PEACE CONGRESS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10284, 20 May 1919, Page 7

PEACE CONGRESS

MILITARY TERMS THB ALLIED POWERS AND CONSCRIPTION. % (From B. Riley, Official Journalist.) PARIS, March 20. The original proposal of the Supreme Army Council of the Allied and associated Powers as regards the limitation of the German Army was that the number of effectives in all German States should be fixed at 200,000 men (oxcluding officers) to be raised by annual recruitment. The grouping of that army was to be limited to 15 infantary divisions and five cavalry divisions, with nob more than five m;my corps tuaff and one army staff or service was for men to be 12 months, after which they were to be under no further military obligation whatever. The number of officers was to bo limited to 9000. ' , ' When these and other proposals came oefore the Council «*, Powers, it was announced that the British delegates could not see their way. to accept such, terms without substantial modifications. The manner in which the original proposals respecting the future strength of the German Army and. the system of euUstmeaD were reduced and aLbered, represent* a,' triumph for the British statesmen in the-. Council of the Peace Conference. The number of German effectives waa reduced by 50 per cent., and it was decided to demand the abolition of universal compulsory military service in Germany. It may be stated that at a meeting or the Council N at which tie Allies' military experts were present, it was explained that the proposed German Army of 200,000 men could be raised by annual recruitment whidh could be either voluntary or by drawing lots or by any other system. The men so raised could only serve for one year and no longer. This method w,as ohallenged on tho ground that under a system of recruitment with, servlco restricted to one year, two million men would have been trained in ten yearn. It was admitted thait an annual renewal of personnel would produce soldiers of a sort, but as lagainst that there would be no corresponding staffs. In other words, the quality of an army depended on the cadres. It was the old principle over again that it would be better to have an army of sheep commanded by o lion than an army cf lions*commanded by an ass. The principle was not acceptable to i shrewd statesmen on the Council, whoso I main argument was tha.t Gerinaay possessed great numbers of highly-trained ! officers and noncommissioned officers who, for the next 20 years, would be ready to come forward, thirsting for revenge. It "was possible that within a score of years Germany could have an army of tour million trained men led not by donkeys but by officers with considerable war experience, A more dependable system of German disarmament was Temiired. It was made clear Ist the Britiih point of view was that Germany should not be permitted to maintain a bigger army than Great j Britain possessed. This view prevailed in the end, and the original proposalswere revised, and provision made (as long sine announced) for the limitation of the German military : forces to 100,000 men, including officers and. establishment of depots (the number of officers not to exceed 4000) grouped in not more than seven divisions of infantry and thfee divisions of cavalry, with only two (army oorps headquarters staffs, and provision also made fof the abolition of conscription from all German States, and tpe abolition of the GreaA German General Staff and all similar organisations, and the entire suppression of all seoret and carnouflaaed methods of raising and training soldiers.

It is a pity that fnH publicity cannot be given to all the -arguments that led to the final adoption of the military terms to be imposed on Germany, for the great Peace Conference has, so far, offered nothing more interesting to a world surfeited wfHh -war.