To Increase France's Army.

New York Times 100 years ago today, February 18, 1913:
Extensive Plans Prepared to Counterbalance German Measures.
Special Cable to The New York Times.
    PARIS, Feb. 17.— The French Government is about to spend 115,000,000 more on national defense. This is a sequel to the German Government's decision to raise the peace strength of the German Army to 850,000 officers and men.
    The German Government's bill will be passed by the Reichstag shortly, and the French Government is determined not to be behind. Owing to the strenuous efforts made by Germany during the past few years, her peace effective strength, 725,000 men, which legally should not be attained till the end of 1915, is now an accomplished fact. France's army at the present moment consists of 550,000 men.
    Secret deliberations which have been proceeding for some time between the President of the Council and the Ministers of War, Finance, and Foreign Affairs, have resulted in the elaboration of definite proposals with a view to the increase of the French Army's effective and its striking power. These proposals briefly follow:
    Parliament is to be asked to vote without delay an extra budgetary credit of about $15,000,000 for the completion before the end of the year of certain reforms in material, &c. Before the Easter vacation Parliament will be asked to vote a second credit of over $100,000,000 to cover the cost of an army programme to be completed within a given period, like the German programme of 1911-12. This programme will deal with the strengthening of fortresses and the perfecting of artillery munitions, heavy artillery and aeronautics. In order to increase the effective it is proposed to restore to their regiments men now employed in the Administration services, to encourage enlistment and re-enlistment, and to increase the number of native recruits in Algeria, Tunis, and West Africa.
    With regard to the increase of the effective it seems that the most important modification of the existing state of things will be sought in a return to the three years' system for certain arms, and the thirty months' system for all other arms, or, possibly, there will be a mixed scheme involving both systems. At the War Ministry a general return to the three years' system is defended.
    The Government will ask both Chambers to hurry forward the discussion on all its proposals. Should any opposition develop the Government will immediately make the adoption of its programme a question of confidence.
    This afternoon, in the debate on the Army Budget in the Chamber of Deputies, M. Cheron, reporter of the Budget, referred to the extraordinary efforts being made in Germany, and declared that France must strengthen her military power to the maximum. There was, he said, not a single loyal Frenchman who was not concerned at what was passing on the other side of the frontier. The Budget Commission would, he added, consent to any measures considered necessary.
    This declaration was received with loud and prolonged cheers.
    Premier Briand to-night said that the proposed army changes had already been decided on in principle, although certain details, principally those in connection with the lengthening of the term of service, still remained to be worked out.