What the weight of the portable intrenching equipment of the Japanese, Russian, and British infantry will be, is still undecided, but experiments are being made with a uniform tool. When we consider, that for the purpose of intrenching, one man requires a space of 1.20 m., and for handling his rifle a space of 0.8 m., and that when intrenching under fire all the men cannot work, it is obvious that it would be impracticable to equip each man with an intrenching tool. According to all experience, it is sufficient to furnish every other man with spade or pick. In addition to this, however, a company requires a large number of wire cutters. Only the French infantry is equipped with explosives, every regiment having 108 cartridges. The following table shows the intrenching tool equipment available in each battalion: +=========+================================+=================+======= | FOR EARTH WORK. | FOR TIMBER WORK.| ----------+-----------------+--------------+---------+-------+------- | Small | Large | Small | Large | | Intrenching | Intrenching | Intrenching | | Tools. | Tools. | Tools. | ----------+-------+---------+-------+------+---------+-------+------ |Spades.|Mattocks.|Spades.|Picks.|Hatchets.| Axes. |Total. ----------+-------+---------+-------+------+---------+-------+------ Germany | 400 | 40 | 20 | 10 | 35 | 8 | 513 Austria | 400 | 64 | 8 | 16 | ... | 8[46]| ... Italy[47] | 32 | 8 | 36 | 18 | ... | 62 | ... France[48]| 448 | 128 | ... | ... | ... |... | ... ----------+-------+---------+-------+------+---------+-------+------- [46] Each company has 4 pioneers, which carry intrenching and carpenter tools in addition to their rifles. These men are formed into a pioneer platoon of 64 men in each regiment. [47] The adoption of portable intrenching tools, 50 spades and 12-15 mattocks per company, is contemplated. [48] The following demolition tools are available in each battalion: 64 picks, 64 fascine knives, and 16 wire cutters. Sappeur sections carry in addition a mattock or a pick apiece, and each ammunition carrier also carries a pick, a fascine knife, or a saw. The large intrenching tools are apparently being changed at the present moment. 5. THE LOAD OF THE INFANTRYMAN. The load carried by the infantryman should not exceed one-third of the man’s weight (84 kg.), or not more than 28 kg. According to the “Regulations for the Employment of Infantry Equipment, M/95,” the load of a soldier whose height is 1.67 m. (the equipment consisting of new experimental pieces) is about 27 kg., distributed as follows: