EXIT THE CONSCRIPT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LIII, Issue 124, 27 May 1919, Page 2

EXIT THE CONSCRIPT

■Bf ANCISC; MENACE.

CUTTING DOWN THE GERMAN ARMt-

(£y Mr P- Hi by,. official joilrnaikt with N.Z. Peace Delegation.)

BARIS, March 20.

The original proposal of th© Supreme Army Council of the Allied and ciated Powers as regards the limitation of the German. Army wa,- that the nura. ber of effectives in all Gorman States should be fixed at 200,000 men (excluding officers) to be raised by annpal recruitment. The grouping of that” army was to be limited to 10 infantry divisions and five cavalry divisions, iVith not more than five army" corps staff, .and one army staff. The period of service was for men to be 12 months, after which they were to bo under no itmther military obligations whatever. The number of officers was to be limited to 9QOO. When these and other proposals came before, the Council of , the Powers , it wap announced that the British delegates could not see their way to accept such terms without, svtbstaivtial modifications'. The manner in which the original proposals respecting the future strength of the German Army and the system of enlistment tv ere reduced and altered represents a triumph for the British statesmen in the Council of the Peace Conference. The number of German effectives was reduced by 60 P£ r cent., and it was decided to demand the abolition of universal compulsory military service in Germany# It, mav he stated that, at a meeting of the Council at which'the Allies’ military experts were present it was explained that the proposed German, Army of 200,000 men could be raised by annual recruitment, could be either voluntary or by drawing lots or by any other system. The men ,fio raised could onlv serve for one year; and no longer. This method was challenged on the groundl that under such a system of recruitment with service restricted to one year, two million men would have been trained in ten years. It was admitted that an’annual renewal of personnel would produce sol- ‘ diers of a sort, but as against that, there would bo. no corresponding staffs., Li other words, the quality of army depended on Tt-was the old principle pvor again that, it would be better to have, an artny of sheep commanded' by a lion than an armv of lions commanded by. an ass. The principle was not acceptable to shrewd statesmen on the Council, whose main argument was that’ Germany possessed great numbers of highlytrained officers and non-com|nssSTonea officers who for the next 20 years would be ready to come forward, thirsting for revenge. It was possible that within a score Qf years Germany could have an army of four million lea not bv donkeys, tut by officers with considerable; war experience. A moredepc'ndable system of German disarmamoiu Was required. It was made, that the British',point of view wa 3 that, Germany should not .be Wo, maintain .a bigger Army .than, Great tain possessed. This view * prevailed in the end, and the original proposals were revised, and provision made fas _ long ■jince announced), for the hmiWtwii fifth© German military forces to men, including officers, and cstabhW men f of depots (the number of office s not to exceed; 4000) grouped in not moie than seven divisions m infantry nMI, three divisions of cavalry, with og> , two armv corps headquarters ( and provision also made lion of ; conscription from all German States, apd the al)obtion of th© .P 1 . 1 1,1 German General Staff and ail similar; organisations, and the entire suppression "of'alil secret and camouflaged method* o) raising and training soldiers. _ It is a pi tv that full publicity cannot be given to'all the arguments tha# led to the final adoptdn of the military terms to be imposed on Germany, tor, the great Peace Conference hh®, so far, offered nothing more interesting to a world surfeited with war.