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262 ECONOMIC INQUIRIES AND STUDIES
men in the colonies, whose cost is chargeable to the
English Budget, the addition of IS. a day per man
would come to £3,832,000, or say £4,000,000 per
annum. .If at the same time the numbers of the Army
are considerably increased, -we can perceive at once
how formidable is the question of an increase of the
pay of the Army to the English Treasury and to the
House of Commons. All that can be said is that the
question, however disagreeable, must be faced. There
is no use pretending to have an adequate Army if we
shrink from the necessary outlay. In my own judg-
ment, this shrinking would be most unworthy of a
great nation and excessively foolish. The profit to be
derived from an adequate Army, in the security of
social order and freedom from international disturb-
ance, is so overwhelmingly great that it is worth the
price and more.
It would be a mistake, further,to suppose that there
will be no compensating economies. On the contrary,
we may set against the increase of pay the saving to
be effected by a diminution of the number of boys and
other incapables with whom the recruiting sergeant
now fills the ranks. Suppose, instead of including on
the home establishment 90,000, or about two years',
recruits, we were able to reckon as immature and un-
trained only 40,000, we should save the whole cost of
50,000 men whom we now pay for and who are unfit
for duty-a number almost as great as the addition
proposed to be made to bring up the garrisons of Egypt
and South Africa to the proper strength. I n other ways
the saving would also be considerable. We should have
a larger army than we now have, and a good army
all through, instead of an army spoilt by gross defects,
and this of itself would facilitate other economies.
Regarding the auxiliary forces, there is not quite the
same difficulty that there is with the Regular Army as
to obtaining the numbers wanted. Very large numbers
on paper are now obtained, probably sufficient for all
practical purposes if a portion only can be trained so