THE WAR

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 76, 19 August 1914, Page 7

THE WAR

IF CAULKS \YK\U-: CUT. WHAT WIRELESS COULD IX >. X.ithiiij; but the dcstr.it tion of the world's wireless stations could isolate Australasia (savs the Svduev Sun). A .glance at the W'irelcs, .Miip of the World shows the position. The great Imperial wireless chain is not yet complete, but there are still wireless means of carrying-not -An-. whole of tin- commercial traffic wiilch would offer—but much war hews of prime importance to this country. ■ The Imperial chain, now in progress of construction, is really a network. Starting from the home station at Oxford, its links are tirst with Cairo, thence to Nairobi (British East Africa) and Pretoria (South Africa). Tlie Australasian branch is from Cairo to Poona (India), to .Singapore, to Australasia. The westerly links of that projected chain pass through the United States, as well as to a Canadian station at Glace Bay. For live years or more there, has been commercial traffic across the Atlantic. Land lines of telegraph wire will carry the messages to the west coast of America. Thence there is communication with liounlulu, where a high power' station is Hearing completion. Or Eccles, one of the visiting scientists, mentioned on his arrival in' Sydney the other day that it would lie finished very shortly, and that Pennant hills might pick up a message from Honolulu any night. Honolulu is not expressly designed to communicate with Sydney, but such enormous distances have,been covered by Pacific stations on favorable nights that at any rate intermittent communication would be assured. The break in an efficient and regular commercial or news service from England to Australia appears to be between Honolulu and .Sydney. There is a small station at Suva, which could receive I Honolulu messages, ami while the sub- ! marine cable from Suva to Australia re- j maincd, Australia might he fairly well : served. That would be apart from the I possibilities of direct wireless messages j *ioin 'Honolulu. Assuming those > arrangements for the policing of j 'the Pacific which have been sug- I gesfed, there would he little likelihood j of interference with the Sydney-Suva ' cable, but even if it were interrupted, there ■would be stiTl some sort of service obtainable by .ships' wireless plants. _ Among the high-power wireless stations which have now come under Admiralty control, art those at Poldhu, on the coast of Cornwall, and Clifden on the west coast of Ireland. Another i high-power sta.ion. which is to be one of the links of the trans-ocean scheme, | is in course of construction at Camavon, in Wales. It is intended to be the communicating station with New York. , The erection of a high-power station , at Suva would give a continuous elii- j ciuit service from Oxford to Sydney. ! Its eonstruction. however, would occupy > many months, even under rush condi- | tions, and if a great European war is i to he waged with vigor from the com- j fiieni cinent. the nations might have > rrached a state of oxhauclion' in respect > of money and provisions before the coin- 'j plete service could come into opera! ion. The chart of the cable system "via. Eastern" shows four lines through the \ Mediterranean and the l!ed Sea to In- j dia. Three of them reach Singapore, i and, branching, touch