The Daily News. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1919. DEMOBILISATION.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 February 1919, Page 4

The Daily News. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1919. DEMOBILISATION.

The British Cabinet has recently bees devoting attention to thv Very important questions of demobilisation, the size of the armies in occupation and the furtherance of the interests of what may be termed urgent industrial concerns. According to a French estima'.o the army of occupation on the Rhine should, consist of a million men, for until peace is actually signed it would be unwise to court a possible disaster by having ja | sufficient forces at hand to meet emergencies, and Marshal Foch may be relied upon to see there is no undue risk in this direction. Apparently the troops of the Allies are to be withdrawn from Russia, but Palestine, Mesopotamia; Turkey. Armenia and the Balkans cannot be left without Allied troops until adequate provision has been made for the due protection of the inhabitants, and this process will probably occupy a considerable period. The building up of the armies of the British Empire has been a continuous work ever sinco war was declared, and was still in process when the | armistice was signed. It is manifest that the work of demobilising must be long and that many difficulties will have to be met and | overcome. The rate of demobilisation in Britain is now 35,000 daily, but the authorities have the easiest part of the work at the present time to face ko far as discharging the men is concerned, though the question of finding thc-m employment will be by no means smooth sailing. Therte should not be so much difficulty in the case 0... the latest recruits, but where the long service men are concerned it is apparent there may be an infinity of trouble and possibly friction. It is expected that the men who joined before 1916 will automatically be demobilised, and the approximate army needed in the next eight or nine months will be under a million, but the number will diminish as volunteering develops. The indications are that volunteering will be a success, owing to the higher rates of pay offered, st> that the discharge of soldiers who have been on service will be facilitated. The authorities have wisely decided that the aim shall be to demobilise all the men over thirty years of age, leaving the younger soldiers till last. Under the British Act conscription limited to twelve months after peace is signed, but to all intents and purposes it is now a dead letter, though should the necessity arise—which it is devoutly hoped will not be the case ■ —it will still be operative. This gives an ample margin of safety without calling on the .Dominions for any further men. According to latest information a commencement has already been made to send back large numbers of the fit men of the New Zealand main body and earliest reinforcements-, and the rate of repatriation will only be limited to the shipping available for the purpose. A* present it is not known how many troop? will be required for the purpose of maintaining order in occupied territory, but it would appear fairly certain that Britain will for some time require a much larger army than she had before the war, and it is expected there will be raised a volunteer force of at least 300,000 meij. Much depends on the decisions made by the Peace Congress with regard to international isation, or otherwise, of Turkey, the Caucasus, Armenia, Syria, Palestine and Mesopotamia, also as to the settlement of the intricate Balkans problems, the solidification of the Slovak races, the independence of the Poles, the fixing of the boundaries of the new and old nations in the war theatres, and the placing on a firm foundation those principles which will make for a durable peace. Possibly much of this work will be relegated to the League of Nations, but it bristles with difficulties and dangers necessitating the maintenance of armed forces until all matters in dispute have been settled. Although the Germans will be given an opportunity to discuss the terms of peace when arranged by the Congress, it is not considered that much time will be occupied in connection therewith, as it is unlikely that on any of the main points there will be allowed any other choice than acceptance. Once the business is settled with Germany then demobilisation can be proceeded with and carried to a finish, the various armies of occupation being provided for by the ■ Allies and nossibjly includingAmer

rica. Britain will still have the Irish problem to face and that may •necessitate a considerable force being employed there. So far as New Zealand is concerned there should soon be a steady stream of returning men landing in the Do.inion and returning to civil life. It is probable that all the fit men may not return, as some may take advantage of the option to demobilise in England and either volunteer for the army or enter into some occupation there. It is hardly likely that many will take this course, so that the authorities of the Dominion should be prepared to deal with the whole mass of men who were sent to the front. That is why so much anxiety is being felt at the dilatory policy of the Government in taking comprehensive steps to provide suitable means of livelihood for the returned men who will soon be here in thousands. The British Government is preparing various plans for the settlement of ex-soldiers on the land, especially on small holdings with small cottages, and the Dominion Government should take similar steps, both-in the interests of the men and for the welfare of the State.