ARMY ESTIMATES

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 131, 27 February 1929, Page 11

ARMY ESTIMATES

HALF A MILLION LESS THAN LAST YEAR

ESTABLISHMENT REDUCED BY 8000

(British Official Wireless.)

Rugby, February 25.

The Army Estimates for the forthcoming financial year total £40,545,000, showing a reduction at the present financial year of £505,000. The decreases include £293,000 in Army pay; £133,000 for supplies, road transport, and remounts; £192,000 for works, lands, and buildings; and £286,000 for miscellaneous services. Increases include £141,000 for general stores and £158,000 for half-pay, retired pay, and other non-effective charges for officers. In an explanatory memorandum Sir Laming Worthington-Evans, Secretary for War, shows that the Army Estimates have been continuously reduced since 1922, when they totalled £62,300,000. No money provision is made in the Estimates for the excess cost of additional troops in China, but the Supplementary Estimate states that an additional £115,000 is required, bringing the total to £4,115,000. ' Provision is made for an establishment of 150,500, or 3000 fewer than in 1928, when there were included for constitutional reasons 1500 Indian troops employed by the Air Ministry in the Middle East, which are now to be withdrawn. The further decrease of 1500 is due to the smaller number of additional troops employed in China, the disbandment of the West African regiment, and the reduction of the Sierra Leone garrison, mechanisation of another field brigade of the Royal Artillery, the abolition of horse transport companies of the Royal Army Service Corps, and economies resulting from the systematic examination of all establishments. The conversion .of the Eleventh Hussars at Home into an armoured car regiment has been completed, and a similar reorganisation of the Twelfth Royal Lancers in Egypt will be accomplished during the year. There will be no Army manoeuvres this year, but divisional training will be carried out at Aidershot and the Southern Commands, culminating in exercises to test experimental infantry brigades in the light of lessons learned from the experimental armoured force. There will be a series of exercises without troops for the investigation of problems of mechanisation.