Tokyo, Aug. 29.
The growing estrangement between the Army and the Govern: ment is giving rise to a mare of interesting. speculations, __An outward semblance of harmony being maintained between the military' chieftains and the' civil authorities, but in reality th, two fare at is, with the cha copening daily.
considerable "friction arose in Jconnection with the reform of the Army, which the general public and [the "Government, understood. to be rach cuts in administration expen handsome. and welcome bit' of re= personnel as, would.
Venue to the central coffers, thereby enabling the authorities to reduce the "red ink" figures in the national ledger—if not cross them out aitogether—and enable the budget to be balanced, Practically every Jother Government department. has consented to make sacrifices and cut down "appropriations, with the exception of the Army"and the Navy. The army, after Iahouring for "months, "brought forth retrenchment plan which turned out to be far from it. A scheme was [propounded by which some 7,099,000 [yen was saved, but this was again Fo-appropriated on the ground that the technical side of the nulitary machine was very week and that, therefore, more modern "weapons The latest squabble is in regard to the pension revision pla Imilitary authorities—backed by naval men—are firmly oppose to jarly out in military pensions or to larly increase of the period ster [which pensions may be dained, The Government has urged. that civilians and military men be placed jon an equal footing in regard to pensions, but this has been re-{solutely opposed by the former on the ground that a military career is fraught with dangers and that, therefore, military "men cannot {forego any of the privileges they now enjoy. It used to. bs the {fashion to. ridicule the volunteer lannies of Great Britain and America fon the ground that they were little better than mercenary matter of pension money, the. mill tary men seem to be tarting them selves with the same brush, The Army and the Navy are laeting in concert against the Government in regard to the pension reform plan and other prolems, General Minami, the War Minister, made a speech recently to divisional commanders, which {interpreted by large, section of the press as being' a challenge. t0 the Finance' Ministry" onthe ones war Oice ex:
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.