CAPTURED TERRITORIES.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 49, 26 February 1916, Page 4

CAPTURED TERRITORIES.

Mr. Eonar Law, Secretary of State for the Colonies, has announced in the House of Commons that about 730,000 square miles of German territory have been captured since the beginning of th? war. German East Africa is not included in this estimate, for in that case the figures would run to well ewer 1,000,000 square miles. Yet German East Africa, by far the largest, and in many respects the most important of the German colonies, is dominated by Britain, and its occupation is only a matter of time. It should also be remembered that estimates of the territory acquired by Great Britain do not include Egypt, though that country was practically annexed as a result of the war. In any case, as Egypt was not acquired from Germany, it will naturally not be included in Mr. Bonar Law's figures. At the end of the first year of the war we gave a balance-sheet of the respective gains and losses of the war, from the standpoint of area and population, and now that the war has lasted more than eighteen months, we may bo allowed to review the position. The territory occupied by Great Britain since the commencement of the war, including Egypt, has roughly an area of nearly 1,100,000 square miles, an.d a population of about 17,788,000, as may be seen from the following details:—.

Area in Population. Sα, Miles. Cmneroons '101,130 3,500,000 German SoutuVfest Africa . 322,«0 200,000 Togo 33,060 1,500,000 Samoa 1,100 32,000 German New Guinea 100,000 356,000 Mesopotamia .. 50,000 200,000 ■Egypt 400,000 12,000,000. Totals a.008.310 17.788,000' In the case of Togo and the there was joint occupation by British and French. Besides this, Japan has occupied Kiau-Chou, and the Caroline, Marshall and Marianne Islands, with a total area of 1,160 square miles and a population of 128,000; Russia has occupied practically the whole of Armenia, certainly to the extent, of at least 15,000 square miles, and 500,000 inhabitants, besides portions of Galicia and Bukowina, while France occupies a small portion of Alsace. If these extra figures are added to the above, the total result will show a gain of fully 1,500,000 square miles and a population of 29,000,000 for the Allies. Against this we may compare the territory occupied by' the Central Powers, as follows: — t (Area. Population. France (part) .. 8,000 8,000,000 Belgium (nearly alii :......... ii.ooo 5,000.000 Poland 50,000 11,000,000 Otter 'Russian Provinces .... 2fr,000 2,000,000 Serbia ... .. 33,000 3,000,000 (Montenegro 3,600 300,000 •LuieJOiurs 997 240,000 — -Totals- .... 132,597- 29,440,000 ~ Allowance is made for the emigration of population from tie occupied .districts. Thug, it will be seen that ■ the total population of the territories occupied by the Allies is much less than ■of those occupied by. the Central Powers, but the area is .nearly ten times as great Meanwhile, the Central Powers have come to a standstill in Europe, as there are no other small Powers that they can overrun, while any successes achieved either on the eastern or the western front can only be accomplished, at great sacrifice, and this only with the result of a very slight headway being made. --.'•*• Russia, on the other hand, is advancing rapidly in Asia Minor, while in Europe she threatens to turn the Aua-j tro-German right flank. But the above I figures do not represent all the progress that has been made. The Turks have been driven out of Persia, in which coun? try the Russians and British "have greatly strengthened their position. This is equal to a gain in both area and population, and it is with these "that, we 'ate Mow , - dealing, not with other moral and material- gains, on which a complete chapter might be written." It may be objected that Egypt should not be included in the above figures, as it wa3, even previous to the outbrea!; of war,,* virtual appanage of the British Empire. But the British tenure of Egypt was uncertain. The proclamation of a protectorate would have been opposed by Germany, Austria and Turkey, but as wo are now at war with those countries their opposition can do us no harm in this respect. And Egypt has very aptly been called by B'ramarck"the neck of the JSritiea Empire." The fact that Britain's position in Egypt has :been secured is not the least of the advantages' accruing (indirectly though it may be) from the" war. " : ' ■

