Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 2.djvu/644

582 department, Store department, Purveyors department, and Military Train. At the head of the Control Department is the Surveyor-General of Ordnance, assisted by a director of supplies and transport, and a director of artillery and stores ; the general duties of the department have already been defined in treating of the administration of the army.

The personnel of the Control Department consists of (a), administrative officers, named controllers ; (b), execu tive officers, divided into two sub-departments, and named commissaries and paymasters; (c), the non-commissioned officers and men of the Army Service Corps. The ranks of administrative officers are controller, ranking with major- general; deputy-controller, ranking with colonel; and assistant-controller, ranking with lieutenant-colonel. Ap pointments as assistant-controller are made from com missaries in the supply and transport sub-department, or from combatant officers of the army. In the latter case the officers selected must have five years full-pay service, be not under the rank of captain, not over 35 years of age (40, if belonging to the artillery,) and have passed through the Staff College or the advanced class at Wool wich. They serve on probation for two years, at the end of which, if found competent and willing to serve in the Contro] Department, they resign their military commissions, and receive commissions as assistant-controllers. Artillery officers are generally selected to fill the appointments in the artillery and store branch, but the great majority of appointments are made from the sub-departments, and but few from the combatant ranks of the army. Promotion to the higher grades is by selection, after a service of not less than ten years for the rank of deputy-controller, and thirteen years for that of controller, at least three years having been in the next lower rank. After thirty years full-pay service, Control officers are entitled to retire ; and retirement is compulsory at the age of 60. Officers of the Control Department conduct their duties under the direct orders of the officer commanding the district or station, whose advisers and agents they are in all matters connected with the raising or issue of money, the supply of provisions, stores, and transport. They hold a position analogous to that of officers of the general staff, except that they are at the same time directly responsible to the Secretary of State for War for the proper conduct of their duties. Where the orders of the officer commanding appear inconsistent with the War Office in structions, it is the duty of the Control officer to point out the inconsistency t and apply for special authority from the commanding officer, which being granted, must be implicitly obeyed, and relieve the Control officer from the responsibility.

The executive sub-departments are the supply and transport sub-departments, and the pay sub-department. The ranks in the former are commissaries, ranking with majors; deputy -commissaries, ranking with captains; and assistant-commissaries, ranking with lieutenants. The ranks are the same in the pay sub-department ; but the officers are called paymasters instead of commissaries. First appointments in the supply and transport sub-department are conferred on civilians selected by open competitive examination, or subaltern officers of the army, and on deserving non-commissioned officers ; the limit of age is 17 to 20 for civilian candidates, and 22 for subalterns of the army or militia. Retirement may be claimed after thirty years service, and is compulsory at the age of 55.

The Army Service Corps consists of 12 transport companies and 11 supply companies, officered from the supply and transport sub-department. The establishment of a supply company is 2 officers, 27 non-commissioned officers, and 97 rank and file ; of a transport company, 3 officers, 13 non-commissioned officers and 117 rank and file, with 91 horses and 26 carriages. In war time these would be largely augmented, according to the requirements of the army and the nature of the service. The supply companies consist of butchers, bakers, issuers, clerks, mechanics and tradesmen of various kinds ; the transport companies of drivers, with a proportion of smiths, wheelers, saddlers, farriers, &c. The ranks of the Army Service Corps are filled by volunteers from the army, men of good character, specially recommended, and of not less than two years service, or by recruits specially enlisted for it under authority from the Secretary for War. The rates of pay are nearly the same as in the cavalry, but the artificers and tradesmen usually earn working pay in addition. The uniform is blue. The supply companies are armed with breech-loading carbines and sword bayonets, the transport companies with cavalry swords. The executive duties that devolve on the Control may be classed broadly under four heads pay, provisions (&quot; muni tions de bomke&quot;), stores (&quot; munitions de guerre &quot;), and transport ; and officers of the sub-departments are selected as far as possible for service in the several branches according to their special training. The provision branch ia the most important, and occupies the largest number of officers. In peace time the soldier is fed partly by the Control, partly by means of purchases made by himself. Tie receives a free ration from Government of 1 R&amp;gt; of bread and f ft of meat, and in addition expends a sum varying from 3^d. to 6d. a day on groceries, vegetables, &c. Under certain circumstances the Government ration is slightly increased, and in the field it is raised to 11 ft bread and 1 Ib meat ; and rations of groceries, spirits, and vegetables are also provided by the Control, though paid for by the soldier. The forage ration for a horse is 10 ft oats and 12 Ib hay, with 2 ft extra oats to horses picketed out, and 2 ft oats and 2 ft hay additional to draught horses doing very heavy work. In peace time the army is supplied by contract, the contractor usually delivering the bread and meat or forage at the Control store, where it is inspected by a board of officers before issue. At some of the large camps and stations, however, ovens and slaughter-houses have been established, at which the bread is baked and the meat killed and prepared for the troops by the men of the Army Service Corps. When troops are encamped on flying columns, or for autumn manreuvres, iron field-ovens or steam baking waggons are commonly used ; the former turning out about 480 ft of bread in a day of 12 hours, the latter about 900 ft. Biscuit and salt meat are largely used abroad and at sea, but not at home. (For the supply of an army in the field, see article .) The transport duties of the army in peace time, when all the civil resources of the country are available, and most articles are delivered at the required point by the contractor, are very slight ; but to be efficiently organised for the field, an army requires a vast amount of trans port, of which the existing establishment would only suffice to form the nucleus. The British army is differently situated from the great Continental armies in this respect, that its operations extend over the most distant and varied countries, involving the most different conditions ; and as the transport service must always be specially organised to suit the peculiar conditions of the theatre of war, it is impossible in peace time to maintain an establishment which shall be equally applicable in all cases. In some countries railways and water transport are largely avail able, and the duties thrown on the train are comparatively light ; in other countries the local resources in carts and waggons, if properly organised, are ample, and a sufficient cadre of officers and superintendents is alone required ; in others, again, the local resources are nil, and