THE WAR.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXX, Issue 5, 24 August 1914, Page 7

THE WAR.

The following was issued in the form of "extras" by the Post last evening : —■ (NO. 1) GERMANS' RAPID FORWARD MARCH. RUSSIANS ENTER AUSTRIA. (Press Association Extraordinary). London, August 22. The Germans have occupied Ghent. Namur is partially invested. Heavy artillery fire opened at midday. London, August 22. The Germans are outside Ostend. The Russians entered Austria just north of the river Dniester. (NO. 2.) Copy of telegram received by the Prime Minister 23rd August, 1914 : London, August 23. Reliable.—The Government ask the public to remember that the present alleged victories are only of comparative importance. No achievement on either side deserves the name of victory. The present situation from a military sense is satisfactory. FRENCH SINK AUSTRIAN BATTLESHIP. TWO MERCHANTMEN STRIKE MINES. The French sunk the Austrian battleship Zrinki in the Adriatic. London, August 23. The steamer Maryland from Copenhagen struck a mine on Friday night on the main trade route when 30 miles from land and foundered. The steamer Brobery in searching for the crew next morning struck a mine and sunk.

JOTTINGS. Seeing things! A report comes from Masterton of an "airship," displaying three lights, being seen on Sunday night making towards Palmerston North. Outside papers are publishing extraordinary "news" regarding Westport (says the Grey River Argus). A Wellington journal last week had the following:—"lt was reported in Wellington last evening in reliable quarters that an Austrian collier at Westport had been detained." The fact that two peaceful-looking Norwegian sailing vessels are hung up at .Westport has given rise to a good deal of misconception.

One of tho first places mentioned after the declaration of war by Germany was Eydtkulinen, a small town on tho Berlin-St. Petersburg railway, right on the frontier. Any German force within miles X)f Eydtkulinen would bo in a serious position, for the Russians were said to have possession of Insterburg, a large town some miles west of the frontier post and right across the line of retreat of any German force on tho frontier.

Few people outside Germany Jiave any idea of the vast dimensions of the great industrial concern under the control of Dr. Krupp von Bohlen. The gun works at Essen cover 1200 acres, 235 of them under roof, where 40,000 men find employment. The Krupp collieries in Westphalia and Silesia employ 10,000 miners, the armour-plate works keep busy another 15,000 pair of hands, the Kiel shipbuilding yards employ 6000, and the Krupp docks, steamers and foreign* ore mines bring up the total of the firm's employees to close on 80,000. The Krupp pay roll totals £5,000,000 a year.

The British Navy has ' a complete squadron of mine-layers, consisting of seven light cruisers—Andromache, Apollo, Intrepid, Iphigeiiia, Latona, Naiad, and Thetis. Mr Winston Churchill, in discussing the question of floating mines, has stated that the Admiralty has foreseen the position which has arisen, and is prepared to meet it. His reference is to what are known in tho service as "mine-sweep-ers." A squadron of four mine sweeping gunboats—tho Gossamer, Lcda, Skipjack, and Speedwell—was formed some years ago for the purpose of searching for floating mines sown by tho enemy, and picking them up or rendering them innocuous. To assist the gunboats, which act as convoys, there are a number of converted trawlers owned by the Admiralty and employed as mine-sweepers.

Tho German colony of Togoland, on the Gulf of Guinea, is in an unfortunate position. On the west is the British possession of the Gold Coast, to the north the French colony of Upper Senegal, and on the East French Dahomey. To the south is tho sea, but as the entire coast line of Germany's holding is only thirty-two miles long it could be very easily watched by a cruiser or even a gunboat. For thirty years Germany has occupied Togoland, a colony 33,700 square miles in extent and carrying a population of about 1,000,000. The principal town is Lome and it was occupied by the allies some days ago. A railway connects Lome with Little Popo and another line runs from Lome for about seventy-six miles north-west to Agome-Palime. It is these services that the allied forces have seized. Togoland is one of tho most prosperous colonies Germany owns. It was the first to dispense with an Imperial subsidy and since 1904 it has practically paid its way. The value of tho imports is about £500,000 a year, and tho exports fall not far short of that figure.