INTERESTING NEWS.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 329, 3 November 1915, Page 7

INTERESTING NEWS.

FACTS ABOUT GREECE. WHERE THE CURRANTS COME FROM. Greece is mainly an agricultural country. Currants ars largely cultivateded, About 160,000 tons are produced annually. Greece gained its independence in 1830. when it was declared a kingdom under the protection of Great Britain, France, and Russia. King Konstantinos of Greece is 47 years of age. His father, King George, who was assassinated in 1913, was Queen Alexandra’s brother. Military service is compulsory. It commences in the 20th jyear, and lasts for the long period of 31 years. The war strength of the Greek army is between 280,000 and 300,000 men.

As a result of her wars with Turkey and Bulgaria in 1912 and 1913 Greece gained 16,919 square miles of new territory and added a couple of millions

to her population, which now totals nearly 5,000,000. Cheese is produced in large quantities —sliced cheese and head-chdese. The production of the tonne in 1912 amounted to 1,995,0001 b, and of the latter 2,280,0001 b. Most of the sliced cheese is consumed in Greece, chiefly in the cities of Athens and Piraeus. Since 1911 a British naval mission hsa been superintending the training and organisation of the Grek navy, which consists of two modern battleships, three small ones, fourteen destroyers, and a number of miscellaneous craft. One of their cruisers, the Aberoff, was acquired through a deceased millionaire of that name leaving the bulk cff his fortune for improving the navy.

MARELLOUS TA AC HIH E-G UN S. BEAT THE RIFLE HOLLOW. Against machine guns the rifleman is helples s a military expert remarked recently; and he was right. Actual tests of machine guns have shown them to be superior to picked marksmen. At a test in Great Britain some time ago, forty-two first-class shots were pitted against one Maxim, each side firing for one minute at a target representing infantry in line, at a distance which was unknown, hut which was actually 1000 yards. These were the results: Fortytwo men, 408 rounds, 62 hits; machinegun, 228 rounds, 69 hits; although the Maxim spent some time in getting the range.

Machine guns are really rifles with a mechanical feed, which supplies them rapidly with cartridges. In all modern patterns they are automatic in action. The ga s produced by the explosion or shock of the recoil opens the breech, ejects the spent cartridge, loads the rifle, closes the breech, and fires the charge. These complicated operations are carried out with extraordinary speed.

To give an example. The Maxim can fire at least 450 rounds a minute, or more than seven shots per second, and if in exceptionally good order and cleverly operated can discharge f'OO rounds a minute, \ In the British Amy at the behaving of the war the number of machine guns was two to each battalion or cavalry regiment. In the German araiv to*-re was an extraordinary development of the machine-gun sections shortly befoie the war. Indeed, the enemy is staled to have taken the geld with 50,000 of these weapons, so that each German battalion must have had ten, if not more, which gave them an enormous advantage above the Allies at the outset.