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Show The absurd over-officering of the Spanish army is shown by a comparison compari-son of her military establishment with that of Italy or France. Italy's army budget is $56,000,000, and supports 14,000 officers, who draw pay amounting to $9,600,000. France spends $129,000,000 on her army, and has 29,000 officers drawing salaries In the sum of $19,800,-000. $19,800,-000. Spain's army now numbers less than 100.000 all told; her military- budget bud-get is $35,900,000; yet she maintains 23,- 000 officers, whose pay takes $13,200,000 out of the treasury! It is not that the officers are over-paid, -but that their numbers are needlessly swollen. Many of them, needless to say, hold sinecures, as political rewards. Yet the min'ister of war, General Polavieja, has just had to leave the cabinet because he insisted upon crcathing more offices! So slow is Spain in learning the true lesson of her disaster. . 1 |