The following is Mr. D. C. Bates' weather forecast.for' 24 hours from' 9 ».m. this day: "the indications are for easterly winds, moderate'to strong, and freshening. Weather' clouding over Ham later. Barometer faHing. gea moderate swell. Tides good." " 'A shed,.situated at the back of a store ..atYthe corner.-'of Mount Eden Road and ; Stewart Street, was destroyed by fire ofrly yesterday morning. The structure ■was owned by Mrs. Meeken, and the damage was estimated at about £10. The Mount Eden Fire Brigade was called out, but the outbreak was subdued before its arrival. At Northcote this morning a small plump of gorse was discovered to be on fire in front of the residence of Mr. Wat: son. Sonic anxiety was iansed owing ti> the proximity of the fire to the Northcote Borough Council's office, but it'was soon extinguished, no material damage resulting. : - ■" The Huddart-PSarker Co.'s steamer Victoria is due to aTrive at Auckland on Monday next from Sydney. : She has 1 1,100 tone of cargo for Auckland. NinetyV lone passengers will disembark tiered The Victoria brings a quantity pf Australian mail, 60-bags of which are for Auckland, She sails for couth on the afternoon of Tuesday. The Weatralla,' which arrives to-morrow from South, eaife for Sydney on Monday afternoon. In the Supreme Court at §unedra yesterday, Mr. Justice Sim heard an appeal by Alexander Bain, manager of tlje United Friendly Societies' dispensary at daaara, against bis conviction' in the Lower Court for selling a bottle of Mplendo wine, for medical ■purposes. The question raised by "the appeal, wa* whether in a no-license district " a chemist was entitled to sell liquor for medical purposes. * " Mr. " Bartholomew S.M., held that applicant had been guilty of an offence within the meaning of eoction 147 of the Licensing Act. The .Jadge dimUied ths *Fpe*i.

/An order was recently issued by Defence Headquarters, dealing with the civilian employment of soldiers, while on sick leave. The Solicitor-(?6neral states that .there is no objection to a man on sick leave accepting employment from acivilian and receiving pay for the same. fio would receive full pay in addition, provided that the nature of the employment did not affect his Tecovery, and that due care is taken not to allow any malingering in order to extend his period of sick leave. ■ Eailwaymen of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants are to hold a naeeting , to-night to consider the position that has been created as a result of, the refusal of the Departnient to grant increases of pay. A eeries of resolutions dealing with various questions are to be submitted, aiid it is likely that any motion* carried will be made public

•An appeal was recently made for funds by the Ladies' Benevolent Society to enable it to carry on its work of aseteting helpless children, and the necessitous aged. The appeal has met with a imoet liberal response. The sum received td date is approximately £200; this amount will be liberally subsidised by the Government. A canvass made upon annual, subscribers, who have not yet tendered their donati-one, resulted in the euni pf £30 being collected. Still the sopiety is still lacking funds, and to place ite finances on a sound footing, £500 at least is necessary. . Mi. iF. .C: Pwingtpn, Premier Buildings, and Mr. Bart Kent, 91, Queen Street, will gladly receive further donations. :In the annual report of the executive of the Auckland Hospital Auxiliary Fund it is announced that the siim of £121 realised by last year's demonstration is almost exhansted, co heavy has been the calls on the funds, which are used to assist patients who are without means when discharged from the hospital, and also for the . relief "of dependents undergoing treatment. This year ithe executive has decided on a street collection and house to- house .canvass of the city and suburbs.

Otago is a favoured district in many ways (says the Dunedjn "Star") Avalanches, inundations, earthquakes, hurricanes—these are visitations that we hear of mostly in telegrams from other places. Droughts touch us only here if there is a shortage of rain in one part we get copious waterings in anr other. ' Our bad weather is indetly f roni the north-east, the remnant of what our neighbours have experienced. To all this we may add that Otago is the, headquarters of health. Many places in the Dominipn are anxious because of the spread of infantile paralysis. Not. one case of this sort has been reported'in Otago. Aβ. a fact,-there are very few notifications .of any notifiable diseaee-erfewer than at any time since the beginning of the year. Practically, Otago is free from sickness. The one or two scarlet fever patients are carefully isoktei;

.In the. gazetted list of clergymen licensed to officiate at marriages appear the names of ten Maori members of,the KJngatu Church. The 'BSgirtu form of religions is practically the Hauhau form of worship, of which the priest at one tune was Te Kppti, and later the .?'Jyo,Krwera i .iesalicitant Rua." The scheme of worship is a continuous npufting of the hands, and the rapid chanting of a mistnre of Gld and New Testament phrases interlarded with : native adeae regarding the Deity. The ten men who represent the church have now the nght to claim the prefix of reverend to their names, and their right to that title of honour has al ready been accepted by the Government Printer. ■ ' ~

