The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1916. THE WAR.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 8, Issue 36, 12 February 1916, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1916. THE WAR.

("With which is incorporated The Tai tape Post and Waimarino News.)

Only the huge preparations that are being made for more suitable fighting weather conditions, the Avar provides very little interesting news. In France and Belgium there is almost continuous sparring and the perpetual bombardment. A thrust for an advantage, ous position in one place, an effort to straighten a defensive line in another; first one belligerent opening an offensive then the other, but neither venturing on a supreme effort to crush- through, that is to come when opportunity for rapidly moving heavy guns, ammunition and commisariat wagons, i s presented. Conflicting reJports make Germany's movements 'worse than a blank. One day it is cabled that the enemy has closed the Belgian frontiers and that immense numbers of troops are arriving and •are being dispositioned, and the next that Germany is merely shuffling her forces, constantly moving them from place to place giving them new scenes 'of action. When men have been beaten back time after time, become stale and disheartened Germany moves them to other sectors 'and so provides, as it were, new work in new fields, but this cannot succeed for long. It is quite impossible to forecast what is going to happen, or just where the great blow is to fall on the" west front, evidence is altogether too slender for conjecture. That some great movement is prepared for there is little reason to doubt.

We are told there is great 'activity at Kiel, but it would be foolish to assume that this activity was intended a s the forerunning of an intention to face the British: Navy in the North Sea. The most reliable German naval authority has admitted frankly that the Allies ai'e navally thrice the strength, of Germany, which interpreted must mean that a determination to face the. British in open sea would be an act of suicide. If there is activity at Kiel as we are led to believe, then it is for Russia's benefit, or ca'stigation. There seems little doubt that Hindinburg is Waiting in Courland and Kovno for the time when roads and waterways will favour a further effort in reaching Petrograd, and the German navy ' could, without doubt, render vitally important assistance. It is strong enough to take possession of Baltic waters against the fleet Russia has afloat there, solving the difficulties of transport of both troops, munitions and food supplies, at a distance so far from a safe base. In such a case, however, German safety would have to depend on what would be happening from Britain's standpoint, for any great weakening, such as would be necessitated by a campaign of such magnitude would certainly be taken advantage of by the Allies. All that s eems probable with the present absence of evidence is, that whatever activity is going on at Kiel there is no intention on Germany's part to commit naval suicide. It is either a campaign in the Baltic or Von Tirpitz has found >a mare's nest in Atlantic raiding.