. ARMY REFORM.
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."]
Sra,—People are asking the question, What is to be done with the Army? and many are the suggestions that have been put forward, but I have not noticed any proposal to do away with the Army altogether. Why not ? You could then make a clean sweep of all " undesirables " of every grade, and start afresh on " business " lines. Mr. Brodrick could contract with a Whiteley or Lipton for so many horse, foot, and artillery of a certain physical standard and " guaranteed " efficient soldiers. The country could take its pick of the recently disbanded soldiery of all ranks. Mr. Brodrick (who, as a Cabinet Minister, gets £5,000 a year) is spending no less a sum than £34,199 per annum on the other twenty-one persons at the top of the military tree, and yet things do not go on properly. Why not ? Would a Whiteley or Lipton spend £34,199 a year on his managers' salaries, and then have to do the work himself ; and call together a committee of outsiders to investigate his business end reform his system of administration ? I doubt it.
These twenty-one officials who draw salaries amounting to £34,199 a year appear to do nothing whatever, since they engage another set of men, eighteen in number, to superintend our Home Army. These eighteen'officials are called "district" commanders and are paid £36,901 per annum for their services. And yet things do not go on all right. These forty officials who are paid £76,100 per annum are assisted by hosts. of clerks who write their letters for them and do all the routine business ; and one cannot help wondering how they fill up their time. One would like to believe that they are engaged in working out abstruse military problems which inferior minds cannot grasp. And yet the Boer War found us unprepared in every way. I have not mentioned the thirty-one military pontiffs employed in India and the Colonies at an expense of another £100,000; nor do I take into account the public buildings occupied by them, their soldier- servants, aides-de-camp, and military entourages. I may fairly say, however, that our military hierarchy costs us a quarter of a million per annum. What do they do for the country at present P What would they do if selected and paid " by results " ? The Whiteley or Lipton employer would require excellent testimonials and very satisfactory results before he continued the engagements of a staff of managers which cost him £250,000 per annum. Perhaps some of your readers may care to ponder over these figures, the significance of which is not lessened by the fact that for a smaller sum (2213,160) the real work of command and training is performed by five hundred and eighty-four persons, who are supposed to be the actual commanders of regiments, battalions, and batteries.—
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