RUSSIAN MUNITION WORKS.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 October 1915, Page 8

RUSSIAN MUNITION WORKS.

BLOWN UP BY GERMAN SPIES. In view of a recent cable anent the reticence of the British authorities respecting the blowing up of the Russian arsenals, the following, which appeared in the New York World of July 22, is of interest:— Shipments in anything like extensive volume of guns and ammunition of all sorts have just begun going by way of Pacific Coast ports to Vladivostock, the easternmost port of Siberia, and thence by rail over the trans-Siberian railway. The most reliable information is that it will require three months of steady shipment to equip the Russian forces opposing the Austro-German armies in 'Poland and Galicia in a satisfactory manner. There has been a great deal of conjecture as to the cause of the lack of weapons and ammunition adequate properly to equip the Russian army. RUSSIA HAD BIG RESERVE. The real reason probably lias never been told. Russia, before the beginning of the war, was known not only to have maintained factories for the manufacture of gun 3 and ammunition for ordinary needs, but to have had a reserve supply sufficient to prevent it from being taken by surprise in the event of war. The most important factories capable of turning out war materials were in the neighborhood of Petrograd, Moscow, Nijni-Novgorod, Tiflis, Odessa and Sebastopol.

During the forty-eight hours preceding and following the declaration of war by Germany againsr Russia these plants were put ont of business by incendiary fires and dynamite explosions. The Russians always have felt justified in crediting the destruction of their munition plants at this critical period of their history to the work of German spies, or through the use of German money. During the tumult that followed the declaration of a state of war between Germany and Russia the outside world! knew nothing of the devastation wrought to Russian arms by its enemy, although it now develops that some men who were caught red-handed were shot or hanged. The strict censorship then maintained at Petrograd and other Russian cities prevented any knowledge of the disasters from reaching the outside world. That the blow struck by Germany against Russia, however, was pretty thorough and complete is evidenced by the fact that only within the last three months have any of these arms plants been restored to working conditions, and with a minimum of output, inadequate to supply more than one-fourth of the actual needs of the Russian military forces. The information comes to the World from a diplomat whose facilities for securing information of this character are of the best. The knowledge imparted by him is the first explanation of the real cause of the inability of the Russian forces successfully to halt the onward sweep of the better-equipped Teutonic allies.

RUSSIAN ORDERS FILLED FIRST. The military needs of Russia, in fact, have been of the most vital concern to her Allies. Some of the latter are under a disadvantage in the same respect, but, by common consent of the British, French, Belgian and Italian Governments, the orders placed by Russia have been given precedence over even their own in many instances. . With the increased supply of war material coming from the United States, the chances of the Czar's army for finally triumphing over German arms are re. garded here as very good. An expert of Recognised authority gives the information in support of the belief:— "Unless the present German campaign results in the destruction of the Russian army, the campaign will be a failure viewed from the standpoint of the Allies. Up to the present time there are excellent reasons for believing that the Russian army will be kept intact. Two points should be kept constantly in mind by persons who desire to maintain a clear perspective of the European war. "The fact that Germany lias driven the Russian army back at every point means merely that the hour of final accounting has been postponed. One city after another may fall and may be invested by the Germans. The fall of Warsaw will be heralded by the Germans as a tremendous victory. As a matter of fact, it represents, from the viewpoint of the Allies, little more than the loss of a pawn on a chess-board. "Cities and fortifications will never decide the issue of this war. The decision will rest upon men and iron. Napoleon went to Moscow and was defeated. The same may result from the German campaign. Even though the Kaiser ran his flag over Moscow and failed to destroy the Russian army, he would still be in the position of a pursuer with his quarry at a safe distance.

j "Judging from the movements during | the last few weeks, it ia evident that j the Germans are now attempting to ! drive the, Russians as far as possible j from fchc frontier before the winter wea-1 ther sets in. GERMANS TO LEAVE DESERT BEHIND. "Our information indicates that the Germans are destroying everything that they capture, with the exception of forage for their animals and food for the soldiers. They appear to be determined to leave a great desert between them and the Russians when they finally give up the pursuit and their'forces start back to Germany. "The plan appears to be io drive the Russians far enough from the German border to make it impossible for thein to send a great force in pursuit when winter sets in. "Having accomplished this much, the German army undoubtedly will be rushed back to the French frontier, where it will be used to reinforce the armies in the western trenches. "It is fair to assume that this movement will be commenced just as soon as the army which Kitchener is now preparing to put in the field makes it appearance.

"If the men now-used against the Russians can be shifted back to the French frontier in time to make a second line of defence against the new British army, it is probable that Kitchener's wmy will be able to make no impression upon the I lines. •"If this plan succeeds, the result will be that the two great forces will be in relatively the same position that they are at the present time. "The Germans will be able to maintain their position on the French line all through the winter, and the 'Russian* will be snowbound, so that they can make little or no trouble for the Germans. "But when spring arrives the situation should be altered. By that time the Eussians should have whipped into shape an excellent new army which will be fully prepared with guns and cartridges now lacking, and begin a new drive against Germany. Unless the Kaiser is in a position to put a new army of several million men in the field he will find it almost impossible to hold both lines. "In other words, up to the present time the Russian force has merely been used to draw off the principal German army .from the French frontier. In the event that Germans should manage to envelop the Russians and destroy the s-rmy, the story would be altogether different, but just now there are no reasons for believing that they will succeed in such a plan."