MILITARY AND NAVAL TOPICS

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXIII, Issue 15861, 26 February 1912, Page 8

MILITARY AND NAVAL TOPICS

("Canterbury Times.")

Captain H. F. Oliver, M.V.0., who has been selected to command the new battleship Thunderer, was forty-seven oil January 22. He entered the service in July, 1878, and became commander in December, 1890, when serving in tho Niobe, in the Channel Squadron. Subsequently he was navigating commander of the Majestic, when that vessel was flagship successively of the late Sir Harry Rawson, Sir Arthur Wilson and Lord Charles Beresford in the Channel Squadron. He was promoted to captain in June, 1903, and commanded the Navigation School at Portsmouth two 3'ears later, being decorated with the M.V.O. on the occasion of King 'Edward's visit to that port. Subsequently he commanded the Achilles in the sth Cruiser Squadron. In June, 1908, that vessel was One of the escorting vessels to the Royal yacht when King Edward visited tho Czar at R-eval, and Captain Oliver was decorated with the Order of St Anne in diamonds. Leaving the Achilles at the end of 1908, he went to the Admiralty as naval asistant to the First Sea Lord, in which post he has recently been succeeded by Captain de Bartoiome.

General Percin, who has made himself the resolute advocate of unity in the related working of infantry and artillery,' continues to exjpound his views with force and conviction. He declares, in the " France Militaire," that artillery is powerless alone to compel an enemy to retreat. It must prevent destructive fire from being directed against infantry, and the relations between the two arms must, therefore, be close and intimate. Unfortunately, ho remarks, the provisional regulations have emanated from a committee which inoluded an excessive proportion of artillery officers, and its methods were defective and unsatisfactory, because if endeavoured to make tho employment of the artillery depend upon the characteristics of its guns rather than upon its duties in the field. Some of the principles, in the view of General Percin, are inexact and others contradictory, so that clear definition is wanting. The intentions are offensive, but the methods recommended are defensive. The duties of chiefs are illdefined, and the working of the two arms is one-sided. The control of the Staff and the Superior War Council is not provided for. Therefore, 6ays General Fercin. it is necessary that the regulations should be submitted to a committee, including a strong proportion of infantry officers, whose president would be a general possessing actual

experience of the command of the three arms.

In his much-canvassed report Sir John French sets his fac© against elaborate tactical schemes as part of the annual training for Tdrritorials (says the " Army and Navy Gazette"). Company and battalion work, with perhaps a- brigade day thrown in ' here and there, is what is advocated, and the results of this counsel' will probably be seen next August. This, of course, is but another version of the adage that you must learn to walk before you can run, but, handicapped as we are by . the nature of our training, it would not do to push the principle too far. ■ Toe much weight, perhaps, is attached to the old new that the men are interested in field work on a large scale. Often enough they see but little and leam less, and there is .natural disappointment when a battalion is marched back to camp with nOt a single round of "blank" expended. On the other hand, there is distmct educational value in the work when the infantry are operating with their proper unita of cavalry and guns. The chief. difficulty is to impress ujon them the reality of what they are doing in what ia called mimic, waif are, and the importance of making everything as genuine' a 3 possible. This can only be done' when there is an actual "enemy" in' the field, and he should be as substan-' tial as possible for the lesson to be effective. Between exercises on these lines and gigantic and confusing divi-1 sional encounters there is, of course, all the difference in the world. A sufficient grounding in the one should lead naturally to the other.' • It appears that the Russian Duma is now taking up the . question. of : the length and conditions of servioe in the Russian Army, touching which certain proposals have been made. Thej present general system of organisation, and recruitment goes back to the year 1874, and during the intervening period the conditions of life in Russia have greatly changed. Growth of numbers and reduction in the period of service lead to a large increase of the annual contingent, and, while the number oi men subject to military service, haf doubled within thirty-six years, tba demand for reoruits has tripled. . The proposed changes would) if adopted, vary the service to .meet the special condition of families. Only sons, even if their fathers are capable of work, would belong to the second category, and in other like ways the burden -would be lightened. Men who support widowed mothers with young children would! be free from service. The reduction of the period of service to three years, and to two years m case of youths from high schools who have passed the reserve officers' test is proposed.i The institute for volunteers is intended to be the means of providing a sufficiency of reserve officers, and its organisation la intended to be changed. The general object of the ' proposals • is to increase military efficiency, while relieving the people of some part of the miEtary burden.

The report of Mr Meyer upon tho United States Navy contains the expression of his strong view with regard ito the shipbuilding programme. His department proposes the building of two battleships and two colliers. Much as torpedo craft and submarines are desirable, it is held to be advisable to lay down no more of them until 6ome of the older battleships have been replaced. The authorisation of new ships will not necessarily, mean the inoreaso of the fleet, because rapid developments in ship construction are consigning older vessels rapidly to the scrapyard. The Indiana, Massachusetts. Oregon, and lowa should be replaced immediately, because three of them are twenty and the fourth eighteen years old. Tho Kearsarge. Kentucky, Alabama, Illinois. Wisconsin, Maine, Ohio and Missouri, which are greatly inferior compared with ship 3 of modern design, should be replaced by 1920, and a regular pror gramme of.two ships each year is desirable. If this policy be pursued there will ultimately bo forty battleships, twenty of them less than ten years old constituting the first line, and twenty between ten and twenty year* old being available for the second line. It is tho, view of the Secretary that nothing less than this establishment will make the country safe. With battleships Mr Meyer" links a right proportion of cruisers, scouts, destroyers, submarines and auxiliary vessels.