NOTES ON THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2261, 22 September 1914, Page 4

NOTES ON THE WAR

Bad weather and the strong defensive positions taken up by the retreating German forces in Franco mako progress by the Allies slow. Still, progress continues to be made. The Allies' Left, which has been threatening to envelop the German Right on the River Oise, has made further slight progress, while on tho Allies' front extending from Oraonne, 22 miles south of the Oise, to Reims (a distance of 18 miles), German counter-attacks have been repulsed. It is probable that these" attacks on the Allies' Centre are due to the withdrawal of troops at that point in order to strengthen tho attack on the German Right Wing. Tho Military Correspondent of the London Times suggests that it may be necessary to concentrate on. tho wings in order to force tho German Army from its present position. This would mean tha,t. the Allies' Centra '»ould merely act on the defensive Jia it did at tho outset of the big battle on the Marne; while-the Left Wing pressed forward a vigorous attack on the German Right. In the fighting on the Marne this operation was carried out with splendid success, and the Germans were forced to retreat with tremendous losses. I The country now being contested,- | however, is not so favourable for a movement of this nature, though in the event of it proving successful the German forces in all probability would be compelled to retire beyond the French frontier to the fortified line which we are told is being prepared along tho banks of the Sambre between Maubeuge and Namur. The situation points to a desperate onI slaught at any moment on the German positions on the Oise.

Further south, the German forces which have been operating in France with their base in Lorraine have been compelled to retire from French territory. There havo been many ups and downs in the fighting in this quarter since the war broke out. At one stage the French were invading Lorraine, but the retirement of their Northern Army necessitated tSe falling back in the south,. The Germans then invaded France at this point as well as in the north, but have now as stated retreated again beyond the frontier. In the Vosges, still fur-; ther south, the French havo once more crossed the frontier into Germany despite the efforts of the enonly to take the offensive. Before the week is out we may perhaps learn that France has been cleared of the German invaders. It will be a heavy task, and the main effort will fall on tho Allies' Left Wing, where the British troops are stationed.

There is little that is new concerning the other centres of conflict. The Russian operations in Galicia are proceeding satisfactorily, but iip to 1 o'clock this morning there was nothing of importance to hand concerning the operations in East Prussia and in Poland. From the Far ■East comes a brief message intimating' that the Japanese are pressing forward with their attack on- Kiaochau. _ Their land force has captured a fortified position, and is no doubt drawing near to _ tho main German stronghold at Tsing-tao, where it will be assisted by the fleet.

It is a characteristic of modern wars that no sooner have hostilities actually begun than suggestions for peace are promulgated by friendly nations beyond the area of contention. Tho reason for such solicitude is the very simple one—not quite so disinterested after all—that a modern war is world-wide in its by-pro-■ductsof industrial dislocation and financial disturbance, so cosmopolitan have the _ commercial activities and financial interdependence of nations become. Present indications, as was to be expected, are that Berlin will have to bend very low indeed before even the delicate pourparlers of the diplomats which must necessarily precede tho formal convention of peace delegates can be initiated. In Berlin, the mob is placarding the walls with posters, "Wo want Peace," and it is quite conceivable that internal pressure will accomplish the final coup to the bluff and braggadocio of the Prussian junker. By no possible combination of strategy, force of arms, good fortune, can Germany win in the ultimate end, and the period of her resistance to the crushing accumulation of forces against her—blockaded ports, ruined trade, military defeats, financial embarrassment, and the 'aggregated armies of five nations, not to mention a possible sixth,_ Italy—will not unlikely be determined by the German people themselves, who must sooner or later realise tho facts of the situation.

