A FORGOTTEN NAVY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 233, 11 March 1915, Page 3

A FORGOTTEN NAVY.

.AUSTRIAN SEA.FIGHTERS. « We talk a&out tiie dreary vigil ol the British fleet in the North Sea, but really our Jack Tare Tiave a gloriously niciting time of it compared to their French and British confreres m the Mediterranean. "Nothing doing" sums ap all the reports we get from our fleet in those waters; indeed, so scanty \s the news we receive that most of us arc in danger t>.t forgetting that tho Allies' naval eyg.s" are not til in tl«. North Sea and Baltic baskets. A visit or from the Antipodes bought a newwpaper tile other day ob the strength of a hurried glimpse of. iv contents bill. It read: "Alleged Austrian Naval Lofts," and the Antipodean had read "Auf triim'' as "Australian." When he c'iscoYered his error, lie threw the jmpur away with the remark, "Confound it; I'd forgotten there was an Austrian navy; 1 made Mire the bill said. Australian.'"

A good many English people also appear to have forgotten that there i* an Austrian Xavy in existence, go little do wc hear of its doings in tha flgb.t ; ng line, and bo little do we sea concerning the. work of the Allies' combined squadrons in the Mediterranean. Tho Allier squadrons do not, like the Rustsian. Baltic Fleet, serve as a containing force for the Austrian fleet, but rathei' as a blockading fleet. The • Austrian fleet is inferior in strength to the Allied forces, twd is, therefore, in a similar position to the German Fleet. Austria, however, displays raucti less naval <n. ergy than Germany. She has, in fact, siothing to gaim and everything te iose in risking her ships. A correspondent of the Naval and Military Record, writing in the current number, observed that, a \ear before tile outb-tfK of war there vat. published at Vtnna a work written by Heir Anton von Mori, in which V,e author pointed out the danger of permitting tho Austrian Navy tf. become the ''Mcdit.c/rancan squadron" pi Germany. The reality of that danger has n.vw tu conic apparent. Pro. bnl.ly the Oirman element in Austrian policy calculated that the Italian. Navy would be available upon the outbreak of war. But even had Italy aided with nur enemies, the Allied wjuadrons would have, been competent to deal with the Austrian and italian navies combined. Now, according to rlie same co-respondent,, Trivia and Hume are dowvtcd by sea-born s] trade, while the Austrian Navy remains 'behind Uhc guns at Pola. The Austrian sea«iori» r.v inj; to th« virtual hV.-1.-adr, exercised by Admiral Lapeyrere, are,, in fact, shut up; aud the epssiriin o c trade is -necessarily affecting the economic nt;riiton: °- Austria. It is r'--n stu'ed in th< Naval and AJ.ilif.nry' Reair-l that, contrary to the statement made by the Austrian Naval Command, tho French Admiralty announces thai tiia flagship Courbet has not been damaged. On the "ther hand, the Austrian naval authorities flatly deny that tho Virions TJnitis was attacked, by a. submarine of the allied forces, and aliro that any loss has been suffered by Austria except the •inking of the small cruiser Zenta.