMUNICATION ' No consideration of cost has been allowed to interfere with Australian plans for sending succour to the British armies (says the Melbourne correspondent of the Sydney "Sun"). Ministers have not even asked for Estimates. Advised from London of tho necessity for uttermost efforts, they have issued their orders first and counted their money afterwards. It is no time for normal considerations of private lights and economies. The urgent work is to deal with the enemy. . The latest instance of this wholehearted offering by the Commonwealth of all her resources to defeat tho Teutoniq aggressors is a new decision to provide all mechanical equipment and supplies for the --"line of communication" to be sent as the second Expeditionary Force'. This will be a complete line of communication to serve between ,a portion- of the Allies' army and its base. .. The project has expanded,' with the War Office's hearty approval—it may almost be said to the War Office's relief—into a full line of communication equipped with hospitals, wagons, men, and supplies. It is .an-undertaking of considerable. size, and it could not be attempted by any country that had neglected its defences. The mero fact that the ■ ; probably' 'alone amongst the Dominions, is sending-' a , fully-equipped l and staffed lino of communication is proof, that- the army methods of this country have been kept up to,, date. ..

Somo of the Requirements. These are'some' of the requirements: 130 motor wagons, including motor wagon ■ workshops for field repairs. 20 motor-cars. . , .. Horse wagons, motor cycles, and bicycles. \. :■ .-■-. . : ''.••■ 500 to 600 horses. - - . .. One light horse field, ambulance, one field ambulance, one clearing hospital, two stationary hospitals, and two gen-' eral hospitals. ..'•'-. 1800 men for transport, 80 doctors, many nurses for hospitals, stretchers,, and 1000 Army Medical Corps men._ - Senator. Milieu has put a committee of' three to .work to find 1 the motor lorries,'and he has reports that the work is proceeding quickly in all State capitals. As motor.' firms do not carry large stocks of these misunderstood vehicles, a large majority of the lorries -will be second-hand. 'This does not matter, so long as they can do the work in France, Belgium, and Germany, where the roads are-good-jind;.the gradients, along the line the Germans have chosen, are easy. -The Minister has issued a spme-what.-..stenw-order..against high prices being paid for-the lorries, and the committee, which is headed by a military Officer with technical. knowledge, and has power.to get advice from mechanics, has been told :that if owners of lorries try to bleed the public they are to be mulcted of their goods at once, and referred'to a' public committee for payment. The commandeering regulation, which gives the authorities power to seize any goods and decide upon y fair compensation, was 'issued because dodges tried by several selfish motor car and lorry owners. -

; : Transport Vehicles. The War Office has entrusted- the Commonwealth with a full line of communication, which means that three distinct sets of vehicles must be provided. First tliere is the set that moves slowly 'and heavily,' carrying immense loads, from the main base to the division base. Then there is the set moving from the division base to the brigade base, taking'lighter loads and delivering more quickly. '■' Then there is the third set, moving from the brigade base to the nearest point to the firing line. Thieis the work for quick, light vehicles—for the'small motor wagons and for light horse service wagons. The department has all' three sets provided . for. The Sunshine Harvester Company is making the horse wagons at a great pace,' and turning'out bodies, too, for the motor'vehicles.- Large 5-ton and 3-ton lorries'offered for sale by private firms are being tested; mechanics from all the'garages in Melbourne are at work estimating their value. ■ Crflonel Legge has secured a copy of the British specifications of the types of motor wagons and'horse wagons required, and- these are being followed to the letter. Before the war broke out the general staff had secured a complete list of. motor vehicles in Auetralia, with the addresses am even the telephone calls of the owners, and headquarters has therefore been iable to put its hands npon every likely vehicle in the Commonwealth. The equipment of the "line of communication" is to cost £250,000, including about £100,000 for 130 of HO motor wagons. The "motor workshops- lorries," large vehicles carrying all tools and requirements for field repairs of vehicles and of some forms'of artillery, will alone cost more than £10,000. These are being made at the Newport workshops, which has been placed at the disposal of the-Commonwealth by the Victorian Railway Commissioners. The vehicles are to move not only food and clothing, but full supplies of ammunition, these being taken to the firing line from the ammunition column at brigade or divisional headquarters.

Contingents of 10)000. Commanders of the lino of'communication, the second contingent of one infantry brigade, and the large medical staff attached to the first-mentioned, will be appointed at .once. The appointments practically ' rest with Colonel Legge, who has been given full responsibility for organising these new' forces. With the reinforcements to be sent to the 20,000, this second contingent will total 10,000.-' Senator Milieu points out that 10,000 is the figure adopted for all future drafts of men to Europe; that,is to eay, tho third contingent will be another 10,000 men, probably comprising further reinforcements for General Bridges and a. few reinforcements for the second brigades, together-with another brigade of light horse and another of infantry. The men sent into the Pacific a-s -an Expeditionary Force may be back in time for this third contingent. It is to be a long war, despite this quick 'turn of the German armies, and headquarters will be surprised if Australia has not sent 40,000 men. before it is finished: It is a case of using our utmost strength or going under; and, as the Australian leaders cannot forget, ■it is not Great Britain's liberty that is at stake, but Australia's. Cuarblng the Coast.

The cost, will be-Mr. Fisher's trouble at the Treasury. There will be', novel war taxes. ■'Loans spread over several years will ease the burden, and a new high tariff will, during its first few years of operation, swamp the Treasury with money. "ißut the new Government has to •' look forward to. meet a bill of at. least £10,000,000 for Australian war expenditureSj-the new line of.communication having-put up all estimates. The 20,000 will cost at least £6,000,000 for twelve months, according to the estimates now submitted to headquarters. It may costjnore, if it gets into a tight corner and.,i-e(iuires heavy reinforcing. The hew -contingents will cost pronor-. sa ffiucfe, Au<L ift §(Wiwffl«

is tho cost of keeping the fleet at full mobilisation strength, anil tlie first section of the Australian local defence scheme in full operation. It has now become an urgent question whether the expensive guards at our forts and cable stations aiid vulnerable points should not be called oft. As Senator Milieu explained in a.statement to tlie "Sun," there are 10,000 Australian citizen soldiers mobilised on the coast. This is purely to guard against offensive operations against Australia, and the mobilisation was ordered because the goncral. dofence plans, prepared by our general staff in consultation with the Imperial general staff, regarded these precautions as the first steps to be taken automatically when war threatened. The danger of invasion by raiding parties of Germane has passed. The worst that can happen to Australia is a shot or two from the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, against which the citizen soldiers cannot protect us; and tho cut ting of the cables. Senator Millen admite that the prospect of keoping 10,000 men mobilised for a year or more is not pleasant, and their demobilisation is one of the questions lie leaves for his successor* Senator Pearce. The men have had good experience, and their fortnight at the forts has taken the place of tlie usual periods of continuous camp training. As the Defence Act provides definitely for certain periods of continuous training each year, the mobilisation will probably be maintained till all the citizen forces have had their turns at the forts. Coast protection will then be left to the navy and to the permanent forces at the forts.