ARMY ESTIMATES

Hokitika Guardian, 4 March 1929, Page 2

ARMY ESTIMATES

PROGRESS OF MECHANISATION

(British Official Wireless.)

RUGBY, Feb. 28.

Speaking on the Army Estimates *in the House of Commons, Sir.L. Wor.thington Evans, Secretary for War compared the British expenditure with that o,f other countries. He said that the reduction in the effective vote in the lifetime of this Government was 7 per cent. f During the same period the United States had increased its comparable expenditure from £51,000,000 in 1.925-26 to £59,000,000 in 1928-29. Italy lad increased her expenditure from about £18,000,000 to £78,000,000, and Germany had increased hers from about £20,000,000 to £25,000,000 for the same years in each case. France had increased her expenditure from £34,000000 in 1925 to about £58,000,000 in 1929. The Soviet Socialist Government of Russia had more than doubled its expenditure but its military Budget included the Navy and Air horce and he could not therefore make a close comparison. Belgium, Switzerland, and Japan all showed some increase and we were the only nacon which had continually reduced its expenditure on its Army. Referring to mechanisation the Minister said that earn cavalry regiment now had a mechanised m.c linugun squadron. In addition cavalry icgiments were being converter into a>moured car regiments and some 22 s>x pattern had been purchased as p.ut o' the equipment of one regiment. In the infantry there was an increased number of machine guns, so that each oattalion had one company of 19 guns, of which 12 were manned. In three battalions those companies had mechanised transport and he hoped o be able to equip three more this >eai. This year they were commencing the mechanisation of light artillery. "° brigades of field artillery had > CGn equipped with radio telephone an oui more would be so equipped this jeai In the Royal Tank Corps a 1110 ein type tank had replaced the old wartime tank. Enormous strides had boon made in the modernisation of the • Jlll during the lifetime of the present Government.