MILITIA FIELD AETILLEEY. 
ee 
If these batteries could be armed with the same gun as the R.A., the 
position batteries of the volunteers might be armed with a really 
powerful position gun. say a 25-pr., or else with a field howitzer. 
Their present mobility is sufficient for this work, and the fact of hav¬ 
ing a really heavy gun would prevent many corps from attempting the 
impossible. 
Whether a scheme can be successfully applied or not depends on its 
cost, which I will here sum up. Compared with a brigade division of 
K.A., the cost of each brigade division of Militia Field Artillery would 
approximately be :■— 
For wear and tear of equipment, 1 month’s field training or of It. A. 
Paj, rations and clothing rather more than above, as a certain number of recruits are up an 
extra 2 months ; say, therefore, of It.A. 
Horses, each battery would use its horses a little over a month, say y 1 ^ of It. A. 
(It will be remembered that for 6 months it was proposed to find work for these horses elsewhere). 
Barracks, 6 units would use the same, which equals £ of It. A. 
The only item over which there could be no saving would be the cost 
of gun practice. 
In conclusion, I would urge that the last thing I wish to do is to run why have 
down the capabilities of the Volunteer Artillery. They can perform “ovvoiun- 
efficient service as position artillery, but they cannot make bricks with- teer Field 
out straw, and turn themselves into Field Artillery without a very r ery 
large increase to the present grant, and I very much doubt whether 
the Government would give them this unless they could get the 
volunteers to give conditions of service somewhat similar to the militia, 
and to do this is out of the power of most of them. 
5 
