ARMY HORSE SUPPLY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15518, 28 January 1914, Page 11

ARMY HORSE SUPPLY

"TOO FEW FOR WAR."

LORD ESHER'S ATTACK.

[iROK OTJR own CORRESPONDENT.] London, December 19. A cootlb of letters which have passed between Colonel Seely (Secretary of State for War) and' Lord Esher (president of the Territorial Force Association for the County of London) give some idea of the position of Britain in regard to the supply of horses suitable for army purposes. Replying to two letters from Lord Esher, Colonel Seely says:-—" The gravamen of your indictments is, in your own words, 'On a general mobilisation every available horse that could be purchased voluntarily would be required for the regular army. None would remain for the use of the territorials.' This is a complete error, as I hope you will admit , when you have read this letter;

"The territorial force can only be embodied on an occasion of national emergency. Such a general mobilisation automatically brings into operation those powers of impressment conferred by the Army Act upon the army council, who are thereby authorised to draw' upon the available horse supplies of the whole kingdom by a system of compulsory purchase to meet the requirements of the expeditionary force, the regular forces not included in the expeditionary force, arid the territorial force. It has never been in contemplation to rely entirely either upon the maintenance of the full establishment of horses in peace or upon voluntary purchase; the former would be prohibitively expensive, the latter could not furnish an adequate supply. Annual Military Census. " The machinery for putting in motion thus system of impressment has recently been again thoroughly overhauled. ' Arrangements have been made for an annual military census of the horse population. The final result is tabulated, and enables the War Office to watch each year the actual horse population and its variations. ' To meet the total requirements of a general mobilisation some 140,000 horses of all kinds are required. In Great Britain alone there are 460,000 horses available for military purposes. We have more than three times the total number required. Of light horses there are two available for every one required; of light draught horses for-artillery there are two available for every one required and of heavy draught horses for transport purposes there are 19 available for every one required. ' _" You deplore the fact that foreign Powers have purchasing agents in this country. So far from this being a cause for alarm, it is a very great help to our own Remount Department, since the larger demand thus created is an encouragement to breeders of light horses to provide, them in greater numbers than if the British War Office were the only military purchasers. The last thing we want to do is to limit the sale of horses to foreign agents, as this would have the immediate effect of reducing both the quantity and the quality of the general supply." " A Pure Delusion." Lord Esher's reply is characteristically slashing. Referring to an article in the Army Review which Colonel Seely had sent him, he says:— cheerful optimist, Colonel G. F. McMunn, D.5.0., appears to believe that 'if the' regular army were sent to Egypt tor India and the territorial forces were to be thereupon embodied, any officer of field rank armed with Form A and Army Form 2029, accompanied by handy magistrates and accommodating constables, arid equipped with other mysterious forms, could requisition all the horses they pleased* for the use of .our territorial yeomanry and field artillery. This is a pure delusion. Such action on the Government under such circumstances would not be tolerated for a .moment. I adhere to my words:—'That on a general mobilisation" every available horse that could be taken voluntarily would be required for the regular army.' None would remain for the use of the territorials except what you could impress, and this method you would not venture to enforce unless the country were on the brink of invasion. I present you with that qualification for what you can make of it.

"Colonel McMunn states that on a general mobilisation 140,000 of the (460,000) horses would be required. This leaves a balance of 320,000 horses, every one of which, let us assume, will be suitable and sound. The South African War

Commission reported that 518,794 horses and 151,781 mules and donkeys were provided for South Africa, and that nearly the whole of them were expended during the campaign. Yet previous to that war it had always been calculated that in the event of a despatch abroad of two complete army corps, with a cavalry division and line of communication troops. 25,000 additional horses would be required for mobilisation and to meet the wastage .of war. _ In view of this experience, you can imagine that your happy confidence and soothing phrases do not inspire me with a profound sense of security in the ability of your Remount Department to supply our territorials with enough horses to go round. " The astonishing view that the purchasing agents of foreign Powers are a help to -them by encouraging breeding must be a surprise to most cavalry officers. My main wish is to help you and the energetic officers who are engaged in the terribly uphill work of providing this country with an adequate army, but I must ask you to forgive me for refusing to accept assurances which facts obvious to all the world gainsay, and the acceptance of which is certain to entail heavy retribution."