Arms of the Nations

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 599, 27 February 1929, Page 9

Arms of the Nations

BRITAIN LOWERS ESTIMATES Soviet Orders Fighting Planes MODERN MENACES ALARM BAVARIANS in juxtaposition with recent speeches of O peace, four of to-day’s cable messages stand out significantly. These announce that Britain seeks to reduce her Army Estimates to £40,545,000; that Britain has approved an English firm supplying £500,000 worth of fighting-planes to Russia; that Bavarians, fearful of aerial and gas attacks, propose marshalling protective measures; and, as a grim reminder of the last struggle, that the Germans used plague bacilli in their bombs. (United P.A.—By Telegraph Copyright) (Australian and N.Z. Press Association) r ... (United Service)

T LONDON, Tuesday. HL Army Estimates total £40,545,000, a decrease of £505,000 on last year, and of £21,755,000 on 1922.

Tho present personnel is 150,000, a reduction of 3,000 on last year. A largo factor in the reduction is the mechanisation of the Army and the abolition of horse transport. The Secretary of State for War, Sir Laming Worthington-Evans, in a memorandum attached to the estimates, discloses that research has led to greater accuracy in long-range guns ot various calibres and to more efficient propellants, also to developments in heavy, medium and light tanks. Slight increases in recruiting followed a reduction in the dental and height standards. The memorandum said there will be no manoeuvres in 1929.

A British official wireless message says the decrease in the estimates include £293,000 in army pay, £133,000

for supplies, road transport and remounts, £192,000 for works, lands and buildings, and £296,000 for miscellaneous services.

The increases include £141.000 for general stores and £158,000 for halfpay, retired pay and other non-effec-tive charges for officers. In liis explanatory memorandum Sir Laming shows that the estimates have been continuously reduced since 1922, when they totalled £62,300,000. No money provision is made in the estimates for the excess cost of the additional troops in China, but a supplementary estimate states that another £115.000 is required, bringing the total for that purpose to £4,115,000. As regards the personnel, the Minister points out that in 1928 there were included for constitutional reasons 1,500 Indian troops employed by the Air Ministry in the Middle East. These are now to be withdrawn. The further decrease of 1,500 in the personnel is due to tho smaller number of additional troops employed in China, the disbandment of the West African regiment and the reduction of the Sierra Leone garrison. MORE MECHANISATION

Other factors in the reduction are the mechanisation of another Field Brigade of the Royal Artillery, the abolition of the horse transport companies of the Royal Army Service Corps and economies resulting: from a systematic examination of all establishments.

The conversion of the 11th Hussars at home into an Armoured Car Regiment has been completed and a similar reorganisation of the 12th Royal Dancers in Egypt will be accomplished this year. Instead of manoeuvres this year, divisional training will be carried out at Aldershot jtnd the Southern Command. This will culminate in exercises to test the experimental infantry brigades. In the light of the lessons learned from the experimental armoured force there will be a series of exercises without troops for the investigation of the problems ,of mechanisation. PLANES FOR RUSSIA AN ORDER FOR BRITAIN GOVERNMENT APPROVES ( United Service) LONDON, Wednesday. The “Daily Sketch” says that in order that it should not go elsewhere, the Government has given permission to a British firm to accept from the

Soviet a contract worth £500,000 for the supply of fighting airplanes. In the event of hostilities, the Government would be able to withhold all spare parts, which, according to an expert, would throw the planes out of action within a fortnight.

“MONSTROUS DANGERS” BAVARIANS ALARMED AIR AND GAS ATTACKS Time£ Cable . LONDON, Tuesday. The Munich correspondent of “The Times” states that owing to “the monstrous danger which threatens defenceless Germany in the shape of aerial and gas attacks,” a Central Bavarian Committee is being formed to take counter measures. This committee includes Government and municipal representatives, members of the police force and fire brigades, doctors, ambulance men, chemists and aviators. Its object will be to put into operation measures necessary to defend the civil population. The scheme embraces the provision of gas masks and complete gas suits for everybody called upon to workout of doors, the storage of neutralising > chemicals in hospitals, schools and first aid stations. The population will be warned of raids through observation posts which will telephone to every post office simultaneously and also broadcast wireless warnings. Other warnings will consist of ringing church bells and sounding factory hooters, fire alarms and locomotive whistles. The fire brigades will envelop threatened areas in artificial fog. > GRIM ECHO OF THE PAST BACILLI BOMBS DROPPED (Australian and N.Z. Press Association) (United Service) LONDON, Tuesday. Sir Berkeley Moynihan, president of the Royal College of Surgeons, who served in the Great War, in a speech at the Authors’ Club, disclosed a war secret. The speaker said the Allies heard in 1916 that the Germans were going to use plague as a lethal weapon. “We actually recovered plague bacilli from bombs dropped over the Fifth Army,” said Sir Berkeley. “The plague was spread by fleas through rats. Consequently we encouraged cats, protected owls and encouraged gamekeepers to keep down rats to prevent the plague from spreading.”