THE BALKANS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 273, 11 November 1908, Page 2

THE BALKANS.

THE WAR-FOOTING. ' ■ SEKVIA'S HATRED OF AUSTRIA. Servia detests Austria. Servia is next to Uoduia and Herzegovina, find when .they wore suffering under Turkey she was anxious to save them bv the process that is popular in tho Balkans—devouring them. Up till the Austrian occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovlsa. fecrviu's ambitious were directed rathet to these genuinely Servian lands than to Macedonia. .Even alter the Treaty of Berlin it wits Jong before she realised that tin l northern nnd western part of her natural heritage was irreparably lost—because Austria had swallowed tliem instead. Also the Servians have some ground for believing that Austria would not be sorry to swallow Servu. Austria, after the. Turks, is the most hated power ia the Balkans—and Servia hates her most of all. The army of the Austria-Hungary is framed generally on the German model, but the peculiar constitution of the dual monarchy is reflected in the organisation of its military forces. The lirst line of the army is under a single comma-ad and administra. tion, and is known as the "common army." The Austrian Landwehr and Landsturm. The two latter form the Hungarian national army, the excellence of which is guaranteed by tho Constitution of Military, service is compulsory ami universal throughout the Empire, liability extending from the 19th to the 42nd year. In the common army continuous service is at present for three years followed by seven years ill

the reserve of the Landwehr—l2 yeaTi altogether. The total war strength is given at "2.234,000 made up tis follows Infantry Mo,ooo, cavalry 89,000, artillery IMi,tM)O, other arms and departments 1,000,0(10. TJio weapon of the infantry is the Mannlichcr magazine rifle, while the cavalry use the carbipc of the same pattern. The new Q.l'\ field gun is replating the I'chatin's gun. This mm ilres a shrapnel of about Hy 4 lb,nnd has a range of about 0800 yds. The rate of (iie is 21 lounds a ininuto. The imvv consists of nine modem battleships (and tliree more building), tlirco old battleships, three armoured cruisers, five cruisers, four torpedo-boats, nine destroyers (three more building), add eighteen modem torpedo-lioats (eight mora in course of construction).

Servia also has compulsory and universal military service. Inability Is from 18 to 50 years of age, but recruits join al 21, and complete their military service at 43 or -14. Tile national army has three "bans." The first is the active army and its reserve, constituting the lirst li-.'.e ; the second is supposed to provide reserve troops ; and the third is the territorial army. There is also the levy en masse, which contains all those who have passed through the na-

tional nrmy, and all other males from 18 to no. hi war the field army would amount to about 110,000 combatants. If the reserve troops of Ihe second ban are lit to take the field they would raise the total strength to about 1T.1.000. The reservists of the first and second bans not required to form llrst line and ! reserve troops, ailtl, therefore, available to make good losses in ilif field, amount to some ">O,OOO or 00.000 men. The army is armed with the Mauser rille, and llio Held gun is tile T)e Range, of SO-m. (.'U">in) calibre, which fires a shrapnel of 12y,11i. and the extreme effective range is 7000 yds. The peace strength, according to the Budget of 1007, amounted to 35,(103 officers mid men, including the non-combatant*, and ISM gendarmerie.