GERMANY’S HUGE CASUALTY LIST

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 31, 11 May 1916, Page 5

GERMANY’S HUGE CASUALTY LIST

4 _ figures to Date Total 2,823,079 FIRST TOLL OF ANZACS \ __ ' KILLED 84 ;; WOUNDED 178 German - American Situation Eased off

CURRENT WAR TOPICS.

The visit to Britain of delegates from the Russian Duma emphasises the entire' confidence existing between the two Nations for the period at least since the Entente resolved to enter into the war. His Majesty the King voiced the admiration for the work of our Ally held by every member of the British Empire during his speech to thd 1 delegates on receiving them in London, and it is pleasing also to note the cordial tone of the British Premier’s remarks on the occasion of the official dinner given later to the visitors and his statement that the most gratifying result of the Anglo-Russiau yilliance is the complete agreement on Eastern affairs. On the other side,

the Vice-president of the Duma ex- , presses Russia’s limitless confidence and determination in the ultimate result. Russia has immense reserves of men to draw from, and it is a striking contrast to the position of Britain m this respect that only 33 per cent of the. men of military age have so far been recruited. That Russia must still be in the throes of organisation there 1 can be little doubt, but M. Protopopoff assures us ' that the mobilisation of every energy proceeds steadily, and when this is applied bveh to the overflow of the millions of the 1 Russian steppes (as the barren plains of the country are the possibility of’Germany ’ succeeding against .the Allies is about as great as Eewi Poto’s chance of boating Crawford in the McRae Memorial in the races at Hawera yesterday! The opinion of the “man in the street” is always worth hearing, be- , cause, wherever he gets his inform ar tion, he'is invariably irrenlovably entrenched behind wire entanglements—not the ilk of the Telegraph Department, because these he professes to hate not the slightest faith in. Where, then, does 1 he get the, -news to'base his opinions ? If you. asked him, possibly he. would be unable at the moment to find an,answer, and being only.a s will o’ .the .wisp, thgro. is, little need to worry about him. However, one of the subjects about which the “man in the street” holds very decided various opinions is that of the arrival of Russians in Marseilles I'ecently . Until the nows of the Anzacs’ landing at some unknown port in France, In tie was said by the “know-alls” about our Russian Allies, but immediately the censor thawed out, tongues wagged to great purpose. The sum and substance of this might be found in “I told you so!” Or, it might be: “It was our boys after all-—I knew it—the Russians couldn’t get out of the White g ea —it was , all talk about the Jap ships coming from Vladivostock, or the Russians passing through Persia!”

But, let us go further into this matter. From news received in Australia, it appears that the number of Russians to he transferred to France is 300,000, and in support of this the following statement is made; “Complete uniforms and equipment are already waiting in France for. 250,000 men.” The inter-dependence of Russian mart-power and Anglo-French munitioning industrialism has often been pointed out. When the Western countries send equipment and munitions to Russia, and when Russia sends men to France, both sides are strengthened. The question may he asked, “Is it not more easy to send rifles to Russians in Russia than to send Russians to rifles in France?” That question might be answerable in the affirmative, but the equipment of a soldier and the constitution and employment of a unit are • not merely a question of rifles. It is quite possible that there is room in the French organisation for Russians who could not possibly he, in the same time equipped and admitted into the Russian machine.' The chance of completely beating Germany in. 1916 depends on the degree which Russia’s reorganisation and restoration have reached.

is perhaps the most remarks' able feature of Mr Archibald Hurd’s returns is the heavy toll which neutral Slates have suffered. They are merely spectators in the war } but. nevertheless, Germany has acted towards their shipping in an arbitrary manner unknown in any previous war, without regard for the dictates of humanity or the laws of nations. Mam of the ships captured have since been released, but, as will be seen from the following figures, neutral States have a serious grievance against an enenn who has recognised only one law—that of his own necessity.

Neutral. No. Tonnage. Captured by British ... 40 80,617 Captured by Allies ... 12 18,216 Captured and sunk by enemy ... ... 6 11,259 Captured by enemy ... 469* Sufik by submarines 921: 122,182 Damaged by submarines ’9' 24,734 Sunk by mines or explosion ... ... 94 125,44(5 Damaged by mines or plosion ... ... 14 59,018 736 441,472 ♦Many of these have siuoe been released. Their nationalities were as follow: Swedish, 346; Norwegian, 57; Danish, 41; Dutch, 15; American, 6; Greek-, 4, lOf these 91 are stated to have been sunk by German submarines, and one by an Austrian. In two cases the nationality is not stated. This assembly of figures goes some way to explain why to-day there is a Shortage of merchant tonnage. To this,record of detention, capture, and destruction Jot-the,re be added the extent to which the Allies have had to requisition shipping for naval and military purpose:;, and the number of German and Austrian vessels shut into neutral poets, and some conception can be formed ol , Lhp grave effect oi. the war on the-cariyiqg trade of the world,: : 1

It is, true that the , enemies have been unable to use theiy own ships. That has profited the world in general little, apart from such as have been manned by the Allies. Germany and Austria-Hungary have been utilising neutral tonnage in order to obtain goods of which they stand in need, every effort being made to obtain supplies through neighbouring neutral States. For this convenience they have willingly paid fancy rates, thus, raising freight rates for the, whole world. Consequently, the very desperation of the enemies, which hap driven them to endeavor to trade through* neutral ports, has added to . the shortage of tonnage available, for meeting the needs. of the Allies and neutrals..