SOME WAR FACTS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8149, 5 July 1906, Page 2

SOME WAR FACTS.

Ai'Cokdixg to the Japan "D.iilv Mail " a good deal of confusion lias existed in the public mind ns to Japanese casualties in the war, and the paper lias, therefore, prepared an interesting list of the lenses from all causes, which is vouched for as being approximately accurate. The figures are:—Killed in battle, 47,887; died of wounds, 11,500: wounded and recovered, 101,92.'!: total killel and wounded, 220,818 ; died of sickness, 27,168; ssick and recovered, 209,065

total of killed, wounded, and sick, t57,0c!5; total of fatal casualties, 80,045. One learns from the figures that, the victory of Tsushima cost but '22 lives on the Japanese side, but ■hat, as the war progressed on land, the losses became greater. The battles of Heikautai and Mukden, and the subsequent minor engagements ip to the end of the war, cost Japan nore lives than did the whole previRis campaign from the Yahi to Muklen, with its six important fights, ind with the siege of Port Arthur. •' From the losses suffere 1 at Heikau-

feu and Mukden," remarks the Japan j " Daily Mail," " some idea may be I gathered of what it would have cost ] to continue the campiign against Harbin and VhlivoiUwk -to unnfcinue it for the sake of a pejuni .ry payment." Of the sick .ind wounded i treated in hospital in the war with China, 14.24 percent, died, while in

the recent war the per centage was 7.65. The per centage of deaths from wounds, however, shows an improvement of only 0.66, which is not held to imply a correspondingly slight improvement in surgery, but to testify to the greater obstinacy displayed .by the Russians than by the Chinese. In the former war the resistance was slight, and the wounded could be speedily succoured; at Port Arthur wounded lay untonded for nine days. But perhaps the most interesting feature of the returns is that the average monthly per centage of sickness during the war was actually less than the per

eentage during nn exceptionally Favorable year of peace. The average monthly per eentage of the war was 8 79, and for 1902 was 10.21. This astonishing result was obtained by instructing the men in the preservation ol health, supplying them with medicine, carefully looking after tliei' , food and water, and providing them . with suitable clothes. The only thing | that baffled the doctors was berri- ! berri. _________