The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE SATURDAY, JANUARY 6, 1917. THE WAR.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 219, 6 January 1917, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

SATURDAY, JANUARY 6, 1917. THE WAR.

("With which is incorporated The Taihape Post and Waimaritto News).

The new war regime in Britain and, in fact, on the Western front, is rapidly nearing consummation. Complete preparations and arrangements are being made in England for the greatest possible ill-fortune, absolutely no risks are to be taken. The mobilisation of all men of workable age, and of everything necessary for prosecuting a long and highly vigorous campaign -has so far advanced that the object of the organisation is already being commenced upon. Unprecedented stores are being laid up in close proximity to where they are to be used, i and huge resources are being got in readiness for the worst of contingencies. Everything in Britain in connection with the war is being most energetically pushed forward with a thoroughness and on a scale of magnitude characteristic of all we have learned of the man who is now at the head of the War Council. Just as these preparations far surpass anything of the kind the world has ever had any cognisance of, so will the clash of arms that is to follow far outstrip any battle of the past and will beggar what any commander has ever yet conceived. War is to be waged on a magnitude and with n severity hitherto unknown, and this is indeed something for all British people to reflect upon. If this is not proving the real Armageddon, no person on this earth can : conceive what that condition would be like. Britain and Prance are powerless to send more men and munitions to Roumania, where help is most urgently needed, but they can commence an offensive in France while Germany is very heavily engaged on the other

side of Europe, and thus render most effective help to the greatly outnumbered, and out-gunned Roumanian armies, who are gradually being forced back in Moldavia. Unless this AustroGerman thrust can be held up Roumanians will be forced on to Russian territory, their own country completely over-run. What prospect there is of stopping the invaders is so obscure that it is unsafe to venture any opinion thereon. It is apparent that much is not expected from Salonika; Constantine has managed to keep half-a-millicn of Allied troops so engaged that they could do very little to help in the Roumanian trouble. All news of the Greek agreement with Allies' demands is negligible, owing to its unreliability. Constantine has conceded what the Allies have asked of him

and he has on every occasion just as consistently broken his word. Therefore, it is difficult to foresee just what is going to happen in that quarter. The Allies have occupied the railway from the southern port to Salonika, on which to move troops and muni-

tions, so as to avoid risks of submarining in the Salonika gulf. But about that there seems something -hazy and indefinite. On the eastern front, from Riga on the Baltic, to the Roumanian border, a distance of over seven hundred miles, huge contending armies face each other, for some reason doing little more than playing a waiting game. Russia is evidently again short of munitions for any lengthened offensive, but this condition has now obtained for a considerable period, and it will probably be found that she will be ready for a vigorous move timed to co-ordinate with ominous portents on the Western front. At no time during the war has -there been so little information given on which to build up some approximate idea of what to expect. The whole world is quite aware that some great move is at hand, but no person seems to be able to indicate just where or when. The German command are fearful of attack in the Verdun sector; with only a very few miles more the French could most effectively bombard Strasbourg and other important German towns. A successful thrust in that quarter would weake*. u, considerable portion of the German line, and Certainly all that portion from the Somme southward to Soissons, and then eastward to the point of attack. It is a danger Germans newspapers are dis cussing, showing that Germany realises its true significance. If the French can push up the valley of the Meuse from Verdun they will furnish the German defenders with the worst experiences yet encounterd, and bring about a hurried retreat if they do not capture thq whole of the German forces in that great elbow in the present line. In any case we are safe in looking for great surprises, just where < they are to come from no one, not in the British War Council's confidence, seeems to know, or to be able to give anything more than a guess. It is apparent from naval stir and reorganisation, that the Navy has an important part to play in the game, and not a few experts are conjecturing a landing of troops in Holland in an endeavour to turn the German right flank, but nothing reliable has been stated that renders this more than mere guessing. Despite the deeply regretted catastrophe in Roumania all the Allies are optimistically confident respecting the future. Their rejection of German peace proposals was nothing short of scornful, and even the Roumanian King expresses himself in such a way that it is quite clear he is confident that the invaders of his country will soon be driven out, and that the day of retribution for Germany cannot now be long delayed. The success on the Somme has demonstrated that the most perfect and powerful defences and fortifications can be broken down, and the new methods of attacking them, as instanced later at Verdun, disclose that they can be overcome so cheaply in life that the work is rendered quite practicable. The new methods are to be put to the test on an unprecedentedly comprehensive magnitude; in the meantime we can await results with fullest confidence.

One dairy factory in the Ekctahunu district has a lady engaged as second assistant, and it is reported that she is an expert worker.

The death of an infant under particularly distressing circumstances is reported from Ballarat (says the Sydney Daily Telegraph). The child, which was nine months old, had been ailing for about a week from what was supposed to be (he effects of teething, but later examinations showed that the illness was caused by some head trouble. Finally the little sufferer died. When the body was lying in the coffin prior to interment, a. member of the household noticed a movement, of one of the eye lids. On the lid being raised a centipede was discovered. It is supposed that it entered the car of the child while it was asleep under a tree in a perambulator,, and then burrowed its way upwards into the brain, finally emerging near the eye. The child died iu great agony.

A proclamation lias been issued by the Public Works Department, taking for the purposes of a Post Office portion of Awarua 2c No. 135, Block VII, in the Ohineairua Survey District. During the war no less than 16,752 men have enlisted for service in the Auckland City district, a record of which the queen city is very justly proud.

It i s announced that all men failing to comply with the Military Service Act will be definitely brought to book. The authorities in the meantime are concentrating on the mobilisation of the 24th and 25th Reinforcements, and as soon as this is completed they will deal with the offenders.