Australia ai liar- .' win (two lines'!," IVrfioiVlo and r'reniaiale. j The Kiemantle line comes i'oiu ;'oco-' 'sand, where it connects with a line from Darwin |South .Urea.) I Interruptions to all lines bed ween the. ' lied Sea and India would still leave a ' line to Zanrdbar. and Durban, connect- I ing in two lilacs with the line to Am- j tralia. via Cocos. With the wh.de of the Mediterranean I lines destroyed, there would rcmaui | three lines to Ascension island (Southern Atlantic), whence (here is a line to Capetown, ami there is also a line I running down the western side of \irica. In addition to these, there is the I Pacific cable system, from Vancouver via Mi-.a and -Norfolk Island, to New /"'»hind and Southport (Queensland). I hus. it will he seen that there would V 1 ?'""!- '," J "'' < ' ,,t,i "« tl ' 'I" all cable links with Australia were destroyed Sine,, she would not then be I isolated, (hanks to the development of ! wireless, it may be doubted whether a campaign of cable destruction would !,'■ ' wortn its cost, which would includeYae I ™l;.<»f minor naval engagements. I J ae science ol wireless to-day enables o stations t„„ed io a particular fc=, v j s,"ak to one another across a v.-vif-able baoel ot aerial bes witness ~, t,„. ...;,..;, ()1 -:;;; ; ..- :; ll: high power trad'ic across tie Atlantic, crowded with shins thei call conlnmally {„ ~.,i . \i L(t | u , r ' ~,,. .. J -•-pace. ' - -'"■>■■ ,

a nation which , rr< i'nIKNDS. . Fntf,;,! y y ,. t , h cH£rE^ h W wm,.' |)oliii( ,. <,f lh , K;ii- ( .r, & .!' <ri !,. ia '»'!■ I'nuH,!,. i;..tu li'm i i '' ■ Ailiami ' i' l '""' tiinil,ls ,u v.-in, slowing \vi-ak,-i- ;uul w . ak r . I "u'v ri J "'t m' |Ik • * coldly aloof. A lirsporvr appeal to Italy i s | M . inK nuu|l>- t,,, 1 , J • rii ri I i, ? s,,rti i'« tl!;u »«* t.-r- -- f, ,'iV'h i'' U , " Va,lud ' and ihat l " II- 1.-,, T / ', ,U ' St )i '"' U ' '"'t iJ "' .Only from ready aid. ' " I 111- -mil: conn! ric ■; !-<,n n ,l r,\ n,,-,,. , n'.VM'V 1 'li'-ad of tlicu1L W'W- Kvu v ' ihiV ll -V a Li-i i if,- io worl , <!<>:;. Th-inn.-rk. fi.-i-i.u,,, -nil ami v,vr,zi-r!aml. v,!iii-:i :n .!;i j' ( ri ' '! i 1 • t-1< >| 1 | lav „ Uiii'ni'd to r.-!v on (_i"nii;u:v mo v and in,,:-, ~r mVn fo|[ . ,; hii •7'"'.l WMMKh'tl Willi 111,- IV,,r; j n 7 ( ' S -'P|'-i 'ICIT,- *V„„M ,|„. v 1 "n "I llii'ir m ,-aiiiv. I ' ll .'-' •" CiTmriil.v li:l ; Ituirf ~) "" <l'e •'!>«•. Coinilr:-- uu - Mi"- 1 11,. V IU . j; u t - . ~,| | j,, . lor 111!' Kai.-i-rV ,-ii)])ii,.. ;, n ,I P-'i-l" Willi his auiliiliuiK in \i:;-V;■■ ■: J 1 " - '■lin-n;. „f piibli-- f, il( !" u ' - Ciulii-v auainst i \:*w Vol . k -n !i!( , s y,-;j|, .i 115 .,,; 5!l : •HLxlirv-, 1 .1 ? N til- •]'< T hil.-nh:i u ." l i of < t-' UMaiii a--ii»i]il ion ili.u is.. ,v- - ,; "'l t,, I,!- jo'il. : i!ii ! - i": 1 Mirth. . W i»ii IV iai:;,iiv |'-io ml,, f, ; ij ; . '' '' v - :'il O-i-j* Vv.ii; ... . j,'. in'' i ,-o:.r-c|;Lion . of ;-dv,. ' f! " i' ' I'.'l! |l! r,-. j i . i' l :l''"n; li:l J;;: . i'l !.;| ; 1;!i , i,.,; .. . I -'i-viiami !!; ri .1 in. s :: -,,■; ; . l-olii-y. a-,,-;, i-.-o 1 i: i > 11 -; i I i! ■-a-. :i;,| „,, t leave tlic-c two iialioii- a! ..-imii |; v.a - _ :■<■.-,-i-vc il for ;:u- Kaism- aft-.,-iii-nia:-:-!:, to mal--.. it l-i., lif,-'; •la:-i;«'--. to rciuh-.r -the'whole world'iv suitl'iil of li'crmaii oflkiul arrcga!i'-,j.

