War Nates.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 89, 10 September 1914, Page 7

War Nates.

ANTIPODES AND THE WAR. RECRUITING NEW ZEALAND AIEV IV AMERK.A. San Francisco, August 2. An expedition of New and Australians now resident in the United States back to the Dominion and the Commonwealth to aid in the defence of their respective countries against a possible German invasion is a not improbable issue of the European war situation. Indeed, a meeting of all antipodeans residing about tiie Bay of San Francisco has been summoned for tomorrow night at Oakland, the next largest city to San Francisco in this part of the State, at which it is proposed to offer their services as volunteers to the New Zealand and Australian Governments. There are, it, is estimated, in San Francisco and its environs upwards of 2000 natives of New Zealand and Australia.

Fred. Davidson, of Chicago, president of the Australasian Society of America, who is now in San Francisco, is arranging for the meeting. He is quoted in one of the morning papers as having made the following observations upon, the movement:—"At this meeting there will be no discussion of whether or not we shall prepare for-the defence of Australia and New Zealand. We will simply ascertain who can go to enlist for this defence, and how soon they can start. Then we will cable the Minister of Defence at Melbourne the number of volunteers who will be available. Not only the Australians am} New Zealanders, but the British in California are aroused over present war possibilities. All feel certain that if England suffers the slightest set-hack at Germany's hands, Germany will t-.t tempt at once to seize Australia and N-w Zealand as the greatest of war prize-. Our fears arc borne out bv the prediction of Sir. Winston Churchill, First Lord of the Admir- : alt}', in an address before the House of Commons about thre; weeks ago. 'lf anything happens to (.'rent Britain,' said Mr. Churchill, 'the bet thing Australia and New Zealand can do is to appeal to the United Stats for protection* There is a reason wl.v Germany should covet Australia. The continent is larger by 10,000 square miles tlian continental United States and has ;i population of less than live millions." HOW GERMAN I LANS FAILED. SOME INTERESTING MEMENTOES. A message from Paris' published in the American Piv-s on August 17 states. —Just how < ■■•mplctch- the matured plans of the Onnsu general stall' for the invasion of France have failed is revealed by the individual mobilisation cards found or. a number of the prisoners taken by :'ie French and Belgians, and bv other ck■uineiitary information that has lalle.'i into the hands of the French lliiii.--.try '•(' War, according to an official tt.-i.t:- v.-iit issued by the Department vest; rd. y. The Germans [hiv.;.■..! first to make a quirk attack on t : ..' French frontier posts in and aroim '■ Xancv, this invasion to he made by *'■■;<■ first line. The S"«'ond invasion < ' : '::ui-v was to have been made through i'.i-'gium, in which country it w:; , ev-ectcd that any serious resistance. " •'aid or could be made.

Positive proof ;.:> verify this double plan has been !■!:;•; I l>y the mobilisation cards ii)\;;:\ <:■: -•■nio of the Gorman prison!rs. fh'- "■!■ direct ill;; those reservists to v/Iii;;: '.:i■ ■\- were sent to join their re,r.i::c,'is at various Kreneh cities, specially n:i ';•■!. The resistance ef'V-.d ley tli* forts at Liege, the vn!or <>- the. iSolßinii army, and the interv siUot: ->i the Tvem-li cavalry upset their c;,.-'.:Vdly-laiJ nlmio.

BELGIAN PREPARATIONS, - J ! - , J What a different figure gallant little Belgium would have cut had the German host swai'mctl over her borders not three weeks ago, but three years ago! When the heart of every New Zealander was thrilled at the glorious resistance set up by the Liege forts, there may "have come a remembrance of the European crisis of 1911, when to her dismay ■ Belgium awoke to find 'her faith in the impregnability of the Liege forts unwarranted, her confidence in her capacity to defend herself misplaced. From the hou.etops, it was shouted that the rounds of ammunition for the infantry at Antwerp were one-twelfth of their j proper number; on all sides it was , known tiiat the Liege fortg were made- I quately garrisoned, deficient in muni- 1 tions, unprepared. No wonder the inhabitants of the provinces south of tha j Meuse lived in constant dread that the | morrow would see the Germany _ army traversing their country and their Go- | vernment unable to lift a finger for their | protection! From that period sprang i the dawn of "the new spirit" in Belgium. Not for nothing had Belgium been the | battle-ground of Europe. Forty-two | years had passed since the Franco-Ger-man war. The "new spirit" might well have been at its zenith. But while it I was a belated movement, events of the last few weeks have shown that it did not come 'too late. The whole Belgian nation was stirred by a profound sentiment of patriotic ardor, and the authorities saw to it that that ardor was diverted into proper channels, the reformation of the army, and the strengthening of the forts. "Belgium," said General Duearne, "would be. the laughing stock of the world and of history if, m face of invasion, its army were to stand •it ease It fis not with arms at ease, but with levelled arms that it must receive the enemy." THE COST OF WAR TO GERMANY. In discusisii" the cost of modern war, Colonel ltepington, the well-known English military critic, puts Ins finger on ore of Germany's weak points, lie says: "The vast numbers placed in jiiotion by modern war, and the frightful cosiness of war itself, whether waged. on land of sea, make it a primary need for a country circumstanced as Germany is that the campaign shall be short and sham These are considerations which, i wi'lh their consequences, must n.ver'be left out of sight. The mobilisation ot | the elite of the population of a nation in arms will suspend many activities and ii-ralvse others. The cost of a land war to' Germany has been reckoncd by l>r. Riessor at £900,000 a day for 3000.0JJ , moo under arms, and the cost of the first *ix weeks of war has been estimated at 'fill 000,000. By ™«g her floating, m 00..')-, hv issuing Treasury bills and ~ ,k notM up to three times the amount of the cash reserves, and by some additional taxation, it is supposed hat Oermanv will be able to meet the uutia cos of a .-rout war. But the tune will soon arrivt when internal resources will " Xusted, and foreign loans will be ouh-ed to meet at least two-thirds' o I , • of war. Given the present ..rouni,;' or the Powers and the not too brilliant? financial position ot Gennanj s 1- .f -Uiies. the placing oE loans to am . :! ',u-rable amount abroad in time of i lil-elv t» encounter insuperable 'Even in a P"™ 1 }" ™f war though the immediate om.hu win dh^.'will he severe, and it w. 11 ■>• ~ 't?.-.- for German strategy to 'bridge, over bv'resolute and decisive operations °,, r, d full of damrer for German trade, -1 i. ommcree and possessions