AN ARMY OF GENERALS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 73, 19 December 1919, Page 7

AN ARMY OF GENERALS

That tho War OHico by some mischanoe has not yet been informed that the war is over—is the view of "A Field Ollicor," vritinj? in the London 'Daily .Mail." -From timo to time statistics have been published showing how many officers and men havo been demobilised, hciwmanv girl clerks dismissed; but the War Oifico continues to make generals and niaior-iieuerals as though our Army were still over 5,000,000. To-dav tliero arc. necordin? to the latest Arinv List, 250 major-generals alone on tho activo list, each of whom costs the coutifv roiwhly j.vr annum. An ordinnrv person might consider this number sufficient for an Army well under a million in size, but a reference to the list Gf 950 colonels, and brevet-col-onels (all on the active list) shows that over fortv of these gentlemen also eiiiov the rnnlc of temporary mnjor-Rcncrnl (with pay and allowances as euch, presumably). . . After this ono is not surprised to iim! that there are some 3GO temporary brign-dier-soner.ile on tl'.e activo list, though tho taxnaver will dorivo little satisfactinn from the fact that each of them draws about .CI2OO in pay and allowances. ... Another Doint to boar in mind is tlwt no seneral—junior or senior, corps cornmanner, or simple brigadier-can fill any command or administrative, post without a lni'KO staff of hifflily-pnid officers and clerks iin.-l for each horses or motorpiirs (or uroKiWv both) must be maintained, with a full complement of grooms and chanffciiiy. Tl.o truth I? that the Kcßiilnr Army is nverlondcd with senior officers, and that tho "Piicral staff lws (trowii enormously, altoiicther out of proportion to present needs. At. thft nresent moment ihousniids of ofßcers are lioldin? tempornry rank, tlioneh there are pnouch officers of substiinlive rani; In fill all the posts available twice over, and si ill tho "London riMolte" innlnins temporary promotions everv oar. It is nil vr-rv wonderful, hut someone • liiis. to iir the bill.