' GERMANY'S C'ORN T STIORTAGE. WAITING FOR HARVEST. The; Rerlin corresponde-nt of tin Economist, in a letter printed on Jim;! l:;, said:—'On .July Ist til-- official census of torn supplies .hroiiglioiu. tile empire is to be laki-ii., as a basis on which to judge tin: ilifllculi. e|iii'.stion of food in win- time, in r.-cenl years the export of German coin lias -jpidl.y increased. It lias been par.ietil.ulv groat during Hie lu,t twelve; months, and there is every p;os|Kvi of a mailed shortage within tin; next, fen w.'e'ks should there he av.y delay ii: the harvests. It wil. lie 'found in all probe. - biiity that on duly i-i, there is hardly more corn in the country, bo.h ho.-ne and foreign, than would lie --on-atmed it one or two .months at the most. An 'important factor in .lie problem if the groat chance which has taken plate during the'last l."i years or -o in tlie milling industry. Aimost all Hie sum 1 mills, formerly'sea-, tered over till' -whole country, have, now been swept away and replaced by large milling concerns concentrated for i.lit: most part in thy large pw I*. These few large aids keep nothing like .die total supply of grain formerly kept by the multitude of smaller rivals. In addition, their concentration on the coast makes .he distribution, of supplies over tl:e whole country far more difficult during time of war. .for the great part the large concerns depend for their supplies on foreign corn, which wofrd cease at out l '; in tint ease, of blockade oe, as is possible, even on the outbreak of vary The com trade busies itself now for che greater part wkli dealing in fodder and wit!; the 'xport of native corn. Corn supplies in any quantity arc no longer kept, since the small, consumers no longer exist. The ami: is that between .May and August comes a period ('•which in the ease of war might prove critical. There are many suggestions to remedy file evil. One of tuc.se tiros., of.en urged is that the Government itself should collect supplies. A reserve of about one and a half million tons, 'two-thirds rye and one-third wheat, with proper arrangements for distribuj'lion, would, it is calculated, enable the, j country to last out over these: iritical j three; 'months Ilow .far flies; precautions are necessary will lie made clear I by .the coming census, in which ho::nc 'and foreign corn are co be treated-sep-j'aratcly. ' It may be added ili.lt the I greater part of Germany's foreign sup- ;' plies, both of corn and of fodder, in drawn from Russia." j GERMAN READINESS FOR AVAR. j Since, the Morocco crisis of 1!)11 when : Germany's diplomacy received a setback, she has* increased 'her preparations for war both on land and sea at a greater ! rate than ever. But that is not all (remarks the flroad A'rrow). The financial weakness in the emergency taught her | a lesson, which she has taken well to i .heart. For had she been in a stronger j 1 economic position she might have gained J instead of losing, her point. Ever since j there has been perpetual discussion of the question of devising means for being better prepared next time. Now ! that, the public mind has been enlightened the Government is seriously grappling . with the problem. In connection with :■ it. reccntl, there was a meeting of the ; Permanent Gonimitioc which advises j 'German Ministers on commercial subjects. It was held under the presidency of the Imperial Minister of the Interior, i and there were also present a large ninii- j bcr of experts of trade, indu try. and ; agriculture. The proceedings were, of , course, secret, though one item of ill- ', formation was given, it was that it had j been decided that the stiiljcc;. should !''■- ; main in the hands of the l'ennanenv Committee, and that, there should not I •be. as was proposed in some quarters, j a. special committee, or an "Economic ' Genera! Stall'." 11l fiiis the Girnuins are j wise. In a purely advisory body organi- i .sntiou should be. elastic.' To militarise , it in any way would lie fatal to its elli- j ciency. Rut the thing for lis to con- | sidor is that Germany is applying her j policy of thorough economic and financial preparation for war. In other words sin' perceives that credit and [ financial resources are essential for j success in a European conilict. and that i they must be in proportion in naval j ami military preparation. In the meantime ISritisii statesmen arc doing their best to si|tianeler ours, while uuderniin- , ing the' strength of fighting services. I THE SEA FRONT OK GERMAXV. Maritime' greatness has bivn the goal of German William's ambition, and the rinpling of England's Xavy. followed by an imasion of England it-elf, have always been regareled as (he essential factors piiie. Many wild romances have been j written upon this iheme since l.c Qttcx's j "Invasion of l!:l!