ENTENTE AND TRIPLICE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 63, 3 August 1914, Page 3

ENTENTE AND TRIPLICE

THE BALANCE OF POWER. Tlie Military correspondent of the Times, in reviewing the changes in European armies effected recently, dealt with Russia and Germany principal]..-. ■which at the moment i* of considerable .interest. The following is an extract from the article:—

The maintenance of the balance of i power between Entente and Tiiplke ,11 j land depends now, and wi-1 depend sti:.more in the future, upon the action o' Russia. The reply of Russia to the new German law is not yet completed known in all its aspects and consequences, but it ha* apparent}" been forcible. The class due for dismissal' in January last was kept with the colo."-, until April 14, and, thanks to this measure, compensation was secured for the temporary weakness of France. Move important still is the increase of the annual contingent, which will apparently be from 125,000 to 150L0OO men stronge" than before. In view of the fact that 1 color service in Russia is from three to four years, according to anus-, the total peace establishment will be raised, within that period, by about 450,000 men. -making a total peace strength of about 1.700.01)0, or approximately, double that of Germany. It appears also to be the intention to recall yearly for training two elasses of the reserve for six week*, and this year the 1007 and 1809 classes will join the colors for the period named. The cost of the Russian array is equal to that of our Army and Xacy 1 combined. ' Russian figures have to 1m: discounted to some extent on account of th.» size of the Russian Empire, the comparative poverty of communications, and certain difficulties which trainingencounters owing to climatic and other | causes. But even with all due dedu,'- I tions made, the Russian reply to Gev- \ many is next door to a mobilisation in 1 time of peace, and it quite accounts fo> the embittered outburst of the "C. 1 - J logne Gazette" and for the German not j calling the Russian kettle black. Titer* is talk of the re-establishment of tv/j army corps at Vilna and Warsaw, mij others may be created as resources be- , come available, but the additional men j will apparently be used mainly to in j crease peace establishment in the southwestern garrisons' in order to eimlilc the troops to take the field with! less . delay. There, arc signs which Russi-i '■ has done with defensive strategy,, ana the steady growth of her naval power j in the Baltic enables her to act with vigor at sea. It is possible thiit Russia is not building Dreadnoughts for ac tion in the Baltic and Black Seas_alon?. The increased mfailber of guns in tlie Russian army corps, the growing efficiency of the army, and the improve ments made or planned in stragetie railways are, again, matters which cannot fie left out of account. These things are well calculated tn make the Germans anxious. The liussian reply to the German Eaw, combined with tlie sacrifices of France, and the growth of the British Navy, completely nullifies the results which Germany expected from her naval and military laws. Neither in peace strength nor in aggregate war strength, nor in numerical strength at sea, will the Triplice have any advantage over the Entente when existing laws ami building programme have worked themselves out. It is a question on which side quality will rest, for the navies and armies opposed 10 Germany have longer service than have hers. Had the German Government been v,"' <■ enough to foresee the action ,' of the . itente Powers in reply to German Law-;, would these latter ever lia.'e been diafted, and would the German Government have imposed upon their people, anil upon all people, such great sacrifices? We may be permitted to doubt it. The German people are left worse oil' in a military sense that they were before, anil before their ambition's have caused some resentment, of which the echoes have recently revehemted through the Russian Pre?!*. We do not mind paying for our own follies, but none of us cares to be taxed on account of the ambitions and miscalculations of a foreign Government.