THE FINAL STAGES.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 March 1917, Page 8

THE FINAL STAGES.

SUFFERING TN GERMANY. Many leading men in England believe that the war in its final jtagc is settling down to what is primarily a struggle between Great Britain and Germany, though, of course, it has other aspects almost as large (writes the London correspondent of the New York Evening Post). The ruling class in England and a considerable section of the people also feel that they are much stronger thantheir great rival. There is 110 doubt whatever that the poorer classes in civil life in many parts of Germany are suffering seriously from lack of nourishment. There is no more exact indication of starvation than an advance in the number of eases of tuberculosis, and the advance of tuberculosis in Germany recently has been alarming. The ruling classes in Germany look ahead in more detail than the same class in most countries, and realise with frightful clearness what is meant by undermining the health of a nation..The loss will probably be greater the eml than even the deaths suffered,! the treasure spent, and shipping and trade lost. England, on the other hand, lias t«us far not begun to pay anything outside the loss of life tffan undermines her sense of strength. The v. ell-to-do have made sacrifices that have cost them nothing in health, and have improved their morale. Taxation has fallen 011 them, and many elements of the laboring classes are better fed and better eared for generally than in times of peace. The worst forms of poverty have been abolished. The new food regulations so far mean nothing. I was almost amused to see the resent cutting down of beef to 70 per cent, of the former production looked upon as a drastic measure. So long as England can give the poor plenty of food, including fats, she will grow stronger, while Germany grows weaker in this most profound of all essentials. That is why her mind is being put more at present on shipping than on any other practical problem. Most of the other problems have been so well thought out that the maximum effort is now being smoothly .made,. but the whole food question depends on the ability of the shipbuilding to keep up with submarine activities. Germany has also called out millions of women to do work formerly done by men, whereas England has thus fnr called only a fraction as many. In all departments, therefore, one feels that there is move resrve force than in Germany.

What makes it difficult to predict any improved prospects for peace until after the spring offensive is partly this sense of reserve power, but still more the belief that a democratic revolution in Germany will not come if the terms of peace and its military record leave the Prussian oligarchy any chance to save its fact.