IF WAR SHOULD COME!

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 73, 16 September 1911, Page 10

IF WAR SHOULD COME!

I'OXKLAGIiATIOX THAT WOULD INVOLVE MALI' EUIOI'K. There can )>e no doubt that Britain's warning to Germany means that at this moment, says a Home paper, there is a very real danger of war breaking out between Great, Britain ami Germany. The prospect of all that such a struggle implies is one to .stagger the imagination. But an Anglo-German conflict, terrible as that may 'be, is only a part of the horrors which threaten at the moment to flood Europe with blood. The immediate cause of the quarrel lies between France and Germany, the former allied with Bnssia, the latter allied with Austria and Italy-. War between France and Germany might, therefore, resolve itself into a conflict in which — On one side would be ranged Great Britain, France, and Russia. Pitted against them being— Germany, Austria, and Italy. As there in understood to be a secret compact between Germany and Spain the opening of hostilities would probably find Frenchmen and Spaniards contending for possession of the Pyrenees. While what is of far more importance, Germany would enjoy the hospitality of the splendid Mediterranean ports of the Peninsula. So far as England is concerned the war. should it come to this, would be found raging in every quarter of the world and in every sea. The strength of the British Fleet when compared with that of Germany is considerably greater than 2 to 1. The British naval force in home waters is, indeed, more than a match for the total naval strength of Germany, scattered over all the oceans of the earth. Britain has a naval force of 600 ships of all sorts, but it is the big ship that counts, and the relative position of the great nations with regard to Dreadnoughts is as follows:

I I »1 "5. "S, I ! is 3 Op B<l H Britain 12 4 16 32 Germany 5 5 11> 21 United States 4 2 6 12 France 0 fi 4 10 Japan 2 1. 2 a Italy 0 1> 3 4 Russia 0 0 4 4 Austria 0 0 4 4 Brazil 3 0 1 3 Argentina 0 0 22 Spain 0 0 22 Totals -io 10 55 99 The personnel of the British Fleet consists of 134.000 of the finest fighting material of the world, with long centuries of splendid tradition and invariable victory behind them to stimulate them in the hour of trial. In the event of war, it would, of course, be the duty of the King's ships to bring the enemy to a decisive engagement as soon as possible. A few years ago Lord Fisher concentrated in home waters the flower of the navy, so that all danger of invasion of these shores may be dismissed as purely chimerical. The recent statement of the First Sea Lord dismissed the possibility of such a thing as outside the region of serious debate. Our shores are absolutely safe. But the protection of our immense merchant service would impose upon our living cruisers a duty of the most arduous and vital nature, dependent as we are upon supplies from abroad to feed our teeming population. The vast armies which would march in tfie event 'of the respective allies of France and Germany taking the field, as well as Great Britain, are shown in the following table;— BRITAIN AND ALLIES. Great Britain 610,000 France •. : 725,000 Russia 1,500,000 Total 2,835,000 GERMANY AND ALLIES. Germany 1,165,000 Austria 895,000 Italv 400,000 Stia'in 110,000 Total 2,570,000 The financial problems connected with the waging of a war such as we are considering are of the most colossal kind. Hundreds of millions would be necessary to start such a conflict, while to_ keep it going well nigh incalculable treasure would have to be expended. Frane is a country of great wealth and of unquenchable patriotism. The wealth of Germany lias also grown in recent yeavs at an almost incredible rate. Russia, however, is always in difficulties for ready money—ditlicultics that at times would be seriously embarrassing but for the wealth of France, and the alacrity with which the French financiers come to (lie rescue of flic St. Petersburg Govern-