ARE WE OVER-REINFORCED?

Colonist, Volume LX, Issue 14621, 28 January 1918, Page 2

ARE WE OVER-REINFORCED?

"Inquirer" writes as follows in the Christciurch "Sun": This week have been published two interesting statements with regard to our forces. The first of these is a return showing the'total casualties, and the second'is a record of the number of men who lave gone into camp. Sir J. Allen states that the total casualties are:— ; P/ad ... ... ... 11,080 Missing 226 Prisoners 114 Wounded ... ... 28,140

39,560 Jn Parliament last session lie also stated that 61 per cent, of the wounded returned to the front. If, therefore, we deduct that percentage of wounded, it loaves a wastage of 22,385 for the three years since our men reached tie firiiig line. There is an annual loss requiring •replacement of only 7462. The second return 'stattSS that the total number of fit men who have gone forward, added to those still in canm, is 98,000. I understand that the force we are committed to maintain is under ,25,000. Add to this the wastage as above, 22,385, and it makes a total of 47,385. If, therefore, you deduct the 47,385 , from the 98,000 fit men enrolled, it leaves a reserve of 50,615 at present available to meet an. annual loss of 7462. It is clear, therefore, that if the present rate of loss is not greatly increased we have already enough men on hand to last for some years. Two things are" plain from this, namely:—That the official figures are all wrong, whier is improbable, or that \vo are- already immensely over-rein-forced. I believe that, the" figures1 are correct and that'thousands of men are being taken prematurely from civil life to waste their - time in camp. This means a great economic loss which should not be tolerated in these times of enormously increasing p;:.blic debt. We arc also 'witliin st-ori distance of the time when homes are to be broken up and families parted. When the time of need really comes this must be done, but until that time it seems to me little short of criminal folly. There are other factors, too, in this matter. A day seldom passes witlout some- cable reference to food shortage in Britain and the shipping difficulty. The secret session of the British Parliament was apparently occasioned by the difficulty of obtaining transports for American troops". Yet here we persist in taking men away from prod#»*tive work and so reducing the food supply, and in using ships as transports which would be infinitely better employed in eitrer carrying food to England or transporting American troops. The continuance of this kind of thing makes one almost despair of the mentality of the' British race.