THE ARMY COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 260, 1 April 1914, Page 4

THE ARMY COUNCIL.

Tin' Army Council from which the iirs'i. and second military members liiivo resigned, in tlic persons of Field-Marshal Sir .). I). P. French, ami Lieutenantgeneral Nir .1. S. Kwart, is responsible fin tlio administration, control, and finance of the liritisli Army. A short ivcilnl of some of its functions, anil a staicnicKt of tin' personnel of the Council, should lie of interest, ami will show (hat the resignations recorded really do matter. The I'.riti.sli Army is administered and controlled under the aut'iuvity and responsibility of tile Cabinet, though I lie Secretary of State for War,

who is pre.-i.leiit of the Army Council of seven members, the other six comprising four military members and two civil. The Army Council members act in a du.ii 'capacity: la) as colleagues of the Secretary of Stale at the Council table: and lb) as superintendents of the several branches into which the business of the War (Mice is. divided. The military members are responsible to the Secretary of State for the administration of so much of the business relating to ihe organisation, disposition, personnel,

armament, and maintenance of 'die Army as shall be assigned to them or each of them by the Secretary of Stare. The Finance member is responsible for the finance of the Army, and for any other business that may be committed to lum, and in the same way the civil

member is responsible for the non-ef-fcei.ivu votes and lor any other business .i.s.M;;-iK'u to him. Tin; Secretary of State, Colonel ■) I. li, Seely, is responsible to liif Crown and Parliament, and lias general .supervision and direction of all War Uillcc business. Field-Marshal Sir J. 1). 1'- 1' lench, Chief of the Imperial General SUd', is the First Military Member, and deals with preparation and organisation I'm- war, intelligence, the training of the ■forces, their use in war, and, among other business, the very important duties arising from the formation and opcr-

; ; i iuiis of the Dominions section of the Imperial. General Staff. The Second .Military Member is the Adjutant -General, Lieutenaut-General Sir J. S. Ewart, who is concerned with the raising and organising and maintenance of the military forces at home and abroad (except the. Territorial force, which is administered by the Civil Members Department) the distribution of units, regulations for placing units on a war footing, medical mid sanitary mattery, etc. The duties of the Third Military Member, MajorGeneral Sir J. S. Cowans, Quarter-mas ter-General, are concerned with the transport, remount, and supply services, provision of f6od and forage, horses, proi iston, issue and maintenance of military stores in peace and war, etc. The Master-General of the Ordinance, MajorGeneral S. B. von Donof, is the Fourth Afilitary Member, to whom are assigned armament, including mines and lights, coast defences, reserves off arms and ammunition, patterns, provision and inspection of guns, small arms, ammunition, etc, direction and financial control of manufacturing departments, except clothing, inventions, construction and maintenance of fortifications, stores, buildings and ranges. Broadly, the C.I.G.S. deals with operations, the A.G. with personnel, the Q.M.G. with material and the M.G.O. with armaments.