The Taihape Daily Times SATURDAY, JULY 10, 1915. THE WAR.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 248, 10 July 1915, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times

SATURDAY, JULY 10, 1915. THE WAR.

AND WAIMABINO ADVOCATE.

(With which is Incorporated The Tal* haps Post and Waimarino News.)

At no time since war commenced has the lamentable unpreparedness of the Allies been so disastrously apparent as it is now that the trouble in that respect is being rapidly overcome. It seems to be another proof of the old axiom: “The darkest part of night is just before the dawn of ight.’’ We now know what was inconceivable to us when Germany forced most of the leading nations of the world into this huge, designing, cut-throat melee. Even now, with the rigid restriction on the spread of information, it is far from possible to. form any approximate idea of our enemy’s superiority in armaments and munitions. A rather disquieting, perplexing cable came from Australia yesterday, in which the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth fore* I shadows a position of which we at present have no clear and definite knowledge. In introducing a bill providing for taking a census of all males and the registration of their fitness for military duty, Mr. Fisher said that his Government sought to know the peoples’ position as regards the war, and he elucidates this remark by saying it was only right that they should be In possession of the full facts in order that a proper system of organisation may be carried out —“if we are to mobilise, we must also go to the length of mobilising our finance.’’ One may gather from what Mr. Fisher says that he is strongly of opinion that the Allies are still far from being out of the wood. This, we are quite entitled to believe, is the darkest side of the picture, and while “We think there is great I justification for a somwhat brighter " view, we would not encourage any un-der-estimate of the collective power of our enemies, -or of the resources of their ,i almst illimitable provision for the rapid output of" every conceivable deathdealing maehing and article. All evident in this respect ' is.irrefutably against tie "Allies;' the feverish excitement, the nationalisation of all faatorJj&s 5h 'which war material can be made,

tlie rc-arraugcmcnt of social questions, the appeals to, and mobilisation of labour, all tend to disclose the colossal nature of the struggle that is yet before them. On the other hand, it is quite reasonable to assume that, without talking much about it, the Allies arc preparing and building up such an offensive as the world has yet no conception of. In England, to-day, there is an army of a million-and-a-half of 'men—the finest fighting stuff the world can produce —just waiting, fully equipped, disciplined to an extreme, for something. What are they waiting for? Is it not for co-ordination with French preparations, in which there is equally concurrent feverishness displayed. Italy has been preparing, almost from the first blow being struck, and in a most business-like way is nationalising and mobilising everything 'that will add to her strength and effectiveness. Russia seems the only disturbing factor; but are we interpreting affairs with Russia entirely in accordance with what may yet prove the true position? So little news of the Allies’ intentions can come to us and we can only form opinions from circumstances about which wo are informed. We know that Britain has a huge army which has not yet lifted a hand —fresh troops ready to be let loose on somewhat tired and hard-worked enemies. France is in a similar position. Italy is virile and aggressive to an extreme; the Dominions are despatching men and preparing others; munitions arc being gathered from every available source and in the Allied countries everything seems to bo bent towards the production of guns and munitions. Russia is just as forward in her munition prepar- | ations as the other Allies; but her armies have been driven back and back until .they have indisputably reached a point at which they can hold back i aggressors of quite double their num- 1 ber and strength. They have allowed the Austro-German hordes to follow them to where the utmost trouble can be dealt ,out to thorn, and to where it will take some time to withdraw from with the continuous harassing that can be kept up. The rceonnaisanco of Germany’s war centre, Wilhelmshaven, Kiel Canal, and Heligoland, in such huge force by the largest British air squadron that has yet moved on one objective; the immense armies ready for the battlefield, and all other circumstances favourable to the thought,may mean that the immense collective force is noAv ready for striking for that supremacy to which, if successful, the enemy can only afterwards feebly oppose. In case this blow does not prove as effective as hoped for, no chances are being taken, ns in the Dominions and all Allied countries new armies are still in course of formation. Operations during the next few weeks will probably make it clear whether another winter campaign is to be faced. What the Kaiser swears can have but little bearing on the trend of events; it is probable his tongue was used merely to conceal his thoughts. What the world would like to know is: where arc England's million-and-a-half of superb solders going to land on the Continent; if in France, what connection can the reconnoitring of the German war-heart have with it. It certainly seems probable that some other country is yet to take a hand, and that the new | fores are most likely to land somewhere in Holland in an effort to strike a death-blow at the enemies’ most important/ dangerous, and strongest flank. With the late naval activity in the Baltic, the sinking of ft German Dreadnought by a British submarine, and, above all, the magnitude of the air reconnaisance of Heligoland, the Kiel Canal, and Wilhelmshaven, it seems that some new developments ot an extremely important character may be expected. With Holland’s consent and co-operation the observations made and information sought by the air squadron seem understandable