RACE FOR ARMAMENTS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 140, 20 July 1914, Page 6

RACE FOR ARMAMENTS.

GERMANY LEADS THE WAY. Anticipating the time, not far distant, when the Prime Minister will announce the decision of the Government concerning the' Defence Committee Report upon attack from oversea, and state what changes, if any, the Government propose to effect in our defensive arrangements, the military correspondent of "The Times" has beeii reviewing the developments which have recently taken place-in foreign armaments. Apart from the evidence which this statement affords of the appallingly rapid increase of the burden of armaments all over Europe, it is remarkable for a significant admission with regard to Germany of the ueelessness of it all. The essential fact* brought out by this writer are these: — Germany's Programme of Expansion. fn Germany there has been no slackening of preparations for war, but quite the contrary. The personnel of the German navy has been doubled in the last ten years, and continues to expand. By the autumn Germany'will have in full commission a great fleet of battleships and battle cruisers, of which only a very few will not belong to the Dreadnought t^pe. "If we turn to the German army we find that between July and October last year the German military organisation had to take steps to receive over 60,000 more men and 21,000 more horses than in 1912, but the difficulties were overcome, and the new law begins to bear fruit. The army 'is still short of 3000 officers, but by the spring of 1915 the peace establishment will nearly have reached the-figure of v B7O,000 of all ranks, and the Law should have re ceived complete application by the end of the same year. The reserves will grow annually until they ultimately number 5,400,000 fully trained men. From General Bernhardi's communications to the 'Post' we gather that the military party will not be eon tented until sortie 38,000 or more ablebodied youths who still escape service are swept into the net. France and Russia Reply.

"But this new policy o,n the part of Germany has, • of. coutse,. led to similar growth in France on the one hand and in Russia on the other. •'"TJie peace.-strength of the French army as a whole no longer presents that dangerous' irfferiority to the German figure Which formerly caused such serious anxiety. At the same time France is still much inferior to Germany in peace strength, and- has considerable forces tied up in North Africa; France has done all /that is .humanly possible to maintain her. military position in the world, and looks confidently to her allies- and friends to support, her in preserving the balance .of power,,iiot only on land but at sea. "The maintenance of the balance of power between Entente and Triplice on land defends bow, and will depend still more in the future, upon the action of Russia. The reply of Russia to the new German Law is not yet completely known in all its aspects and consequences, but it has apparently been forcible. In view of the fact that colour service in Russia., is from three to four years; according to arms, the total peace establishment will be raised, within that period, by about 450,000 men, making a total peace strength _of about 1,700,000, or approximately double that of Germany.'' Her Last State is Worse than the First. The Russfan reply to the German Law, combined with the sacrifices of-, France and the growth of the British Navy, completely reverses the results which Germany expected from her naval and military laws. Neither in peace strengths, nor in aggregate war strengths, nor in numerical strength at sea, will the Triplice have any advantage over the Entente when existing laws and building programmes have worked themselves out. It is a question on' which side quality will .rest, for the navies and armies opposed to' Germany have longer service than have, hers. ; Had ,the German Government I been wise enough to foresee the action] of the Entente Powers in reply to German Laws, would these letter ever have.) been drafted, and would the German ] Government have imposed upon their people and upon-all people, such great sacrifices? We may be permitted to doubt it. The German people are left wors& off in a military sense than they were before, and their ambitions have caused soijie resentment, of which the echoes have recently reverberated through the Russian ProBS. Other Powers. But growth of armaments has not been restricted to the leading military States. '' Austria steadily adds to her effectives on land, and is committed to an ambitious and costly naval pro : gramme, which is already paralleled, and will probably be surpassed, by that of Italy. The Balkan States are borrowing as much as they can get, and are organising fresh forces —for example, the twelve divisions of Servia—as fast as their state of exhaustion perriiits. Spain has plans for an army of 450,000 men, and a field army 215,000 strong. Sweden is developing her defensive preparations. The Netherlands, hankering after Dreadnoughts, are also busy with their coast defences and anticipate higher expenditure upon their field army. Finally, Belgium is working up to a field army of 178,000 men. Look where we will, armaments are growing, and there is no symptom anywhere of a change of course." How Eiigland is to be Drawn into the Vortex. "The great sacrifices e which: haye. been made by France and Russia to maintain this balance cannot leave us unmoved. We cannot reasonably expect to enjoy for long the Advantage of association \Vith any great military States —and not the least advantage of suc-h is the preservation of peace—without making constant efforts to support, when necessary, diplomacy by arms." .

Suf-h is. the .-conclusion of this military correspou«lcnt of "The Times."