EUROPEAN ARMAMENTS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 282, 28 March 1913, Page 6

EUROPEAN ARMAMENTS.

GERMANY ACCUSED OF FOXING. FATHERLAND'S VJEWS. Loudon. March 4. (Australian Cable .Service). The Times' military correspondent says that the German seini-oMicial press after practising a series of customary deceptions upon the German public, and gulling them with half-truths, has at last lifted the veil and cxpo.-ed the truth concerning the country's military plans. These involve, remarks the article, a ljuge expansion of the already colossal German armaments.

National ardor is unahated in France, where Germany's challenge has been quietly accepted with a patriotism that is characterised by talmness and determination by all classes and all ages. The German linancial papers express dislike at the proposal to impose an emergency tax, and believe that this move will convey an impression abroad that the Fatherland has come to an end of her national resources.

The North German Gazette proclaims that the people are being called to a deed of historic greatness, since few are ablo to meet the demand from their concurrent revenue, and will have to draw upon their capital. THE NEW FRANCE. HER SELF-RELIANT SPIRIT. London, March 4. The Times, in -a leading article, rejoices at the self-reliant spirit of the new France. The country, the paper adds, has unquestionably resolved to defend her vital interests, and to uphold Iter dignity. j ANTI-MILITARY MANIFESTO. SUBSTITUTE FOR PERMANENT ARMY. London, March 4. A Franco-Herman anti-military manifesto, printed in French and in German, set in parallel columns, has bpen published in Paris. It asks for the creation of a national defensive militia as a substitute for the permanent ' army. The Socialists in the French Chamber of Deputies have, as a counterblast, tabled a Bill demanding that a loan of £20.000,000 should be raised for educational purposes. FRANCE ANGRY WITH GERMANY. RUSSIA'S HUGE FORCE. London, March 4. Some of the German papers are enraged at the meeting of Mr. Winston Churchill, First Lord of the Admiralty, and M. Baudin, the French Minister for Marine, and assert that it was with the, object of arriving at an understanding regarding the distribution of the navies of France and England. ! The French papers state that the day of the meeting will be remembered as an historical day, despite the fact that an official French Note announces that the meeting was due to fortuitous circumstances and not to design. There is not a great deal of enthusiasm in Germany over the question of increased armaments, and it is feared that monopolies will have to be created to raise a portion of the money required. The Paris Temps states that the Russian effective army has reached the huge total of 4,800,000 men.

DISARMAMENT. UNITED STATES SHOULD LEAD. London. March 4. Mr. W. J. Bryan, Secretary of State for the United tSates, speaking at Carolina yesterday, declared that America ought to Set a shining example to the world in the matter of disarmament.

She was. he said, peculiarly fitted by her location to fead the nations in this direction. -.■-.*■> \*

SECRET NAVAL DEVELOPMENTS. NEW TYPE OF SUBMARINE.

London, March 5. The Daily Express announces that naval developments of a remarkable nature are taking place under the cloak of secrecy, and that in the course of the next twelve months some astonishing details will become known.

Regarding the changes in the types of warships, none are said to be more noteworthy than the development of the submarine. An entirely new type of submarine of considerable offensive power and capable of crossing the Atlantic at a high rate of speed is being built for the British Navy. These will carry guns, and will be able to fire eight torpedoes. ■■■■ M^H

Plans are now before the Admiralty for a flotilla of these vessels, which will carry several ■ heavy quick-firing guns specially mounted, for use against air craft. OUTPUT OF WARSHIPS. MORE THAN ANY TWO OTHER NATIONS. London, March 5.

The output of armored British war ship- in li)P2 constituted a world's record.

Neither the two next strongest naval Powers. Herman and the United States,, nor the Triple Alliance, Germany, Austria and Italy,'added so many tons to their effective material strength as did Great Britain.

Tin- aggregate displacement of the ves-' sels sent to sea was UI.i.TOO tons, and there was an increase in tonnage and power in every class of vessel. Tt is a notable feature of warship designing that the latest craft planned are heavier still. Apart from the submarines, there were .")0 ships on the stocks or authorised at the beginning of the year. Two Australian submarines will shortly be ready for launching, and orders have been given for a suhmar>ie parent vessel, a,lso for an oil supply ship. FRENCH JINGOISM. • A PTKQrrETTXG REVIVAL London, March I. "The most ominous symptom of Europe is the revival of Jingoism in France."

In this phrase one of the foremost leaders of Liberal opinion in England summed up the view taken by n considerable part of the pros* and public in England of the recent developments across the Channel. With the Entente Cordiale binding this country to active co-operation with France under certain contingencies. British 'interest is obviously keener than that of a mere spectator.

It is no secret that there exists in England a school of publicists and politicians who are convinced that Great Britain will some day have to fight Germany, and believe the longer that day is delayed the smaller will be England's chance of coming victorious out of the death grapple. With the improved relations of Great Britain and Germany

of lato it is significant tliat this scliool is looking to the recent development of what it, termed the new spirit in France .as the mediaeval Christian looked at the coming of a new Crusade.

FRANCE EXPOSED TO HUMILIATION'.

By part of the London press President Point-arc's message, the appointment of M. Dek-iitt.su, to St. Petersburg, and the announcement of the projected increase in military expenditure are extolled as signs of tlit' highest patriotism. In other quarters a dill'erent interpretation is put upon the events. ''Why all this eloquence about a France exposed to humiliation V" it is asked. ''Why all the utterances of bellicose passions? Does it mean that the Franco-Russian adventure may lead to war with Germany?" All true friends of France, these persons say, have reason for anxiety at this outbreak of Chauvinism, which coincides with the movement indicated by M. Poincare's declaration that he intends to play a more masterly part than his predecessor in the Presidenc-v.

The situation in Paris, according to some observers, is a grave one. The French press, they say, is in the hands of financiers, many of them interested in expenditures for war materials, and in the diversion of public attention from social and economic questions. The French War Office, according to this view, is in the hands of men who hate the democracy, and whose aim is a militarised France. Whether they succeed in the aim to re-establish the three years' service depends on the opinion of the masses of the French people—the small bnrgeoise. peasants and workmen, who bear the chief burden of taxation. It remains to be seen whether they will view with approval the addition of £20,000,000 to the large amount France already spends on her army. OUTLAY ON ARMAMENTS. Quite recently, say the same observers, the men who demand an increase in military expenditure were telling the public of France that the army had never been so ready for war as at the present moment. They describe the situation as being as it was before the Dreyfus case, and add that if the reaction continues the army will again rule France.

In connection with this some interesting figures are published by M. Edmond Therv. in Le Matin, on the enormous rise in expenditure on armaments of the six Great Powers of Europe—France, Britain, German, Russia. Italy and Austria, Since 1883 France has been the Power that has moved most,slowly and reluctantly in the path of increased expenditure. From 1883 to 1893 the total increase in the expenditure for armaments for the six countries was £20,560,000; from 1803 to 1007. £81.41-0,000; and from 1007 to 1012 £77,200.000.

In the first period the greatest increase was made by Germany, in the last period Austria's yearly increase was larger than in the first period, while Russia made the largest average increase ever registered in the history of the world. if