THE STRENGTH OF GERMANY.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 15219, 5 March 1915, Page 8

THE STRENGTH OF GERMANY.

' "NOT AT ALL EXHAUSTED YET."

A NEW ZEALAND LADY'S

COMMENTS

A well-known New Zealand lady who has been residing on the Continent for some time rast. .writes as follows to a friend in Christchurch from Borne, Switzerland, under date of January sth:— .«/ German casualty lists come here now, I think, and for a long time past have not been allowed to be published in full in German daily papers. We get a number of German papers, and consequently know this.

I am afraid people in England do not quite realise yet how very serious matters are, and what a great deal we have to do. Of course, we shall soon put si new army into the field, but Germany is getting one ready to meet it, and good troops, too. Perhaps New Zealanders realise better than English people what a need there is for all efforts, and all good soldiers, but I can scarcely imagine that they have a very clear idea of how strong Germany is, .and how well prepared. English people seem to forget that she is settled tight in' Belgium, and entrenching herself there every day, and that though we have stopped her getting to Calais and Paris, still, forces are bo evenly balanced that we cannot "drive her back any very perceptible distance —at any rate, not yet; not without very strong reinforcements of good troops with good artillery. Newspapers in Switzerland are not fallowed jto publish prophecies of any kind. I have seen the prophecy of Trere Johannes,. but I do not remenv ber seeing any prophecies at all in any German newspaper; in fact, I believe t they are strictly forbidden. I cannot agree with you that the struggle is fast; it » very clow, I think, and I think it must last a long time, otherwise -we cannot possibly hold up Germany's trade long enough to have much effect upon, her; nor can we possibly cet' enough men to drive her out of France, to say nothing of Belgium. I dp not think the Germans despise the British soldier at el] now, but there are not enough of them, and our losses are terrible, perhaps partly owing to ihe.lack of experience, of our men. 1 JeliSve the new troops are much better than those sent first into the field. ■A great deal of quite trustworthy information leaks across the frontier'into this country, although the real full .truth .is carefully concealed. Nevertlie:l«w.\Germany is not at all exhausted <vet. nor anywhere near it. and I want to prevent, as far as in m c lies, anyone from thinking this.