>," but none' has been I more convincing than a striking story of amateur seere't service, written about ! elcvi'ii years ago by Erksin,- -(.'hildeiv. j It is not a story of invasion, hut of a ! giant design to land an annv upon the I eastern shore's of England...lo'pi'iiding for ] its siMi'ss upon the peculiar formation of the' Oe'iman coast. 'ln comparison with ; her national importance', Germany's sea- I boa id is rieliculousiy short, divided Oc I Denmark, so ihat most of it looks on the , Jlaltic. j.raciieally an inland sea with its j entrance blcirki'i'l by Danish islands. It ', was to eva'le' I hat obstruction tliat Wil- I ham built tne' ship canal from [ Kiel to the' Elbe, the might v waterwa-) I that is the strategic link between the two seas of Oermain-. liroad and ' straight, mas-ivi'iv embanked, lit. b. j' e!eetrie-ij.y at nigh; m,.r>. brightiv than ! a l.midon str.-ot. i;. is trav.'ived by great : war ve.-sels, rich inefchantmeii. and j humid,- con-tor-, alike. Tim cami] is th» thoroughfare, to the most importatit ( portion of the. coast iiue. that stretch- jing west of Denmark, lookin- em to the' j' North Sea, anil Ni which her great port-, are situateel. There are onlv yJ!o miles lietween the fronti.'rs of Denmark and : llollaml. The' e-oa-f of Sehleswig-llo]-stedn. 1-20 i.;i!i.s in J.-ngth lia, no"nrieticai value', for if i, hop,lessh,- ,'ence'd by sandbanks six to .aglet mile-:, wide, and this- a navigable ,h:,,ine! to the'sea./ In the- angh' behveeu the Dani'di peninsula aad 0,-rmany proper is a hav comprisia-- the great <.,tnarie's of the' dade .tile We-e-r. and the- Elbe, kading to Wil-he-bs-haven. |i; ( . \avVi S.'a naval lies'. i;rm.ic!! and Hamburg. The hav is oulv f'.ve'iiiy miles in wielth, ami is littered with -amlbanlo. Helva-en i|„. ,) :u le. (; ,, Jti vs-'a-iU limit of {-li,- (~,.n i i;i.a saIctefe!. the e-.tr-arv of the riv,'r Ems is ■■"■'\ "'-I miles as tl',. crow dies. Tile m;on!;.ud e.'f'V.'ell the'-" two riv.-l's is that dislrle-t e/'l'russia known ;;, East Kri,-s-----i'i"d. a low-king (; ,ni,i:p, containing '■■■•"■''■■* "' any si.:e. Sev.pi isia.iiis'lie oil' i: "-e Mile l.f'klK-ile'lli'- tu] ,j .] „ : s j ''.,', '■< I'r.l.riim. Of liiean',-; b.-tw.'cn' liii-'V'- ] lands ami the mainland, two-think: is | dry at lovr-wate-r. and the- remainiim tliird be comes a system of lagoons. Xmm of the islands arc of any commercial :m-----portam-e-. ami even flu-'fashionable watering place' of Norderney is dese-rted during the greater part of the year.

I HOLLAND AND THE WAR. Then is i Miong put\ in ]> l„i u tiiOotlv composed ot In i if im n s l ot Ai>t\ ii]) which is in <]( ( fin m nl I illnnu with tin li i \Uiu n ni uin is but tin urn itn pi t\ in mi i ( , ni In th sum \i i\ tin \iiis d i i i a uii f l\oi GillllllH bin 1 I II |l ii id wih t'K co ii li i |i it i |( ndipini'in 11 ui in \ ith Ii _ n f j(.i mi nit ' u "> fnqui l'l < in lio i lift Hull in Is in into tn ( una i I I lipnc I lis would im <.i liuim in ] ioi ot 1 ottiidini on tin I i in l i n i it o ill th Dul n iln \ iul \ oi 1 I Ii ut t imi un in unpk i ml pio unit to i isti 11 n ud in i ui mii n ) i ition to m i i in ilui un t in loi u lln In stip io i i oi'i jol | mil his la ni fit oltii to th Dunn t . |o n tin ui hi nt Usio i s h i in - i !Hith , oliu his la n ]it] > <■ iimi\ \ n it Is i u ilu In lu i \ ill ibso b lljllud I UIIIUJI 01 R(H V M i [ In Uliti de of Po lnnnii hi l tin h km i niittu ol sum p u ! ton I ind w'tn w n bioki out bitwiiu \\ I tin tint St ma Aus nt di t iti u 1 ill t ii Ii Amva (-rips to _,m d t„uiisl po, ' s)hk ittt | v ji oriL liouni in 1 \ huh li 5 I 111 I l Wltl,« bttW(lll|J Ussli tlltl 111 l I h u\ limit, put ot tun bo tin in i , his b in iMialit tons d id tin u i I 1 tioml mini of hus i Jt w Ku i ninth took au i limn j lU i mnu i i u,i s'i t m hj, i in, /in, I, C0l „ t, ,1 