GENERAL ITEMS.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 February 1916, Page 5

GENERAL ITEMS.

NOTES FROM THE TIMES. UNWILLING RECRUITS. Times and Sydney Sun Services. London, Keb. 21. The great rush for exemptions under "he Derby scheme has alarmed the authorities, who find that about SO per eent. of the claim* for exemption were granted. Strong efforts are now being made for a strict interpretation of ''indispensable," with the result that the tribunals are beginning to show sternness in their treatment of applicants. Typical cases were before the London tribunes to-day, embodying remarkable claims. T'lie secretary of the Naval and Military Bible Society asked exemption for the superintendent of the packing department, whose age was 19, and whose services were, indispensable, as it was impossible to find a substitute. The request was refused. It was decided that a ■ commercial traveller was a luxury in wartime, and an appeal was dismissed. The application of a distributor of official photographs was deferred for six moiiiihs to wait for the coining in of the reserved definition. RHODES .SCHOLARS, The Rhodes Trust states that most of the colonial scholars have enlisted, with permission to resume their scholarships at tile end of the war, ROMANIA'S ATTITUDE. The capture of Erzerum makes Roumanian intervention more probable. ProAlly officials are indicating that ttie Russian concentration in Bessarabia will shortly permit the transfer of Roumanian troops to the Bulgarian frontier. AVAR SAVINGS. Mr. McKenna lias accepted, on behalf of the Church of England, offers from the Bishops of Winchester, Norwich, and Bristol to assist the Government in a war savings campaign. IN LUXEMBURG. The Duchess of Luxemburg lias issued a manifesto suggesting a coalition Cabinet. The country is faced with great perils, all parties should co-operate to endeavor to secure its independence. GERMAN .PRESS VIEWS. The German press is still discussing Herr von Bethmann-Hollweg's quarrel wit'h the Prussian Diet.

Tim Cologne Gazette says the Govern-

ment and the whole people are unitedly behind the Kaiser, who i> warring ruthlessly by sea, land and air.

The Kreuz Zeitung says the resolution of flic Diet expresses the national desire for full freedom for the leaders of the army and navy. Tt is also directed against the possibility of diplomatic negotiations restricting military operations. Count Reventlow is protesting against negotiations about armed merchantmen. Xo guarantees that Germany was giving America would save the crews of submarines from attack.

Hen- Harden, in the Zukunft, warns Germany of the danger of an interminable defence. A three years' blockade will expel German trade from the chief markets of the world, a feat hitherto believed impossible. ' He suggests that peace offers should include partial disarmament and pooled war expenses. If they were refused Germany would have paid the last debt she owed to the world and humanity and would wage a more frightful war.

GERMAN* WOOL FROM ARGENTINA. The Times' correspondent at Buenos Ayres says the Germans are loading wool on their ships to save the expense of storage. It j s estimated that they have a million sterling worMi of German wool there and at Monte Video, EAID ON AMERICAN MUNITIONWORKS. New York, Feb. 1. A large band of armed foreigners nulled into the Ansonia works in "Connecticut, forcing 4500 workers to down tools. The town was thrown into a state of panic. THE lESSIMISTIC DAILY MAIL AGAIN.

Received Feb. 22, 5,2.") p.m. London, Feb. 21. The Daily Mail declares that the calling up of youths of nineteen is bignilicant, and the paper hints that married men will soon be drawn in. This may be t.iken as a proof of the army's urgent need of men. Married in or/ will not shirk their responsibility, when the promises of Mr. Asquith and Lord Derby have b"pit fulfilled but those pielge's had been weakened by tribmmlsgrantirig exemptions 011 the flimsiest reasons. It may be expected that Lord Derby, who was responsible for the enlistment, will exert pressure in the right in order to improve things and remove the impression that married men enrolled under false pretenses. GERMAN RECRUITS.

The Times correspondent at Paris says that the recent German prisoners are of the 1910 class, who arrived in France in January, and were immediately sent to the front. •A REMARKABLE STORY.

The Weekly Despatch credits Colonel House (American Envoy), with the following statement: The Gorman Government, army, and. navy are absolutely confident of victory. The German people are dissatisfied, uncomfortable, and weary. The General Staff supplies the army with every requirement, they having first call on all supplies that are leaking through the blockade. Meanwhile the colonisation and cultivation of Poland and Asia Minor proceed apace, and Turkish cottontields are being developed. Germany believes that tbe forthcoming harvest will be sufficient to enable her to carry on. The Roumanian Corn Commission has signed a contract for the sale to Germany of one hundred thousand wagon-loads of grain, and if Germany fulfils the contract there is a good supply in Roumania of locomotives and rolling-stock. RUSSIA AT WORK. The Pefrograd correspondent of Lc Petit Parisienne says that everywhere the army is working intensely with effectives up to the full strength. Young soldiers have had only six months' training. The entire country is working at munitions, and there is no longer a lack of rifles. The Germans were unable to succeed in September, when the Russians were wretchedly equipped. It is quite impossible now to hope that July will see Warsaw re-conquered. ANOTHER REASON FOR FAILURE. The military correspondent of the Frankfurt Gazette attributes the failure of the Turks at Erzerum to the summer operations at the Dardanelles, which took up all their energies, and the forces had get recovered from the strain

STRENGTH OF THE ARMIES. •ADJUDGED BY COLONEL REPINGTON. Beceived Feb. 23, 1.10 a.m.

London, Feb. 22. Colonel Repington, in an interesting article in the Times, entitled "Stock-tak-ing. ' estimates that the German field armies number a,G00,000, the. Austvians 1,7-vO.OOO, and the Turkish-Bulgars one million. The Allies' numerical superiority is not enough for a ■ decisive victory, lint the superiority of the enemy is discounted by the uneconomical use of forces in distant theatres. Herman reserves are two million, Austrian one and a quarter Million, but the Allies' reserves are superior. Britain Ims nearly as many men at home as abroad, apart frem the Derbyites. Over 200,000 single men have enlisted in Derby groups since midTJeeeinber. ' France has not used her 1916-17 class, and Italy has two at the depots for every one man at the front, llussia has trained reserves available,. directly rifles are ready, and we ought to further exploit the natives of India and Africa. DANISH SMUGGLERS. MERCHANTS FIXED London, Feb. 21. The Danish Merchants' Guild, -which is administering t'he Anglo-Danisli agreement, fined three merchants from 19,168 to 134,001) kroner on charges of attempting to sell cocoa and coffee to Germany. Copenhagen has approved of the severe penalties for ending smuggling.