THE ALLIES’ MAN-POWER.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 4406, 25 November 1916, Page 3

THE ALLIES’ MAN-POWER.

MUCH BIGGER THAN THE ENEMY’S SOME INTERESTING OALCULA'.I lONS. Lord Derby recently stated that tin only way to win the war was to Kjii Germans. If this is so the s ide wlijc-Ji has the greatest reserve of manpower should ultimately prove victoiious. British writers have . recenth been producing statistics in order to prove what we have always believed to be a fact, that the Entente Powers are most favorably situated in this respect. One of the most interesting theories put forward is that ii\ “Politicals” in the “Fortnightly Review.” “When every able-bodied man is liable to military service,” Instates, “national population determines the size of the national armies.” Mo then sets forth the respective white populations of the various nations included in the two groups of belligerents, the total of the Central Powers being given a s 147,000,000, and of the Entente Powers as 3011,000, 000. “The population of the British group,” lie continues, exclusive of the colored people, stands to the population of the German group in the relation of 23 to 10. Consequently the opposing armies, not counting colored soldiers, compare also approximately like 23 to 10. and if we add the colored soldiers the proportion is about 25 to 10. . . On all fronts, broadly speaking, 100 Germans and Austrians have to light 250 British, French, .Russian, or Italian .micliers. . If we assume that casualties are'equally numerous on both sides, a loss of 50 on each side will reduce the original proportion of 250 to 100 to 200 to 50. 'Continued lighting at equal cost on both sidc K will increase the •superiority of the Allies from two-ancl-a-half fold to four-fold, five-fold, sixfold, etc. The longer the fighting lasts the more overwhelming will be the superiority in man-powerpossessed by the Allies. If now we assume that losses are 50 per cent, greater among the Allies than among their opponents tlie Germans and their friends will lose 50; the Allies will lose 75. In that case the original relation of 2-50 to 101) will in due course lie changed to 175 to 50. The superiority of the Allies would grow from two-and-a-half fold to three-and-a-half fold, and it would in course of time increase to four fold, live fold, six fold, although it would grow more slowly. If, firstly we assume the impossible, if we assume that for every 10 men lost by the German group the Allies will lose 2-> men, the crushing superiority of 250 against 100 possessed by the English group of Powers will remain unaltered. Considered from the point of numbers, Germany’s position is hopeless. Of course it must not he forgotten that the whole of the writer’s argument is based on the assumption that every able-bodied man is liable for military service which is not the case so far with the British Empire's white population of 60,000,000. While ablebodied men in Russia’s 180,000,000 population may he liable for service, they have not by any means been fully utilised.