NO HOPE OF VICTORY.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 January 1917, Page 3

NO HOPE OF VICTORY.

-a» PRUSSIANS REALISE DEFEAT. VIEWS 01 NEUTRAL IN BERLIN. That Germany is no longer under delusion about the result of "the war, and that twelve months from now (October) is the limit of her endurance, is set forth as facts by a distinguished neutral who writes from Stockholm about the, official attitude on the present position of the war The writer is resident in Berlin and lias been in Sweden for a few days. "I left Berlin about a week ago," he says, "and there is no mistake about the position there. It may be taken as quite definite that the authorities realise that the war is lost. Two facts stand out clearly to the Germans in power. The first is that while Germany still retains the power to manufacture munitions at a large and formidable | rate, the output of the Allies is now in advance of the German output, and the significance, of this is realised. "The second point is even more important. It is recognised that reserves of man-power are not sufficient to allow Germany to conduct the war to a victorious issue. It is believed that a defensive war can be conducted for a considerable time—but that is all. The German lenders are not blinking tlie fact that disaster will come upon them if the Allies continue operations at the present pace and intensity. THE CRUCIAL THING.' "The offensive on the Somme is Ilia crucial tiling. They have 110 illusions about this. They believe they can impede the Allies and hold them back for a long time, but they realise they cannot. do it indefinitely. It is privately acknowledged that sooner or later the Allies must break through. Jlore tlian this, the Germans have calculated the limit of time they can effectively withstand the attacks 011 the Western front. They put that limit at twelve niontlii. They know, however, that the Allies may get through before. "With these facts in mind they have framed their future course of action. They arc seeking for a peace which shall not brand them as defeated, and to get it they will make considerable sacrifices. The whole of their new plans will be coordinated toward that end. Whatever may be their fears for the future, they have still at their command vast fighting forces of various kinds. They arc going to use them to bring about this peace which they want so badly. AFTER ROUMANIA. „ "First of all they have made up their minds to smash Roumania completely, not only for tlie sake of the material advantage, but also for the moral effect. They are then going to throw discretion to the winds with reference to tlie submarines and use their undersea vessels to annoy and hurt Great Britain as much as possible. They will be quite careless of the feelings of neutrals. The general idea is not to conquer Britain, but by annoyance, losses, and perils, to increase a desire for peace, which they are sure exists among some sections of the population already. The more hateful the war is made for Britain tlie more easily will she come into line with regard to peace proposals. And Germany must have peace by a year from now. The latter is not stated in so many words, but that is what the position comes to. I saw a letter the other day from one of the National Liberals in the Reichstag, in which occurred tlie words, 'What are we to do to save Germany?' "I heard, too, of a remark by Cap Fain Persius, the well-known writer, who, in referring to the war hardships in certain parts, said it was a terrible tiling for a country to desire revolution and to have the power of making a revolution, but it was a still more terrible thing for the desire to exist without the power of briiisintt about the revohiion. He was referring to the present position in Germany. There can be 110 revolution, because those who might make it are engaged at the front. There exists, however, among the common people the heartiest desire for peace. It is realised that this feeling will produce tremendous effects whenever the Allies achieve a wholesale military victory."