GERMANY

Taranaki Daily News, 9 February 1916, Page 5

GERMANY

THE STATE OF MAN POWER. NEARLY 3,000,000 LEFT. SOME INTERESTING FIGmES. Times and Sydney Sun Serviced. Received Feb. S, 5.10 p.m. London, Feb. 7. Colonel Repington publishes an exhaustive investigation of Germany';; mail power. Accepting as a fact that there were thirteen million men of military age available at the commencement of tilt l War. and making careful deductions for essential industries, there would remain a, maximum of nine million men available as fighters, including 300,000 belonging to the 101" class, which has been called up. Germany lias now 170 divisions in the field, and adding cavalry, army troops, and an unusually high percentage of artillery for technical services, give's a total of 3,500,009. "We usually found German companies averaging 17-1 instead of 250. but recently companies of 300 were encountered in the West," he adds. "Therefore it is safest to regard the establishments as complete."

German losses shown in the casualty lists were as follows:—In 101-1: August ■p2l3, September 12."),-123, October 270.757 November 235.285, Deccmbei 201,052. For 1015: January 163,501, February 06.241. March 135,534, April 135,302. Ma'v 107,034. June 182,788, July 15(1.077, August 140,103. September 170,081. October 184,900, November 100,852, December 00.485. January, 1010, about, 30,000. Total, 2,027,055.

Colonel Repington adds: "The lists must be accepted, although tliev do not contain the names of some of the dead we found. Like our lists they omit sickend invalided soldiers, except those who died of .sickness in the war zone, German medicals claim that 84. per cent, of the wounded return to the ranks, and it is safe to estimate that 25 per cent, never return to the fighting line.

"Deducting 700.000 as "returns" and adding f1.30.0M as the floating population in hospitals and sanatorium.?, the net Josses become 2.500,000. Therefore 2,800,000 are still available in reserve in Germany, Of these probably SOO.OOO are guarding communications and doing garrison duty.

"If tlie Germans lose 250,000 per month their power of reinforcing ends in September; but if we proceed fighting Turks. Bnlgars. and what not. destroying only 33,000 Germans monthly, the war will be interminable," concludes Colonel Repington.

THE QUESTION OF PEACE. NO SUPPORT FROM BRITAIN'. 'Received Feb. 8, 7.10 p.m. Rome, Feb. 8. The Pope recently offered the Entente to negotiate with Germany to ascertain the condition of Belgium. The Entente expressed appreciation, but politely declined, stating that no negotiations were desired until Germany was defeated. It is authoritatively believed that Germany prompted the proposal, desiring a general discussion oil peace in view of tiie increasingly unsatisfactory position.

THE NORTHCLIFFE ARTICLES. EXCITE BERLIN - Copenhagen, Feb. 7. Reports stats that court and official circles in Berlin are excited about the articles by the Daily Mail's spy, and are confiscating neutral newspapers which reproduce them. On suspicion two of the Kaiser's secret detectives a»d several aides-de-camp have been dismissed.