THE DEARTH OF OFFICERS

Greymouth Evening Star, 10 July 1905, Page 1

THE DEARTH OF OFFICERS

TJie British Army threatens soon to be leaderless. There are already 4000 officers too few, and (here is no indication that this exodus is ceasing. 'I"" much work and too JiltJe pay are alleged in lie the reasons for this perturbing Male of tilings. The class which used In furnish so many officers is no Jollier (he source of supply .it was. The officers of a byegono day being wealthy or well-to-do, did not ™ l! ;il)r u( <ho pay being small, so long -as they had a good, time. They tuck "soldiering" whh. their other relations, and so -long as they were 1 ' ■ ''■■' I■ d o much (hey were quite willing ;.: give their services to meir a nviT'.y- But a military career means bard work and study. **;,i I: i e „t y ~f btll j lj an( j the Jeisu**l c: i agSi w ], (l j )aVG perhapg ,j ut _ '•'< a s well as plcjvnires which make ■:aUs upon their lime, have been leaving tno Army lo the able and poorer men who !=avo flocked into it. These ;! --'l ■[ impossible to live on the pay of lb: ,;• rank, which is much the same as it was years ago. The difficulty is immensely increased by the extra ex* lienscs which have to be met by officers in all directions, and the' perpetual changes in uniform and equipment, upon wlre-h the. War Office authorities spend so much thought and labour. At Sandhurst recently, we are I old, the Cadets had changes of head-dress, involving the possession by each Cadet of no fewer than live caps, none of which would be of any use after its owner had nassed to a .regimen!. The cost of" altering Cadet hit to regimental pattern involves an outlay of from £2O to £3O. The inai>- with nothing but his pay is freqnrti'ily driven to the money-lender. and ihe action of the Army" Council, in deciding thai an officer who had filed his schedule mutt resign, has alarmed n good many young ' officers whose debts are heavier than they care to think about. In this case the officer had risen from the ranks, and bad found it quite impossible to live on bis pay, though he had no extravagant habits. the position is becoming serious. Candidates for commissions are showing no anxiety to come forward, and resignations are becoming more numerous than ever. The solution of the problem is less easy than it seems. It would be impossible to reduce the standard of ef-tk-.ieney required from officers to-day, 'while the "Government that deliberately proposes to increase the cost of the Army must be fond of fighting. l'ossiJj'iy, if the authorities were to lot tin- Army alone for a little, matters v.-o-i'ld improve. No institution in Croat Britain has been so ulcered at during the last few years, and it may onlv be suffering from want of rest.