The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1915. PROGRESS OF THE WAR.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 348, 20 November 1915, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1915. PROGRESS OF THE WAR.

(With which, is incorporated The Taihape Post and Waimarino News.)

In an endeavour to get a general estimate of the progress of the war such a vastness of verbiage has to be < waded through, confusions and conflictions met, which renders it almost • impossible to arrive at any satisfactory or partially reliable conclusion.' Since the battle of the Marne Allied armies have made many gains and completely checked the invaders ■ everywhere, except, perhaps, on the Russian front and in the new Balkan outbreak. That Eussia. in a measure failed is no fault of the nation, and it , ought to be thoroughly understood that the enemy's sweep through Poland was, although not at the time admitted, the result almost solely of German espionage and Russian treachery. British ournals now state that it is a well-known fact that very much of the German success in Poland was ' the result of Germany's complete system of espionage. They relate that ; even the-chief bodyguard of the Czai-, ; Colonel Miassaiedoff, was arrainged ■ for treason, convicted, and hanged, ; as such a traitor deserved, at Petrograd, after having received millions of money from Germany as payment 1 for his dirty work. It is equally wellknown that Russia depended largely upon one factory for guns and munitions, and that Russian traitors got important positions therein and at the moment indicated by Germany blew them into inert and valueless masses. Above everything else this war will go down into' history as shorn of all ethical considerations by its chief instigator. In reading a section of English ournalism we are compelled to realise a possibility of the practice of German morals and kultur even in o.ur' old time-honoured British newspapers. Russia's temporary setback was entirely attributable to treachery, for in the best-informed circles it is believed that the Austro-Germans had less chance of pushing through on the East than they had on the West. Now, however, there is a feeling of satisfaction abroad that Joffre has the situation in his sphere of action well under control and the utmost coniidence is felt in his ability to make far more disastrous inroads on German held positions in France than was made in September, when plans partially failed through someone bundering. About the Balkan situation very little can be said. In this campaign Germany again got a most advantageous start, the Allies relying upon the Graeco-Serb treaty, while Germany knew that Constantino would regard it as Germany had regarded her ' treaty with Belgium.—something to be scrapped at will. But German newspapers occasionally give s'me insight into how the German nation stands • under the stress of war, and without doubt they do not put the worst aspect possible on the position. The Socialist paper Vorwaerts has, it is true, expressed itself in a brutally stone-cold fashion about Germany's nbilitv to feed her people. It savs ["We do find that this war has 1 shown that it is impossible in the 0~1 isting conditions of •agricultural projduetiou to raise on German soil' a {sufficient quantity of food material, I and that it is eoually impossible to

maintain cattle hi numbers jiroportonatc to til" nee-'is of the population from abrr-nd. rf«"-:-:*tan»'M ~.0 .-ih n..- «„ _. ..,, ~. ;;•'" ; of view.

at least, may certainly be continue! for a long time to come, but only a tbc expense of the public health vs Inch is being slowly destroyed b; constant privation, and, further, a the expense of our live-stock. ’ ’ Thh explains the German meat famine, i: which thousands cannot taste meal food for months. It discloses the na tore and the real results of the worh that the British Navy is porrorming, It is claimed by most of the' world 's leading economists that this is an economic war. That being so.- we have some definite evidence that the British Navy has brought the end very much nearer in our favour, afact that we seem inclined to somewhat disregard and belittle. One other instance of the dire straits in ■which Germany now finds herself may be cited to more directly press home to us the value of our Navy’s work and vigilance, and to clear]';/ indicate that, while possible obtuseness may prevent appreciation of any marked success by our armies in driving back the enemy in the chief theatre of war, there can be no denying the fact that economically we have made vast progress, it even being claimed by some that the end is in sight. The Gherman newspaper, Hamburger Corrcspondenz, recently reported that the systematic gathering of all classes of household metal articles to melt down for muni-tion-making, commenced as far back as August 16th. It says that collecting bases were established all over the city, and as many as two thousand people a day visited them. The articles , collected were rapidly dispatched to the Hamburg-American Line’s grea warehouse, where there soon arose a veritable mountain of copper, brass, and nickel goods of all shapes and sizes. AVo.rks of art were put aside, only to be used in case of absolute necessity. There were many old figures, bells, and helmets, a mortar dated 1704, Chinese daggers, coins, cups, and clocks. Everything finds its way to the War Metal Company in Berlin to be melted down; from thence it goes to the arsenals and munition factories. Further than this, the same journal' intimated that the Government had announced that all metal goods not given voluntarily by the middle of October would be liable to seizure. Therefore, should there be people amongst us that cannot realise that material progress has been made in the fighting sphere, they cannot help admitting that vast advantages have accured from the operations of the Navy, which have brought war perceptibly nearer to an end in favour of Britain and her Allies.