A settler in the Pukekohc district, Auckland, has had fiv e acres of potatoes which have yielded ten tons to the acre, and had been sold at £lO a ton on the ground. The same settler has two acres of onions, the return from which is expected to equal that from the potatoes.

"It comes to one of two things—cither they must fight for. their country, or they must shear for their country," was Captain Walker's summing up of the position of the New Zealand shearers, when shearers' cases were before the Military. Service Board in Wellington.

Just to show the amount of money that passes through the hands of bushmen, the Wairoa Guardian mentions that a Gisborue bushfaller. called in a Wairoa hotel and casually asked for a drink for himself —the anti-shouting law preventing him from doing anything else —and he tendered a cheque for £I2OO.

The position of single men in regard to the war was stated thus at the Wellington Military Service Board: "Every single man of military age will be called up for military service,, and before he can expect exemption he will have to prove his case. Vague statements cannot be accepted."

A 'Nelson resident returned iJPom Blenheim informs the Colonist that the grain crops in that district will yield heavily, though in the Seddon district the caterpillar is causing some damage to the barley crops. Labour is scarce. Is 6d per. hour being offered for harvesters.

A remarkable case of long life is reported from Westmeath,, Ireland, where an old lady, a farmer's wife, has died lately at the age of 108. She must indeed have been a marvellous woman, and wonderfully healthy, for. we arc told that up to a week before she died she had superintended farming operations, and she had never had a clay's illness. It is interesting to learn that she was an inveterate tea drinker.

A wine merchant of Elicims named Goulden iias been convicted by the court-martial of the Sixth Region of shipping 300 cases of champagne, valued at £I7OO, to the. German Emperor by way of Buenos Ayres. Goulden, who was the Emperor's champagne mcrrhant before the war, has been sentenced to five years' imprisonment, a fine of £BOO, and the loss of civil rights for ten years.

Talking of Tino, the announcement was recently made that the three candidates under consideration for the Nobel Peace Prize are President Wilson, the President of the Swiss Republic, and—King Constantine of Greece! There is evidently a sense of humour in the members of the Nobel Committee. But unless they hurry up with their award they will have to scratch Tino for the race.

There is a new form of recreation for Londcn\s butterflies. It is the "saunter" dance, "a pleasing patchwork of the fox-trot, tango, lame duck and other steps imported from South America." Apparently we have still some serene souls capable of soaringabove the mundane affairs of life, able to give their minds to this heathenish nonsense whilst the youth of the country pours out its heart blood in Europe and Asia to keep their dancing dens inviolate. Economy! . . . !

That Taihape and district can grow fruit and vegetables equal to any place in the Dominion was amply demonstrated by some specimens of rhubarb and red currants shown us yesterday by Mr, S. Powell. The rhubarb was twenty inches long from bottom of stem to the .junction of the leaf and stem, and 4] inches in diameter,, being of beautiful colour and texture. The red currants resembled ordinary grapes in size and form. They were grown by Mr A. K. Overton, of Pukeokohn. under ordinary garden conditions.

He inquired sympathetically as to her injury, wlrch, of coins-, was exaggerated, .'MI then erne the tiophe. He told off a io.ii»'«! oi fW Cross men to afiflnrt to th* .a.K w:tli jthe aid of the regimental doctor. In \: u"8-,Hijt tv.: was placed on f< e'.t-t----cher, her high bocts were cut from her feet, the stocking of itw injured leg followed suit, the riding breezes were knifed up, and the wound—which was only a very slight flesh one—revealed. Of course the lady was horror stricken, but the lesson was learnt. It i s not a revue scene in the front line of the war.

The Now Zealand Dairy Association, Limited, paid on the 21st ult. to its suppliers £108,546 66s Id. This represents the advance payment for butterfat supplied during the month of November.. The cablegrammer informs us for the second time that Sir Henry Dalziel has purchased the Pall Mall Gazette. We hope Taihape people will note the fact. Anyhow, we wish him luck. ' To-morrow (Sunday night), at the Town Hall, a really magnificent filming of Dickens' B'arnaby Rudge will be shown, giving the tale of the Gordon riots in vivid and realistic pictures.

We have received a very ornamental end useful wall calendar from the Taihape Sash and Door Factory. The picture is a representation of a timber shed, with a two-horse delivery waggon in the foreground, the driver of which bears a somewhat remarkable facial ,resemblance to a Taihape carrier. The picture is appropriately titled, '' Prompt Service," a feature for which the Taihape Sash and Door Factory has always been noted.

The latest wagers at Lloyd's are laid on the following forecasted events:— Denmark and Holland to declare war on Germany at the end of Jonuar.y if the spring is early and by the end of March if the spring is late; Austria to surrender, unconditionally at the end of April; Germany to accept the Allies' terms about the end of July.

Mr John Hopkins arrived in Taihape yesterday evening to arrange for the appearance of the Selinsky-Amadio company at the Taihape Town Hall next Friday evening. .Selinsky is a famous Eussian violinist at present touring the Dominion, while John Amadio is a most distinguished flutist. Miss Elsy Treweek, a brilliant Soprano, and Miss Jessie Masson, a pianist of exceptional merit, complete the company. V

A plucky rescue of a drowning man was effected yesterday by J. J. Plunket, at the Akitio Pier. W. E. Da-

vies, a storekeeper, of Pongaroa,. had been carried away by a strong undercurrent, and was helplessly tossed about by the waves, when Plunket went to his assistance, and after a third attempt succeeded in bringing him ashore. Both men were completely exhausted. The spectators immediately subscribed £2O for Plunket, and also presented him with an address.