BRITISH ARMY

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 2 March 1929, Page 5

BRITISH ARMY

EXPENDITURE REDUCED. OTHER NATIONS COMPARED USE OF MODERN EQUIPMENT. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, Feb. 2S. Speaking on the Army estimates in the House of Commons, the Minister of War, Sir. L. Worthington-Evans, compared British expenditure with that of other countries. He said the reduction in the effective vote in the lifetime of thle present Government was 7 per cent. During the same period tne United States had increased the comparable expenditure from £51,000,000 in 1925-26 to £59,000,000 in 1928-29. Italy had increased hex expenditure from about £18,000,000 to Joiß,oou,ooo, and Germany had increased hers from £20,000,000 to £25,000,00 for the same years. France had increased her expenditure from £34,000,000 in 1925 to about £58,000,000.

In 1929 the Soviet Socialist Government of Russia had more than doubled its expenditure, but its military budget included the navy and air force, and he could not therefore make a close comparison. Belgium, Switzerland and Japan all showed some increase, and Britain was the only nation that had continually reduced expenditure on its army. Referring to the mechanisation of the army, the Ministery said each cavalry regiment now had a mechanised machine-gun squadron. In addition, cavalry regiments were being converted into armoured car regiments and 22 six-wheelecl armoured cars of the latest pattern had been purchased as part of the equipment of one regiment. • In the infantry there was an increased number of machine-guns, so that each battalion had one company of 16 guns, of which 12 were manned in peace in three battalions. Those companies had mechanised transport, and lie hoped to be able to equip three more this year. This year they were commencing the mechanisation of the light artillery. Two brigades of field artillery hadbeen equipped with radio telephones and four more would be so equipped this year. In the Royal Tanks Corps a modern type of tank had replaced the old wartime tank. Enormous strides had been made in the modernisation of the army during the lifetime of the present- Government.