THE WAR OFFICE.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 5213, 1 March 1904, Page 5

THE WAR OFFICE.

HSTIMATKS roll THK YEAR:

■JCttIR-ME FOR RK-ARMAMKNT

(■Received February 29, 10.3 d p.m.) LONDON. February 29. Hie War Office Estimates total ,(fed.900,000, providing, for an army of p 7,000 men. No provision it, made for •no Somaliland campaign, but estimates severing ibis arc to bo .submitted later.

Provision is macto lor maintaining a permanent garrison of 21,5110 men in South Ali'iua. Thu Estimates disclose a general saving o! livo million pounds, duo mainly to tho di.siippcara.nco of extraordinary charges for the reserve of Mures and for tbo liquidation or tbo expenses of tbo South African war. Tbo batteries in India are to bo supplied during the coming twelve months with new quick-firers, and thereafter ibo supply of tbo Homo army's batteries Till bo begun. The whole scheme of rearmament, inVhuling many reserve batteries, will bo completed early in 1907, at a cost of KJ.150,000, involving a considerable inareuso in tho Estimates to bo introduced in 1905 and T9UO.

REPORT BY Till': REORGANISATION

COMMUTE It

(Received March 1, 1.19 a.m.) LONDON, February 29. Tho Army Reorganisation Committee —Lord Esher (chairman), SI- George Clarke and Sir John Fisher—has_ proion ted a second report. This limits membership of military officials on tho Council ot Defence to four years, in order to secure new blood. Tho report .looks to tho Major-Generals commanding the eight administrative districts into which it proposes to- divide the United Kingdom to relieve congestion in tho War Office and to inculcate, sound conception.-; of government of tho army by tiio soldiers, which, tho report declares, is tho keystone* of its policy. 11)0 report abolishes Air Brodrick’s Army Corps, except one at Aldershot >nd Salisbury for expeditionary purposes, ami brings tho eight districts for the purposes of command ’.under liveGenerals and a Commander-In-Chief —• tho live commands being tho Army Corps, tho Northern, Eastern, Western and Irish commands. Tho five Gkmerals aro to attend to the training of troopis for war, and tho Major-Generals aro to carry out administrative work.