GERMANY READY IN MARCH, 1914.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 173, 26 March 1915, Page 3

GERMANY READY IN MARCH, 1914.

WHAT TEE GQSB.BN .CABRTED TO CONSTANTINOPLE, .' .•. BUCHAREST.,..Feb. 9. An interesting additional piece or evidence of Germany's -preparations !'■>! llic wtir cornea from a Greek 'r lio wis in Corfu, in Mnrr-h hist yeai " hen the "Germani were • y. i, ii efforts to induce ..the Creeks to east ir their lot ft ith 'them, an -iVorf which railed, owing t.o the. coiirt"-:-i-' of'M. Venivelos, with whom they rctl-i do m'-Ili-The two cruisers. Go'/ljon and Brcs-!a:i-we're there. An aoe;deu.hil visit to the Goeben when battle-rjuartcrs were 'icing performed, showed the surprising fact that work generally done by ordinary seamen and other hewers <>f wood and' carriers of,water v-.v ;..i' : nr'. performed by special ra'- : '.u;.v '.Skilled gunners and torpedo men or stoker-mechanics were handl'.cj.; shells in the magazine, hwl so o:i. When asked the reason, one of the Goeben 's officers said: "Oh, we r.ro a .ship d 'elite, we have only skilled men on board" —and there v.vr.- 1,100 instead of the full complement of SSO! Wlien the Gooben rcpchod Constantinople the place of these skilled met: was on board the various Turkish vessels, ordinary Turkish seamen replacing them for the general work of the .ship. Another significant incident took place. By the printed official itinary o fthe German Mediterarnean fleet last year, they should have been at the Piraeus in September. " Mitch more likely to meet us at Constantinople then." was the reply of an officer when an acquaintance said "Good-bye! At the Piraeus in September! " This was in March--Month's before the war, and before the assassination of the Archduke at Serajevo.