Several important changes have been made m the perepnnel of the high officials _of the Order of the Hospital "of sp. John of Jernsaleic in Eneland. His Majesty the King is the Sovereign Head and Patron of the Order, and Field-Marehai BJU&. the Duke of Connaught is the Grand Prior, tarho, subject to the provisions of the Charter and Statues, exercises the whole government of the Order. The pt, Hon.. the Earl of Plymouth has teen appointed cab-prior and colonel Sir Herbert C. Perrott.whp was Chief Secretary pf the St. John Ambulance Association from, its inception untjl his resignation a short time since, on aecpunt of illhealth,, hae been appointed Bailiff of tf Egie. Mr. Evelyn Cc&, M.P., has been selected as SMretaryrGeneral of the ..Order, and the Rt. Hon. "the Ear! pf Ranfurly ac the. o f the Ambulance Department of the Order, i.e., the St. John Ambulance Association. It is satisfactory to the Kew Zealand.members of the Association to know that the Earl of Ranfurly, who waseo deservedly popular when he was Governor of the Dominion, and who. has don? work in connection with the Red Cross work at St.'John'a Gate; is now the diiisctor of the Ambnlance Department <jf the Order.-

At the Feilding Court yesterday Ah Ching (Mr Ongley)wae charged witi selling to Morgan O'Brien, Public Health Inspector, two samples of tea, one containing 16 per cent of ash and the other PM "51 °J **h ore tl»n that allowed, by the Alteration' of Foods Act. Inspector O'Brien deposed to the purchase of the tea, and of the forwarding of a portion of it to the Government Analyst. To Mr. Ongley- : \ girl in the shop had just purchased a packet of tea and he asked for a packet He did not ask for China"teai Mr. Ongley said the defendant would (plead This tea- waX 'procured by the. Chinese for their own use The girl .had previously asked for China tea and had been supplied, though, the defendant did not make a, habit of offerin" the tea to the public. The inagfctrat" said there was no grading of tea by the Government in China,' and the consequence was there was no guarantee of the quality of China tea. It was shown in the analysis of the sample purchased that it contained 14.2 per cent of ash 2.7 per cent of ash soluble in water, and 28.6' per cent of extract, in each of these particulars it was below "the requirements of the Act. The ash coneisted largely pf candy material witn which the tea had been adulterated to the extent of at least 7 per cent/and the sample contained an undue proportion of stalks, some eilk cocoons (probablp spiders), showing the tea had been packed. The magistrate said peop? who rushed for cheap China tea should know what they were getting. He would accept the statement of counsel that the defendant had fe tea sent him for hie own ose. A fine of 20/ would be imposed, with £2 0/8 coato. I ;The Auckland Minietew' Association will by a deputation at noon next Wednesday, tender to the New Zealan.l Conference, fraternal mgs,. coupled with a woleorn* to the citfor the visitora from other parte of the Dominion.

