NOTES ON THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2230, 17 August 1914, Page 4

NOTES ON THE WAR

Amid a mass of confusing details the' war 'news"to hand' at midnight contains three "'outstanding' items. The first of these is the definite information concerning the enormous armies which Russia, has mobilised on the German and' Austrian" frontiers ; the second 'i's'the news that the Liege fb;rts~still h"old "out" against German attacks; and the third is' the intimation that France is about to begin an aggressive movement in the south—that is to say in Upper Alsace. "It is"extremely.difficult to piece'' together _ the" scrappy"' item's which succeed in. passing the censor. Tie really important movements are necessarily suppressed. "Reading between the lines, lio'wever, -it, seems, fairly-clear that the mobilisation of the Russian forces was' much tnorc advanced'when war'broke out than was generally' believed. Enormous as'the figures which are given us 'today may-seem, it is by'no'" means unlikely that between two aid three million Russian troops are how available near - the '.'frontier ■ for | the advance' on Austria aii'd Germany. Hup bodies of'ind'n s.uch'as these, with ' their' transport and ammunition wagons, will necessarily ' move! slowly,' and they h'ave many obstacles to pveroomb besides those imposed by Nature'. ''Still,' the fact that the invasion "of Eastern Geinmiahy. "in'force hais we "Have'not yet definite " news of this—must have an effect on'thß movements of the opposing "ar'mies on" the western frontier; aiid may force the Kaiser to'hurry forward, his plans.'" We' have no news yet, however'.' of the'big battle which was expected -on- Friday' last somewhere' in : Belgiuifi; 'There have befeii"further minor' encounters iri this quarter■ and the Gerin'aii reconnoitring" parties'' appear •" to " show great-' daring,- but they have paid heavily "in "most cases"for' their, en-terprise-The indication'""'of "a Frenoh forward mowiiieht in Upper Alsace probably is not unrelated 'to what : is' transpiring ; further' north along the banks of tho Mouse. The official 1 news to-d-ay continues reassuring.' 'r ■: " t:

1 f Stories ,of desertions - ironi ths German forces, due mainly to starvation, and / rumours Ot. disturbances by t-ho« anti-war. party in German towns still como to hand! It is quite probable 'that the" German troops have' Buffered' severely frou) want of fbod' supplies,' for'it has grown abundantly plain that the leaders of tho-'KAiSEn's' forces had hot soViously contemplated the possibility "of Belgium;' proving so formidable an obstacle. Troops apparently haVo been "Mrried forward In advance''of supplies,' in the'hope of fo'reirig the Belgian position" before the arriyal of'the French arid British troops at'the' scene of operations. Having failed in'this fil'st ;desperate rush, the feeding of the troops may be' expected 'to now .'receive proper and 'complaints such as those I which' have been' coming to should for" the time' being at ieast'-flease-X These happenings," however, serve to throw- light • on the difficulties .of moving' theso largo, bodies'of troops;from place'' to place; and the imperative necessity of maiiitaininjj an open line" of communication', with'the-s'qurces of food supply. An army that, pres.ses forward too fast for'its food and" baggage wagons to""keep up 'with it;' or which is; cut off by the enemy' from tlieso. ncoessa'ry: supplies, is in"'a'" desperate plight indeed. Men do not - fight ■well'on. empty stomachs, and - are very, apt'to'lose oonfidence' in their leader!}' when' plans "go"' awry,' ;an'd they find themselves faced with the cheerless pfospect of^mi-or'com-plete starvation I .'"' ' '

The whole Dominion will'join with His Excellency the Governor andtheother speakers' in the Basin Deserve' on' Friday, afternoon in wishing' a safe'return to. the ferat contingent. of' young New Zeal&nders to leave o'ur shores during the present' European war in the service of the Empire. . This is the first time that New Zealand soldiers have taken par.t in a grea,t European struggle. . Indeed, Britain;' herself has not been at war with' a' European Power since her' soldiers foughtside by side: with" French''-against Russia, in : the Crimea. " That was some sixty years ago.' NeW' Zealand soldiers fought for the Empire' in South Africa;,'" but' the . 'issues.',in-* Volvecl in that conflict' were insignificant compared with the" enormous interests at stake in the tremendous struggle' whioh is now in progress. The enthusiasm shown by' the Overseas Dominions in responding to the call to arms"strengthened ' the ;appeal of the British Prime .Minister to the United Kingdom .for half a million ' more troops."' "The ' "Motherland," "says "must set an example, while responding with' gratitude to the'filial overtures'- of the Dominions. '

