ent to equip the force
completely.]

[Footnote 42: At the time of year this was suitable, and
serge clothing was eventually sent out. Troops subsequently,
up to May, 1900, took one suit of drill and one suit of
serge. Later each man took two suits of serge.]

[Sidenote: War equipment.]

At the outbreak of war the authorised war equipment was practically
complete, and there remained the equipment for a third army corps,
but suitable only for service at home. Beyond this, there was no
provision of special reserves to meet the continual drain by service
in the field abroad. Such reserve material as there was for batteries
of both horse and field artillery was speedily exhausted; while to
provide heavier ordnance it was necessary to draw upon the movable
armament for home defence. More speedy still was the exhaustion of gun
ammunition, and not even the suspension of Naval orders in the
factories, with loans from the Navy and from India, could enable
demands to be complied with quickly enough. Similarly, the
deficiencies in other stores, such as camp equipment, vehicles,
harness, saddlery and horse-shoes, made themselves apparent at a very
early date in the war.[43]

[Footnote 43: In the matter of hospital equipment previous to
mobilisation there had been stores for field hospitals of
three army corps; but there was no reserve of equipment for
stationary hospitals or general hospitals, except for one
general hospital and two stationary hospitals, which were not
included in the army corps organisation.]

[Sidenote: Purchases abroad.]

[Sidenote: Mark IV.]

Any idea that may have existed that the ordnance factories and the
trade would be able to meet all demands from week to week was quickly
dispelled. The supply could not keep pace with the need, and in some
cases the exhaustion of the home market necessitated large purchases
in Europe, Canada, and the United States. Of rifles and other weapons
at this time the store was ample, except in the case of sabres, of
which, owing to a contemplated change in pattern, the reserve had been
allowed to fall very low. There was a complete reserve of ball
ammunition of the kinds approved for use in the earlier part of 1899,
viz.: Mark II. and Mark IV., the latter having an expanding bullet.
During the summer of 1899 it was found that under certain conditions
the Mark IV. ammunition