CURRENT TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 November 1916, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

GERMAN CONFESSIONS. I A striking summary of German confessions is given *in an article by Or E. J. Dillon in the Fortnightly Review. He quotes a number of passages from leading German newspapers, written at the close of the second year of the war; and all of them reflect the hopelessness of the outlook for the Central Towers. The Kaiser himself could not rouse his tongue to the stirring words ;>1 earlier days. Dr. Dillon quotes him also:— '■The monarch who, in September, 11)14, charged tho Mayor of Weimar to announce to his fellow-subjects that the victorious troops would he back in their homes before'the leaves fell, is now constrained to admit that 'the strength and will of the enemy are still unbroken. We must go on with the severe struggle in order to secure the safety of our beloved native homes, and preserve the honour of the Fatherland.* When addressing his .Chancellor, he pitches his voice in a lower key. One of his main cares is to shake off responsibility for the black deed which has sent the flower of the manhood of Europe to the grave. Another is to affirm his readiness to make peace before the gathering storm-cloud bursts over the heads of his people. The jauntinoss of two years ago is gone, and Saul himself is now among the prophets. 'Still hard times are ahead,' he says. 'After the terrible storm of two years the desire for sunshine and peace is stirring in all human hearts. But war goes on, because the battle-cry of the enemy Governments is still the destruction of Germany. The blame for further bloodshed falls only on our enemies.' This frank bid for peace, following on the announcement that hard times are still ahead, so dismayed his crestfallen subjects that a semi-official interpretation had to be served up to them ir the Norddeutschc Allgemain* Zeitung." As all the world knows, the bid for peace that the Kaiser made, and the many other hints of kindred nature which followed it, fell upon deaf ears. J The Allies made their position clear. Germany, for years recognised (only too often laughed at) as the national embodiment of the spirit of war, had wanted war. She sought it, anc found it; and now she is to have it until she knows exactly all that war means. ROL'MANIA'S STRENGTH. A note- written by Colonel Repington on Roumania's declaration of war will help to correct some exajjirerated no-

tions that arc held' concerning the country's military strength. He places the aggregate strength of the a-'ny-)-that is to say, the strength that could be mobilised by calling up all ava,,ablc men—at a million, and he'credits it with fifteen hundred guns. But nothing like that strength is available at present, and account must necessarily be taken of the fact that the army iii the field must have reserves and reinforcements in the depots. "The army, at the opening of" I'ol4, was in a position to mobilise, not counting Ersatz troops and 'militia, 220 battalions,' 8S squadrons, 124 field and howitzer batteries, 19 fortress artillery companies and 13 technical companies," he says. "These troops gave a fighting strength, of 250,000 rifles, 18,000 sabres, GOO modern and 200 older field guns and howitzers and 300 machineguns. But it was anticipated by all close observers of this army that there would he a large surplus of trained men after mobilisation, thanks to the fact that the country had been steadily accumulating reserves since the year ISO'S, and it was supposed) not without reason, that a very considerable expansion of the army might easily take place. These few data show us that in thinking of Roumania as a military factor we must not regard her army as of mushroom growth, since it had been steadily built up upon foundations laid in tlu; remote past, and has been perfected in a modest way by dint of the personal services and sacrifices of Roumanians over a long period of time. Roumania is surrounded by military Statea powerfully armed. A country of 5C.000 square miles with a population of only seven and a-half millions must not be expected to perform miracles."