The expiry of tile elective member , * ' term of office on the Auckland Lah, '■■ Board/renders necessary the election o rS a. member to fill the vacancy. The efe tion date has been fixed for Tueeto March 7. The candidates' are Meesrj'j - Trounc-on, the sitting member; and Henri Grundy. of Xurua, Thames. The nomfcv/' tion of Mr J. M. McKay wav#'. received, but has been withdrawn ■ yA irq papers, which are being jssiied t&" those persons who were in pbseeaew of Crown holdings in the Auckland pUS vince on December 31 last, mnst-reiSi ■ the Crown Lands Ofßce, Auckland, t$ later than 4 p.m. on the date''of ■ ttj election. ;* A waterside worker named Thomij Kearney was admitted to the Hospital ■■ in an unconscious condition shortly aftjjdaybreak this morning, having- met wit;, an accident while engaged on the water. front. He was working in the hold of a vessel lying at one of ttr wharves; wh en the weight at the end of a line swingifo from a crane struck him on the hei<L He was removed to the Hospital in vj c waterside workers' ambulance. .On quiry at the institution this afternoonijt was learned that he was suffering from' concussion, and the doctors wore consii; ; ering the advisability of an operation, Kearney is a single man, 20 years of ip and resides in St. Japics' Street, 'of Wellington Street. . His Honor Mr Jusi::c Cooper |jj granted probate in the. estates; bf following deceased persons: Claji'liia Walls (Mr Smith), .'Herbert-'^'EdWdrij"'■ Tliruston (Mr Durham), Charles Victor Rhodes (Mr Endean), 1 (Mr Gribbin), Joseph Tsertra.m (Mr R. N. Moody), John (Mr Jackson), Duncan MeLachlan WjW Wilson), James Muir (Mr A. Mofpethj, Chas. Pdchard Millington (Mr Kobis! son), Esther Keesing (Mx Buddie), gg Charlotte Kent (Mr Hajna), Epse Kennedy (Mr Buddie), Ertfna Hnil (Mr Mahony), Gerald Grace (Mr Amstrong), Cordelia van Brakle (Mr Hollo, way), Michael Kiley Adams (Mr Sfel-. ton). Letters of administration were granted in the estates of the late Williim Elmslie Anderson (Mr Speight) :aM Frederick Ernest Gladding (Mr Napier), , Sharks are reported to be very: plentiful this summer, and also to be ingly hungry (says the \Vhakatabe; "Press"). The officers of the s.s. faiman on her last trip from Auckland had a rather unique opportunity of cob. firming this. On the voyage up a large shark kept company with the, boat; fot quite a time, but on the_ voyage back to the port when the log was .hailed ia nea-r Whale Island it was found th»t» hungry shark had attefipted to eat; it One o*f the Wades or fias of the miniature propeller had disappeared, another was bent and half off; while the Sum metal portion showed numerous mark of sharp teeth and snaj- i:.g jaws.'/Eyidehtly a hungry shark 'Attracted by tie swirl -of the log had made a partUllj- ,- successful attempt to swallow' it.'; 5u doubt the morsel proved extremely; uspalatable, and thai shaifc will in iutst eye with suspicion any whirligigs traced 'behind a ship. " ". '. ' §| Prjobahly at no time in the hietqij , of 'lnvercargill have, there 'beeneo tbu; tenantiess houses, saye the Times." In the south part fcpfii the legends "To Let" and 'Tor Sale" in particularly conspicuous, no fewer tSil fwaft*ife©iifiedi 'jaQii^-- Th_e;. of these dwellings naVe ajiperejitiy 'n^. * been occupied, and hear evidence of'lur ing been constructed with & yiew toSS

:in the pre-war days, when hous.e-"buil<&; with"this intent waerainsidered a lur.i tive proposition. Some of the buildißß, however, are of considerable age, ijsii 'former tenants having poasiMy lemewd into more up-to-date eßtabliehmente. It would not seem thai" apart 'bora, libji who have gone "to tie front, there iv been any diminution in the popuhse9 of the town sinee vil9lo, ■when, houses were a thinjr unknown. Cfe ■building, with the consequent escesvcf supply over demand, probably accp.mio for the present state of things, Ariife there have 'been many instances in whitli young fellows, now si the front, iiiilt homes, in anticipation of getting, married prior to the outbreak of war. The monument to be erected, at «m« site not yet selected in Hangonui county, to the memory of the natives who lave fallen in the'service of the Empire.:!? the present war, will be unveil ; n March 24th, and the Minister of L Jp invited to be present. The niei.-ibtiil takes the form of a marble jilt high, bearing suitable inscriptions .in both Maori and English. -..■'; The practical poultry-yard lessiinf; in selection of Ijre&ding birds and c'J.Uil* of unjproiitabie Stock "at" Takapnni, Albany and Mount- filbert by the chief poultry expert, Mr F. Brown, have'lw very well ,at\anded, and much entoi asru has been shown by the poultryßß taking advantage of the expert ajviK: Mr Brown is advertised to give.:* further demonstration at ReweW :ra Monday, while ho yrilj addjes ß A!#lS ; pqultrymen'at the Trade? Hall pn Tueday evening. There is a rumour in. Dunedin (sip the "Evening Star"), seemingly inspirfl by some of the local mercantile estlit lishments, regarding a' dearth of sliip ping from Englaad for the m %"&?./ March, April and. May. It is sui - mit*l that the Admiralty has commandetiw!. or is contemplating commandeering,!"'tain cargo boats. The first entertainment in aid pf * Mayor of Auckland's Serbian War ReUej Fund will take place on Monday, Jiar« 6th. An excellent programme B P' 0 ' tnised. Tickets can be purchases'»* Wildman and Areys. ■';. ■