THE ARMIES OF THE WORLD.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume III, Issue 169, 29 June 1901, Page 4

THE ARMIES OF THE WORLD.

Thereisan interesting compari'-onof the* sizes of the armies of .the-chief powers* of the world in a recent number of “Pearson's Magaz lie," which is as follows:—Every ninth person in Franceisa .trained soldier. In Germany thercis one* -soldier* to every- dozen" persons— IsiXtK male. The Austrian army is rasde up of e*ery eleventli soul in the empire*, and the Italian army consists of one:’' sevemh of the male population.' The .pop .-latum of '.Russia is so great-’ ffttotp enormous though the army is-,-only orta‘ person out of every 14 is a soldicr.- , How does Great Britain stand, viewed iu the same light! 1 Sue has only one* soldier, including reserves and volun--teer*, to ever} 55 persons. Bussia, of all countries on the face oF the earth, possesses the largest Mending army, and each year it is growi; ff Ihrger* and larger; Every year some 280,C00* conscripts join the army,-which, in time of peace, numbers liOOO,OtX) men. • On &* war footing this rises to 1,500,000 * m env* and the calling out of the reserve would increase it to 6,947,000 trained soldiersShould necessity arise, the second and* j.hird- bands of the Opoltschenier (‘dr* militia),’ consisting of untrained men, could be called out by Imperial ukase*thus swelling the Eussian army? to* the-* enormous total’of 9,ooo,ooo'men.

f France comes next, with a standing: irmy of 580,000 -mea, rising-to 2,500.000* iu time of war, which ~the calling out of ihe reserves would inciease to 4,370,000!Despite this tremendous force, the French* army is increasing year by year. J The German army, whio i is rightly Considered a model of military perfection,, numbers 585,000 men in pefcce. WiHntts r*n days of the declaration of war” •Germany could put 2.230,u00 trained men into the field, and the calling out of; the reserves would'increase* this-nmßtbeiv *to 4500,000.