SEE SAWING IN THE WEST

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 71, 29 February 1916, Page 5

SEE SAWING IN THE WEST

THE ENEMY WELL HELD

General Offensive Predicted

GERMANY'S SUBMARINE POLICY

Remember the Ist of March!

CURRENT WAR TOPICS.

sumption that the vessels are armed for defence! How cultured, indeed! The statement that Italian shipping lias been notified recalls the fact that Germany has not declared Avar on Italv.

The feeling that Germany i, s staking her all on the Western front is growing among military experts. The huge cost in blood and treasure is telling its terrible tale: the people as a whole are discovering that fchry are getting nothing for their sacrifices; indeed, in thousands of cases in , the country of the Central Powers this is literally true, a s bread and the means of subsistence are luxuries. The general economic pressure is growing daily, and is finding .vent in riots and demands for peace. Colonel llepington’s views, as expressed in a letter to The Times, are that not only on land but on sea there is evidence ot an offensive by Germany, in support of which he quotes, the appointment of Prince Henry, to a high naval command. Verdun, he says, is the veal thing at last, and his opinion, that the enemy’s decision to put their fortunes to the test will ho received with delight, is without doubt correct to the letter. According to the same authority, there are 118 German divisions in tho West of which twenty-five are at Verdun, but still, he says, the general security of the Allied lines js not seriously menaced, nor would it be if the whole right bank of the Meuse at Verdun fell into German hands if the enemy (and here’s the rub) “were prepared to pay the price we exact,” Yes, there is such a thing as buying a place too dually! Supporting his opinion that Germany is playing on the Now-or-Never system, Colonel Repington expects another offensive in the West and mentions Champagne. In this quarter, there has been much fighting of bite, which, it is probable, was the prelude to the real thing there. Strategically considered as a point for renewing an advance upon Paris or even breaking the French line, Verdun has lost its importance, says one writer, but, on the other hand, as a point for. an advance against Metz and the German positions on the Moselle the road to the lower Rhine, it is a very important position. In the light of‘the hope that the Allies will this year be able to invade Germany, the loss of Verdun would be very serious, and its recovery would be an extremely costly adventure.

Paris has exhibited another sensation, writes “Electricus” in the Wellington Evening Post. It is said tjiat “the success of the recent enemy air raids Avas due to the Zeppelin searchlights using Dussaud’s cold light rays, which are so blinding that they pierced the mist like the sun, whereas the French searchlights wore lost in the mists. Dussaud’s invention uses tse whole of the electric current for illumination, in.vtea I of losing 80 per cent, in heat. Dussand in 1911, offered the invention to the French Government, but he was the victim of officialdom, and the patent was sold to Germany.” These stories of inventors “turned down” by their country and taken up by Germany have a strong family rehemblance. In some eases they are clearly attempts to belaud an inventor whose de\ r ice was a failure. W nether Dussaud’s light Avas ,a failure or not is not.certain; hut if it prom 1 sad such success as is uoav claimed it would have been knoAvn to the Avorld long ago. There is no mystery whatever about the Dussand lamp, which any skilled electrician can easily build.

It consists of a number of small incandescent lamps set upon a disc which resolves rapidly. Each lamp, as it comes, say, to the top of the circles of rotation, is momentarily lit by a brief current of electricity, and merely flashes. The succession of those' flashes giA'es what is visually a continuous light. Dussaud found that the small amount of heat given off at each flash Avas dissipated so rapidly owing to the comparatively long period of darkness of each lamp that the lamps kept quite cool. He found, moreover, that he could use cuiient at tAvice as great pressure as usual; and it is a fact that an electric lamp, with a double voltage, gives n vastly increased light. Dussaud’s arrangement gave an amount ol light l«i greater for a given current than is ordinarily obtainable; the efficiency was, indeed, stated to he as high as .1 watt per candle-poAver, considerably greater than that of an arc-lamp such as is ordinarily used in searchlights. But the development of the invention has never been announced; and it is much to he doubted whether it could be applied to searchlights with convenience. Certainly no Zeppelin equipment could giv a candle-power approaching that of searchlights on laud; and no credence need he given to the story of the Dussaud light picicing the mist like the sun.”

To-morrow ( Wednesday) is the fatelul Ist of March, the day when, the Huns commence their diabolical campaign with submarines against all and sundry merchantmen who carry guns even in self-defence. Americans and otliei neutrals who travel on these vessels are liable to be sent to their death without warning. The position has created great strife in political ciicles in the United States, and President Wilson, whom many people on the occasions of the Lusitania and Arabic crimes looked upon as vacillating and weak-kneed, now' has gained much kudos by his firm and unrelenting attitude in demanding for Americans the right to travel on any nun chantmen and to bo notified of their impending fate at the hand,: of the shib- ! mariners. Wc read to-day that Count Bernstorff has informed the hinted States that the assurances given with regard to the Lusitania and Arabic cases apply only to peaceful merchaut- « men and that all others will be sunk. The reply will be anxiously awaited in international circles, and it President Wilson is the man that ho now appears to be there can be but one answer, viz., “Go 0 u with the game and take the consequences!” In these extreme measures which Germany is adopting for her blood lust, many students profess to see the finger post of Despair, and » < u 'smi to entangle the Nations ol the M 01 on the principle of those not with hei being against her, and then, on sm cumbing under sheer force of numbers, pleading for mercy. this she will never get, but she may get peace -in our time, 0 Huns! Remember the Ist of March.

It would be idle remembering all the unholy methods adopted by Geimauy since the war began, to expect anything else from the Huns at this stage than hedging. They are now said to base their contentions on the question of attacking armed merchantmen on the American instructions to the port authorities, stating that it is only I»e-