smbn-m i putnuluh to 1 1 b'ootltd in unitl Rounnni wn h\ i : lltll SlDlttl to TIIIILV, hill )) til h I] nig ilussit in tht w.u igtui Jml i n I*s/7 mil In stungth thioun iio t . b'hn i it tlu tim when tin Lus i m wtit ilmost th ckmittd bifut Ihmi i Ind th Kb 1 tin wti m Kiisi sll i llti onlt im tid wis lint Lu si i m ( i tuitt math iftci tht wit whilst li, in, Rouminu with out hind pint l.ilh took aw iy tht hist ot hti fu j tin with the otlun In nctiit i u lit his mo) lun one httn lmun 1 | tint Hourn inn wis ikt 1 to bo i i jsuppoitti ot tin lnjilt Alliinu I'i .Plant who inks hci is t Ho l in/ille n and his iwnpi tints ln\t otttn b tn i sumiM to be with his luuilv lonnutiois on the throne of Germanv

j GERMAN CROWN PRINCE. i Among the men who represent tin power behind the throne in Geiinunv I and on whom the responsibility and coii duct of the war will mainly rest, then j is first of all the heir to the throne, iht j German Crown Prince. He may no! ' and will not, have the largest share ii the government of affairs, but he '.s next to the Kaiser, most fully in tin Lnielight. Prince Frederick William, eldest soi: and heir of the Kaiser, was born ot: May «, 1882. He. is therefore !)2 year, of ag'ei ''Until, life imsijority—in fact. I -until a few years ago—he was regarded jin German as an unknown quantity, | Most people -remember the mild sensation 'he, created in the Reichstag in MIL A bellicose member was .-evere y ! attacking '.lie Imperial Chanct llur for his conduct of the Moroccan affair - - ; conduct that was .alleged to have •been 'iimic'li too pacific—and the Crown Prince, : from his seat "iji the royal box, applauded loudly. There was a subscquei] censure from the Kaiser, hut the event made a deep impression. The h-eir to the throne has since been regarded as the inheritor of the war spirit of Germany, a man more likely even than hifather to stand behind a policy of aggressive iiiriiitarism. The Crown, prince is a fn'l man. slight of build, and narrow-chested. He is declared to look the very reverse of a lighting swashbuckler. He. has neither the stern, expression nor the curie, l moustache of his father. He. las gone through the rigorous military training required from all Germans of bis rank. He is unquestionably a man of physical daring—of daring carried to the point of recklessness. He has won steeplechases over dangerous fences, lie his made one trip in a Zeppelin and another in an aeroplane with Orvilie Vv'rigif ■ As to his capacity for leadershin in I'm •field no one can yet speak: it remains to be proved. BRITAIN'S EXALTED POSITION. In one exalted moment, Rritain has 'recovered its historic place as the bead and from of the free European stales .which do not threaten the peace of their neighbors, and only ask to be allowed .to work out, their own national problems without molesitaiion. Sir Philip Sydney died fighting for the liberty of these Low Countries, and with him many other Elizabethans, who knew that* England cannot be free unless ii helps others to freedom. To the s.v::v ."cockpit of Europe"' in which they fought the Spaniard, the English—grown to lie the lvritish—came vo curb, th tyrannies of Louis the Great, of thereat Austrian, anil of the greater Cmsiean. Never a century has pas.-cd since the time of Elizabeth that the Low Countries have not called upon England to aid them in defending' their liberties, and never have they called in vain. Ware receiving to-day in T.elgiuni (h----trust and confidence da; is not the gvowtii of n (lav ■hut the outcome o! teni-uries of national faithfulness to a 'great and noble ideal. There has never 'been a, more iriiaijiii-licont and a- more 'pa .-belie testimony to the sanctify «-d' the British word and to (he belief that the I iritis'!) will not see liberty destroyed than the spectacle of the Belgians opposing German invasion. The w-If-snt;--'tiiil s atesnieii of Berlin never doubted 'that the liritish . Government woul 1 'hesitate «md shrink'back f-ro-ni wik, but 'the Belgians, who had everythir *■> lose, never 'wavered in their tr-.i-l in Britain. Because our forefathers loved liberty and were tnu- to 'their word and were staunch to thi-b----"allies a patriot armv has sprung' from 'the peaceful soil of Belgium and bis 'stayed for a brfathin ; ?-space ibe march of a million men.—Auckland lleraid.