An old British cruiser well known in these waters, the Pegasus, has met with misfortune at Zanzibar. It seems that she was caught at a disadvantage while cleaning her boilers by a more powerful and modern German oruiser, the Konigsbcrg, and apparently was badly battered, 25 of her crew being killed and 80 wounded. With full steam up and in fighting trim she would be outclassed for speed and weight of guns by the Konigsbcrg, while caught as she was, unable to move, she would he an easy and almost helpless target. The Pegasus is of the same class as the Psyche, carrying eight 4-in. guns and 234 men, while the Konigsberg, which is some. 1100 tons larger, lias ten 4.lin. guns and carries a crew of 322 officers and men. Tho Capo Squadron, to which the. Pegasus is attached, consists of three vessels, the two others the Hyacinth and the Astraca. All thres are old cruisers, and whilo both tho Hyacinth and Astraea. aa'e more power-.

fully armed than the Konigsberg they could not approach her for speed, fho weakness of many of the old British warships doing duty in the outlying parts of the Empire is their lack of speed. The only chance of any of the Gape Squadron vessels overhauling the konigsberg would be in the event of the Pcga-sus having been fortunate enough to damage her engines.

Stories of the recruiting in London and elsewhere which followed immediately upon the outbreak of war are impressive in the light they cast upon the reserve powers of a great nation which in spite of a rich stock of honourable military traditions is apt to make its warlike preparations somewhat grudgingly in times of peace. The response to the call to arms was instant and overwhelming. On the day of the de-. claration of war the newspapers printed an appeal (a facsimile of which appears in this issue) to the young men of the-country from 18 to 30 years of age to enlist in the Army without delay. Immediately all the great recruiting stations in London and throughout the country were besieged with men of all ages. At Great Scotland Yard, the headquarters of the London recruiting district, according to one correspondent, a long line of men formed a queue outside the gates at an early hour, and the number increased so enormously during the day that it was found necessary to keep the recruiting offices open till late at night to examine and pass suitable applicants. "Two bronzed, stalwart recruiting sergeants, Army veterans with the breasts of their tunics covered with war medals for gallant service, stood regulating the rush through the massive (rates, beaming with pride at the sight. They. had no need to go out and look for men j their only duty was to turn back those who were obviously unfit." A feature of the recruiting was the number of time-expired men who came forward to oner their services, and the applicants included also large numbers of men from the Overseas Dominions—Australians, New Zealauders, and others—many of whom had already seen service. Emphasis is laic! by those who describe tho recruiting boom' upon the fine physique and soldierly bearing of a large proportion of the men offering. So much has been said about the excellence of Continental armies that Britain's military resources are apt to be underrated,'but it is nevertheless a fact that she baa a very largenumber of war-seasoned veterans at command. With such material available there is no reason to doubt that the British Army will maintain the reputation it has made of being second to none..

News by yesterday's mail indicates that Australia, apart from the drain upon her resources due to the war, is faced by the prospect of serious losses on account of a widespread drought. During last week there was a favourable change in weather conditions, and crops in New South Wales and elsewhere were given a further lease of life, but even with this' mitigating feature the position was still regarded as serious. : A Sydney newspaper, reviewing the facts, remarks that the climate, 'a decisive factor in Australian prosperity, has this year been decidedly adverse. Economically, it adds, leaving the metal _ markets out of;-: account, Australia would have gained rather than lost by the war, thanks to the foresight of the British Government and the ability of the Navy to keep tho trade routes open. The drought, however, threatens some of the New South Wales industries with a serious reverse. The dairying industry of'the State has continued to prosper, and will do so as long as plentiful coast rains and a long summer can bo ■ relied upon, but wheatfarmers and pastoralists in certain parts of Now South Wales are in a less fortunate position/ There is a grave danger that what might have Been a record wheat crop may turn out otherwise, and pastoralists in the south-western , portion of the. State will have to move their stock to whatever mountain country they can probably losing- many in the process. Persistent experiments have evolved a type of wheat in Australia which has wonderful vitality, but even so, tho orop prospects, as things now stand, are in many cases dubious. • The best feature of the position seems to be that the trouble, though widespread, is by no means universal. Australian pastoralists, it is stated, are no longer overstocked, as they were in the great drought of twenty years ago, but there is still a lack of cross-country railways by which sheep might be rapidly transported from drought-stricken country to grass, The war has made the question of food supplies one of intense concern to the whole Empire.New Zealand might,profit very materially by the drought in Australia, but it is devoutly to be hoped that the _ Commonwealth will be blessed with the needed rains and that the earlier expectations of an abundant harvest will be fully realised.