END OF THE WAR.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 231, 28 September 1915, Page 2

END OF THE WAR.

A BIXGIAN OFFICKH*S PREDICTION. SHOULD COME I.VDECEMBER. • Aifhoojrb tho ti:nc wber* the -war will cad is a. mattor~tfhich rest* in the lap of the gods, it is nevertheless refreshing to on tho possibilities of an early tennuratKm. Major d&ilartin. a Belgian cavalry officer, who left Auckland in May last iur tl>e purp<wc oi rejoining the (iilours, has returned in the be.liei Ur.it the cumlict will bp-<wcr before tho oonamerux'jueJiL if another yi-':ir. AN INTERRVPTED TOt*R. Major de Martin was in Paj-i» on the Outbreak of v»r, having left his home in Antwerp lor the- pnrpose of a tour. After sunnounlitiK thu difTlcaltiea of exit, ho an! Madame do Martin crossed to Kn>;land. and later came to Australia and Ntw Zealaml, where the Major lectured in :iid of J>e Belgian lU'lief Fund. Being on the reserve, he did tot rpceivo his call to ttu' i-olours for some time, but when il rume he promptly booked his passage to Vamvuver, proceeding Uience to New York. Tic n-porU'd to tb<- llclirirui Consul in that city, and ciinie In-tore the Board of Examiners, only to find that his health s:i> not considered Fulliciently robust for cavalry work. He thenrfcav decided u> return with liis wife to New Zealand, and hi* present intention is to settle in Auckland, ADMIRATION FOR UENERAL JOFFRE But to-return to the prediction of an early p«"a«>. .Major d« M.irtin. while in Amerioi, gleaned a lot of information from high authorities about the milit-iry position in general, lie has an unbounded admiration for <n>neral .Joffrr, and !>• -lietvs that thn (.'onunandi-r-in l-hief is in perfcrt hanrmny -with (Jerteral •French. To his mind, th.ii i> one of the reussuring features of the campaign in the west. Since, the brilliant turning of General yon Klucks army nearly a war ago tho-policy of the Allies seems to have been u> hold the Germane oIT until eurh time, as they could muster Biiflicient men and ammunition for a tremendously energetic offensive.

THE TniK FOR ACTION". •That time eoeme to have arrived." 6a.d the maj<jr to v reproecntative of the and I believe that the news TO have jujit received will be followed by further great miccesgea during Uk- neit month or two. In fact, I expect that an early attempt will be made to dmtroy tho of the Rhine. This c-tpet-U----tion is supported by rnformation I have received concerning iho prrparation of a fleet of Allied in the hangar* at Bavro. And it i« my belief that onrc the Germaiw are attacked on their own »oil they will give in." JvITCifEN'ErfS 'MILI.K )N MK\ Major de added that whatever ■we miglit fed inclined to say about the methods of the Uerraan'*. we mii«t admit that they were jjreat lißUtore, and also brave. Therefore the task would be fraught With tremendous diflinilties. There wae good jrTounJrt for however, that Lord Kitchener had maesed nearly a nidlion men in Europe, and it seemed certain that theee forces WTrtlW'Be participating in the operations now under way. But :....-t imporunt of all. thn Allies had appar ently obtained the desire i accumulation of ammunition with nhich to j>ri*t. home their dr.Ue. .SELFISH AMERICANS.

of fcelinp in America. %fajor de Martin najd be \nus keenly ditiappointed with what he had learned. Tie hid been asked by influential Amoricare —not Germaji descendants at that—why B«>lpum had not allowed the KaUcr's armies to march through' uninterruptedly. They had pointed out how much bloodshed and destruction of property would thue have been avoided. He uae eorrv to say that the Americans took up a selilsh attitude both in regard to their etrmminp up of the European situation and to their attitude of ""peace at any price."

DEMAXD FOR BRITISH STOCKS. All the samp, added the major, they roeo;rnrk»ed the strength of tie po.-ition hold by the Allies, and it was RignjOcant that while plenty of money •*.-» avillable tn the United State* for' British inventBrent* at llvp per cent, the value of German etocke was practically nil. Even the Gorman* in America had rushed for Rritioh and French investment. LOYALTY OF CANADA. The moet pleasant recollection* of his recent travels, eaid Major de Martin. •Weru thoee arising from experiencw in Canada. The people were intensely patriotic, and they were wonderfully sympathetic towards Relgium. While there the major addressed several patriotic mertinp*, and he i«av» that the defrree of cnthuniasm for the catwe of the Allies wae mewt inspiring.