GERMANY’S MAN POWER.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 1542, 25 April 1916, Page 4

GERMANY’S MAN POWER.

The question of Germany's remaining military strength is naturally exciting even keener interest in France than iu Britain. It is a leading topic of newspaper discussion. Commander de Cro* sieux argues in the Matin that Germany in January had only about three quarters of a million men in reserve. He claims that exhaustion of her man power is at hand. “At the outbreak of war Germany had, according to her own returns, 9,370,000 men from 19 to 45 years of age, available for military service of one kind or another. On January Ist Jasf Germany’s man power," he contends, 1 “is thus to be accounted for — (1) Men in arms 4,500,000 (2) 16 months’ losses, at an average rate of loss of 200,000 men a month 3,200,000 (3) Munitions workers and others kept at home for the needs qf ,the country 700,000 (4) Germans detained abroad " ’ ' ’ 300,000 Total 8,600,000

Thus there remains out of the original number only 770,000 men to draw upon. These, with the wounded men who have been cured, constitute the last reserve that Germany can mobilise. Four mouths hence Germany will be unable to fill the gaps without calling out the 400,000 or 500,000 men between the ages of 45 and 50 who are physically utilisable and happen to be free from any military obligation, i.e., not belonging to the Eandsturm or other categories, all of which have already been called up. This will no doubt be the business before the Reichstag in its next session.” This estimate, it will be observed, makes no allowance for the ‘ ‘ineffectives.”