THE RE-ARMAMENT OF EUROPE.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 19, Issue 1324, 15 May 1872, Page 2

THE RE-ARMAMENT OF EUROPE.

(From the London Standard.) Notwithstanding the close secrecy which always shrouds nil military matters in Prussia, it is well known that an unusual amount of activity prevails in the Government workshops, and that most of them are being enlarged to the extent of tripling or even quadrupling their working capacity. It is proposed to re-arm the en l ire effective force of tho German Empire, excepting Bavaria, within .five years, which would imply an average production of small anus of at least 200,000 per annum, whereas hitherto it has been considerably less than half that number in all the German States together. It js interesting at this moment to review the condition in which other European states, and we qui selves are, in regard to facing the many new and difficult problems which the,general introduction of breech loaders as the soldier's weapon involves. The old muzzle-loader could be made, more or less well, by any gunsmith with the ordinary appliances of his trade, and it :s only within the last ten or fifteen years that the manufacture of small arms by machinery has commenced on a scale of any magnitude. For the breech-loader, however, machinery of a special and expensive kind is indispensable. Its essence is a mechanism more or less ingenious, more or le&s simple; but what ever- its pattern or the system i.uay be.

it cannot be eflioiently and in large numbers made by hand cheaply. In fact, a military breech-loader, to be of first quality, should be in all its parts interchangeable—that is to say, any one of perhaps twenty or thirty pieces in the mechanism should fit into 10,000 or more arms of the same description. It has therefore become as much, if not more, the engineer's work as the gunmaker's, and that country is the best prepared for a sudden emergency which possesses the most complete establishments of this character, whether public or private. There can be no doubt that the Americans are in this respect very much ahead of all European countries, not even excepting Great Britain. The war of Secession gave them what they call the " start," and when, after 1866, the enormous demand for military breech-loader arose, some three or four great factories, notably Colt's, that of Messrs liemington, the Providence Tool Com pan , <fcc, were able to deliver between 300,000 and 400,000 improved rifles, sometimes with incredibly short periods of delivery, while Great Britain, even tinder the exceptional stimulus of the Franco-Prussian war, did not probably export 50,000 Sniders, and was utterly unable to produce a new pattern within the short notice allowed. It must here be remarked that- a great factory tooled for any particular system of breech-loading arms has very serious difficulties to contend with in manufacturing another, and cannot do so without much outlay of money and time. Yet all such establishments prepare themselves ah initio for some particular system, which they furnish in preference to others, and which is generally that adopted by the government of the country. This difficulty of changing from one system to another accounts for the backwardness of most continental governments in going to the vast expense of state establishments of this sort until the system of breech-loading shall be definitively decide-'! upon, which it is not yet in the majority of of European countries. JSext to America will shortly be Russia. That Government is now hurrying on contracts here and in America for fabulous quantities of machinery intended for a gigantic small arms factory in the centre of the empire, which, when completed will turn out about 2.00,000; a year of breech loaders on the Berdon principle. Austiia ha? in Styria a great factory capable of turning out about 80,00,0 a year on the Weradl principle. France has a factory at St. worked in partnership by the Government with a private company, and which is able to furnish about 100,000 Chassepots per annum. It is, however, only partially tooled upon the " interchangeable," or i{ machine-work," principle, and the French military authorities are said to entertain a project of erecting an additional and larger factory according to the most modern mechanical improvements.

In Belgium, although the export of military arms of a secondary quality — chiefly hand-made—is very great, there is yet no establishment of the kind we refer to.

The same is true of Italy and Spain, in both of which there are arms factories of a certain importance, but upon the old-fashioned method. In both countries the respective Governments con template the erection of extensive national small-arm factories, so soon as they shall have decided what system of breech-loading to adopt. Compared to its population, Bavaria ranks very high in its productive capacity of aims. Having adopted the Werder some years, and been underweight with the manufacture before the late war broke out, it is now able to furnish about 210,000 per annum of that description of rifle, Switzerland, which stands alone in its adoption of a repating rifle lor its infantry, the Tetterli, has only just commenced execution of a contract tor 80.000, which will occupy about two years, and which is given out to a number of private manufacturers, each making a special part. The principal small arms factory in Switzerland is that at NeuhauseD, near the falls of tie Rhine, which is chiefly machined and tooled for the manufacture of the YetberU.

G reat Britain has unquestionably they model of a Government establishment of this kind in the Koyal Ordnance Factery near Enfield, the plant of which is now being altered for the manufacture of the new service arms, and which within the last year has been very much enlarged. Outside of this quite except tional establishment the productive capacity of the country can scarcely besaid to be in proportion with its enormous mechanical resources. The chief, private establishments are the Birmingham Small Arms Company* originally designed for the manufacture of the Snider, the London Small Arms, on a smaller scale, with the same view, and the Arms and Ammunition Company, which has only, recently established its works. Leaving, out of question the sporting, rifles and so called military arms which are exported iu enormous quantities to* theEast and Africa, the productive capacity of the " trade " of an approved government pattern has, probably, never ex~ ceeded 100,000 a year, and now that this pattern has been replaced by another it is doubtful whether the Government, could within the next year or two depend upon the industrial resources of" the country, as they are at present-,, for more than an average of 50,000 arms outside of its factory.

Altogether the requirements.of European states alone within the next live years may be safely estimated at about 5,000,01)0 stands of arms of various des ? oriptions, which, witlxex.isting appliances, all the world over,, could not possibly be supplied in ti,fteen years,, even, if no, changes were impending m the armament of every country.. This comforting reflection may be derived from the fact that, bating political thunderclaps*, we are authorised to. hope, for a. long respite from war, for a terrible experience lias proved that upon the more or less judicious, manner in whipb, this, question of, re-armament is met by each, government and country its very existence may depend, and all, therefore,, show a wise prudence in solving the problem before entering on a trial o£ (strength. Upon, the whole, and although there is much yet left to bedone, we may say that we hold our own, on this point with, our more military neighbors, and that in some respects we have anticipated them..

A prou'cc of a kind that by comparison makes the work of carrying the telegraph wive across the continent seem a small matter, has. been mooted in Adelaide. This is nothing less than, to run a railway right, across Australia tram south to north,, from Port Augusta, to Port Darwin; that is to say, between the two. points which the telegraph is now intended to connect. Thedistance is about 2.000 miles, and theestimated cost of the line,, at the smallest computation, <£ 10,000,000.. The promoters want from the- South Australian Government, as th% base of operations, a grant of land to, the extent of 200,000,000: acres, o* threetimes the area of Great Britain and Ireland, the land to consist of 35. blocks lying to the right and left of the line.. These are to be conveyed to them as. the line progresses, and it is, by theproceeds of the rent or sale of this land that funds are to be derived for continuing and working the railway.. They ask, in the event of Parliament being favorable to their views,, five years to tioat the scheme in the London market, and fourteen years afterthis for the completion of the line. A motion has been tabled in the South Australian Legislature which, without committing the colony to anything definite, affirms that the construction of such a railway would conduce to. the interests of the colony, and authorises the reservation of land on each side of the proposed line. In these days, when the A merican continent has teen crossed by a railway that seems likely soon to. have parallel ones by its side,, when a railway to India is seriously discussed,, when the Alps have been pierced and it is contemplated to tunnel under the Straits, of Dover, there seems nothing difficult to the imagination to conceive a journey by rail through the vast interior of Australia, where, amidst its immense solitary wastes, gallant explorers were encountering hardships and difficulties, and heroically spending their lives in, the cause of discovery only a few years agu.—Australasian,