ITALY
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ITALY
mobilization; the first is based upon the district, and
the second upon the regimental reserves. In 1907 and
1908, 225,000 men constituted the army on a peace
footing; on this basis the average strength of a com-
pany of infantry is SO men. About 29,300 men of all
arms (except cavalry) on unlimited leave are recalled
each year for instruction, that is, less than 22 men per
companj', as compared with 75 who are recalled in
Germany, 100 in France, and 1.35 in Austria-Hungary.
The contingent of men that must join the ranks is
determined annually by Parliament and is thereafter
divided among the provinces, the districts, and the
commanderies ; it constitutes the first draft; the men
over and above tliat number are given unlimited leave
and belong to the .second draft. Whether a man will
belong to the first or second draft will depend on the
number of men in Ins year, on the number of recruits
wanted, on the chance of his drawing a high number
from the urn, and on the number of recruits dismissed
as unfit for military service. The third draft consists
of young men who have been declared capable of
bearing arms, but who are exempt from service in the
ranks for family reasons, determined by law (law of
1 5 December, 1 907) . Soldiers registered in the second
class may be called to arms in time of peace once or
oftener, but for a combined length of time of not
more than six months (law of 24 December, 190S).
The rapid or progressive increase in the losses of the
yearly contingent, notwithstanding the growth of the
population, is alarming. In the decade comprising
the call of tho.se born between 1864 and 1873, 18-44
per cent of those registered were excused from ser-
vice; in the call for 1906 the proportion of those ex-
cused from service was 26-09 per cent, 14-4S per cent
of these on account of weak chests and 19-24 per cent
on account of diseased constitutions, making 33-72
per cent. Wherefore more than one-third of those
excused from service owe their release to lack of nutri-
tion or to the effects of vicious Uving, and in 1909, 39
out of every 100 conscripts have been found unfit to
bear arms; in the southern provinces those unfit for
service amount to three-fifths of the whole; Sicily
furnishes an average of IJ out of 5 competent for the
service, and Sardinia only 1. The insufficiently nour-
ished come from the country, and those broken down
by vice from the towns and large centres. There is
a markedly increasing reluctance among the young
men in answering the call to arms and in presenting
themselves for military training. Between 1901 and
1905, 8-1 per cent were disaffected: in 1906, 8-8 per
cent; and in 1906 alone the number of defaulters was
11,443. Xor does the number seem to have dimin-
ished in succeeding years.
The law of 20 June, 1897, divides the Italian army in time of peace into twelve army corps of two divi- sions each; the territory of a division is subdivided into eighty-eight districts, the recruiting for each division bemg under the cliarge of from two to seven of these districts in time of peace, while mobilization is under the charge of the regimental reserves. Each division contains two brigades of infantry, consisting of two regiments, one of cavalry and one of artillery, besides two skeleton regiments of infantry and one section of artillery of the movable militia. The Ber- saglieri and the Alpine regiments are under the direct orders of the commanders of army corps. The terri- torial service of troops and of administration is under territorial direction, 13 for the artillery, 15 for the engineers, 12 for the .sanitary corps, 12 for the com- missary department, and 13 military tribunals. There are 96 regiments of infantry, two of them grenadiers, and 94 of the line, and consisting each of 3 battalions of 4 companies, each company in time of war con- sisting of 2.50 men; 12 regiments of bcrsaglirri, each of 3 battalions, with 1 cyclist company for each regi- ment; 7 .\lpine regiments that are divided into 22 battalions and 75 companies. The permanent army
and the movable militia are armed with the Manlicher-
Carcano rifle, model 91, calibre 6.5 mm., with a fixed
magazine for 6 cartridges; the territorial militia is
armed with a modification of the Wetterly rifle. The
total force of the army in time of peace consists of
13,765 officers and 272,187 non-commissioned officers
and men, and 52,548 horses and mules. In 190S the
army on a war-footing amounted to 3,401,038 men,
that is, 272,187 men under arms; 488,487 men on
leave; 372,.560 in the movable militia, and 2,274,737
belonging to the territorial militia, besides 39,067
officers.
The infantry and cavalry officers are educated at the Military School of Jlodena, and those of the artil- lery and of the engineers at the Jlilitary Academy of Turin; there are, moreover, the military colleges of Naples and of Rome for primary military education, while the School of War, the School of Application for the artillery and the engineers, the Central School of Marksmanship for artillery, furnish instruction to officers; non-commissioned officers are taught at the Central Military School of Defence ; and surgeons are trained at the School of Applied Military Hygiene.
The service of military intendance is exercised by twelve bodies, having the function of direction and vigilance, and by twenty-four commissary sec- tions, stationed with each commander of an army corps or of a division. Tliis body, in time of war, has the duty of assuring the subsistence of the army, of managing the funds, and of providing the uniforms and equipment; while the accoimtants have charge of the accounts and administration in these matters. The regiments provide themselves Ijy means of the fixed allowance granted by the State per man and per day of service as follows; daily pay 10 centimes; food 61 centimes; uniform 12 centimes; extras 16 centimes, total, 99 centimes, or nearly 20 cents. This allowance goes to meet the cost of mess, uniform, etc., and is used by each regiment to best advantage.
The permanent Council of Administration of the regiment has charge of the regiment's administrative matters and is responsiiilc to the ministry. This sys- tem, which has the merit of being a well-ordered decentralization of power does not satisfy present military requirements; whether through the inter- ference of the central administration or because the assignment is no longer m harmony w-ith economical conditions, the messes of the regiments are either in debt or must have recourse to makeshifts.
(2) Navy. — For the administration of the navy the coasts of the Kingdom of Italy are divided into three maritime departments: Spezia, Naples, and Venice. The department of Spezia comprises the coast from the French frontier to Terracina, the island of Sardii\ia and its dependencies, and the Tuscan Archipelago; the department of Naples comprises the coast from Terra- cina to Cape Santa Maria di Leuca and the island of Sicily and its dependencies; the department of \'onice includes the littoral from Cape Santa Maria di Leuca to the Austrian frontier. The twenty-four maritime divisions, the six arsenals, the ports of construction, the depots of stores and of coal, the maritime fortifica- tions and the sixty-four telegraphic posts along the coast are all under their respective maritime division. The recruiting for the navy is, in principle, itlentical w-ith that for the army: all citizens registered in the twenty-four maritime divisions are liable to lie called for naval service, those who have served their time are put on unlimited leave, and are at once transferred to the permanent army, so that, with the exception of the ofiicers, there is scarcely any naval reserve. In 1908 there were in the naval service 23,143 men, afloat, 5249 on the coa.sts, and 2035 officers; total peace strength, 30,427 men. In 1909 the fleet con- sisted of 15 battleships, 10 armoured cruisers, 25 protected cniisers, 122 torpedo-boats, torpedn-sun- boats, and torpedo-destroyers, and 7 submarines.