The project of sending Homo a shipload of' food for the relief" of -distress in Great Britain and Ireland caused bv the war' is one that should appeal to New Zealanders of all grades of wealth and attract their' liberal" support. For millions of people in the Old Country "the problem of obtaining food ft acute enough'at any time,' and to many of them the stringency 'caused by a'great war would mean absolute starvation : if their distresses were not relieved.' Happily, in this matter, as in ' others; the need of the Mother Country has evoked an Imperial response; At Home and in the Dominions measures are' being taken to alleviate ' that ■ distress among the poor which is likely to be accentuated by the war: Several of the Dominions are arranging to send Homo cargoes of food-stuffs, and in Great Britain itself the: Phince of Wales Fund for the relief of the poor already totals something like a million sterling. The New Zealand proposal is cast on fairly ambitious lines, but it is safe to predict that tho sympathy of people in this country for their less fortunate brethren in ' tlio Mother; Country will ensure its successful accomplishment. 1 It is hoped io' land /the cargo' of food at its destination soon after Christmas, practically a,t mid-winter, when the pincli of poverty • is apt to be most severely felt. Credit' is due to the sportsmen and producers' who originated the movement, and to those who hayo already made liberal contributions. Tho' fund is to' be administered in various'centres of tlio Dominion by the branches of' tho New Zealand' Sports 'Protection I Leaiiue, and the Wellington secre-

tary of that organisation-(Mil. R. W. Shallcrass) will reccivc donations and furnish necessary'information to intending contributors.''•

Some uneasiness appears' to exist' as to the attitude of Turkey. The ; aotipn of tho Turkish authorities in i admitting the German cruisers : Goeben and Brcslaii" to the Dardan- ' elles and then taking them over from ! Germany has afoused suspicion, and Franco and; Russia have both made it clear that-they-are distrustful of Turkish sympathies. It is not' an easy ' thing to decide how Turkey would ho likely 'to act under given circumstances'. ' She owes nothing to Germany, who, while" 'professinjr' friendship, 'allowed" Italy to attack and' Wrest Tripoli from'her; but, oil the'other'' hand, she'has good reason to fe"ar the" ambitions of ' Russia; - Turkey's position at the-'monient_ is far too dangerous for her to risk throwing in hor lot with the Austro-Germa-n'Alliance, much as she might like to do so. Such a course would probably lay her open to'attack on all sides,"and especially from Russia, Bulgaria,' and Greece. Three', years ago' Germany, might have : looked' to both Rumania and Turkey for assistance,' but' the Balkan' War has completely changed the situation-in-that' respect.""Shortly' after the'close of-'the Balkan War,- tha Germania. ah officially-inspii'cd German organ, wrote what in- the light of recent events must be regarded as a pro-' phetic .warning 1 ; > •: We ' have' 'repeatedly stated, it wrote, that' a Victory-' of ; the "Balkan Allies (against. Turkey) 'is' iri'reality a'-Ru'ssian j victory." When the" great'' European" Wnr 1 breaks out,'tho-Triple'-Alliance will bo opposed by the Triple Entente' and-the Balkan States, and the latter will bo found - more ready- to- -'flgllt tho'Triple Alliance-than- England. Until'lately it was thought in Germany that we'should have t-<v : urepare -tor-'the inevitable■ war with.' England. "/The events of 'the past few months snow''that' a .greater and more immediate* danger threatens Germany from the direction of Russia. 'Tho Oriental question has : assumed a neir form. It may be summed up in- tho words Germanism v. Slavdom. Already we have Russia and two of the Balkan' States in'the field'against the A'u'str o : Ge'rmah "coMbinatiori'f' and Bulgaria may'follow. ' Rumania hasin the past : been more in sympathy with Austria' 1 than with Russia; f but latterly.--there" is "re-ported' tii; have : been" a marked change •of feeling. Mr. J. Ettis-BAitKEB, writing" in the Nineteen th Century} state's that' the Rumanians, 'who are. anxious to extend "thdir- _ territory, would' benefit . very materially "from the'defeat 'of Austria-Hungary. ,'' Nearly "'3,'500,000. Rumanians' dwell in that portion of -nearest " to " Rumania; and tKey complain ' bitterly of tho treatment: they' receive- at the hands of their present rulers, and. , wish "to be' reunited, with.'Rumania. Here, then, are' possibilities of 'further additions pf'iihe' ; Entente'. ' ' "' *