BRITISH ARMY

Hokitika Guardian, 4 May 1931, Page 6

BRITISH ARMY

HEALTH AND CHARACTER. PROMOTION FROM THE RANKS. LONDON, March 20. Presenting the Army Estimates in the House of Commons, the Secretary for War, Mr T. Shaw, dealt with a number of subjects arising out of the administration of the Department. Air Shaw said he was prepared to accept a motion on the paper on the subject of increased facilities for vocational training in the Airily. He was entirely in favour of everything being done to fit men for a career in civil life on leaving the Army. There had been a considerable increase during the past few months in the number of recruits to the Army. From October, 1929, to September, 1930, 66,717 men offered themselves foi enlistment, but 52 per cent, of them could not he accepted owing to their physical condition. There had been difficulty in getting a full supply o! men for the Territorials, and for the moment there was a shortage, but no crisis or anything really' seribus. Dealing with the health and character of the men in the Army, the Minis-, ter said that serious diseases that used to he prevalent liad diminished in a very marked degree. Three-fourths of the drunkenness had disappeared. Fie protested against the idea that the Army canteens, were not fit for respeoahle people. “The ordinary regimental establishment,” he said, “is pretty; much what the ordinary middle-clas's tea-room is in London—it is just as clean, and the men are just as wellbehaved.”

There had been a marked improvement in the matter of crime in the Army. Trials by court-martial were going down .vear bv year. Detention was of a different character, and clemency was being exercised in a different ivay. Barrack accommodation was unfortunately not all that could be desired, but improvements were being made, and it was hoped in the course of a few years to remove many of the abuses that now existed. Tn regard to mechanisation, the principle observed was not to pile up materials whoso character was elmnginv day by day owing, to. the inventions of science. Only when a settled type had been found were stocks built up.

Commissioned Ranks. It was becoming just as difficult to fill the ranks of the officers as of the men. A Departmental Committee was enquiring into the matter. A pleasant feature was that of 616 commissions granted since March, 1930. 105 had been given to men from the ranks. (Hear, hear.) As the typo of man was changing, so the type of officer was changing, and must change. Mathematics, physics, and chemistry were becoming of more and more importance, and the old type of education would no longer suffice. "It is to be hoped,’’ Mr Rimw continued, "that a method will be found for the systematic promotion of men from the ranks into the commissioned ranks in such a way that the trained soldier with the modern scientific knowledge required will find his way easily from the bottom to the top.” He denied that in experiments as to the use of gas there was any cruelty practised on animals.' Everything was done to 'avoid suffering/ and directly any animal showed signs of groat pain it was at once painlessly destroyed. (Hear, hear.)

No Further Disarmament. Speaking on the general policy of the Government, Air Shew said that there could he no doubt whatever that unilateral disarmament had not achieved its object. The enormous reductions made in this country had not been r - produced in other countries. It was impossible in tile circumstances ior him to recommend to the Government any further unilateral disarmament. “The Government will.” he added, “as they have done in regard to the Navy, take a leading part in uegotitn tions tor the diminution of land forces. We will do everything we can as a Government to bring the day about when by international agreement armaments will be reduced all over the world. At the same time it is absolutely impossible to propose a diminution of the numbers in the Army. I hat is why the numbers proposed in the estimate remain, roughly, as last year.”