THE H.B TRIBUTE. FRIDAY, OCT. 27th, 1916. AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume VI, Issue 267, 27 October 1916, Page 4

THE H.B TRIBUTE. FRIDAY, OCT. 27th, 1916. AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

Whatever may have been the political significance, and whatever may be the political, social, or military, consequences of the assassination of the Austrian Prime Minister, or. as he is called. President of Council, it is very evident that the Austrian censor is deterruined that its importance is not to be magnified, by news of whatever may be said or done leaking through to the outside world. For the present we are brusquely shut off with the bare announcement of the name of his successor, and a repetition of the prosecuting counsel’s statement at the trial intended to corroborate the previous declarations received from Berlin that the crime was the act of a socialistic crank without any serious backing —a representation, by the way, which Austria scouted when she made the Archduke’s murder the pretext for war on Servia. If, by any chance, the act was hoped to precipitate any popular movement, we may be sure that Germany’s iron heel is at work crushing it down, and that we shall be allowed to hear as little as possible of the methods adopted. There are, however, those, apparently entitled to speak with some show of inner knowledge, who seem to think that the death of the aged Emperor, which has already been rumoured more than once, would be followed by a popular outbreak with the object of immediately waking terms with the conquering Allies. The war into which Austria has been dragged and has for two years carried on at fearful cost iti blood and money is not the people’s. Never throughout the two kingdoms was there displayed a measure of enthusiasm fur it approaching that which up to the turn of events on the Marne, at the moment when Paris was almost in sight, inflamed the Germans. The Emperor, miserable catspaw of the other Emperor, opened the war at dictation from Berlin by his attack on Sertia With him out of the way Austria and Hungary, it is suggested, may reasonably be expected to unite in demand for" deliverance of their countries from tbe devastation of a bloody conflict in which they have neither material nor sentimental concern. While this may possibly be the feeling among the composite population of common folk—and even on this no great reliance should be placed — Buren de Burian probably voiced the determination of official and military Austro-Hungary when, on the announcement of Rumania’s declaration of war. he said Austria is far from lying down as some arc hoping she will. It is true we would hail peace with joy, but not tbe sort of peace our enemies would impose on us. So long as we have to defend ourselves against those who want to take part of our territory we are natuarlly unwilling to discuss peace.” And, it may be noted that with regard to Rumania’s entry he said, whether with sincerity or not, that Austria was not taken by surprise by the declaration of war, but “what did fool her was that Rumania made up her mind too quickly.” There is no doubt but that the Dual Monarchy has suffered much more severely than has her senior partner, both from a military and an econimic point of view, She has thrown her man-power into the conflict with a reckless prodigality with which the human sacrifices of none of the other belligerents can compare, and which gives good grounds for the conclusion that her reserves are very much nearer exhaustion than are those of her big neighbour and ally. But, even so, it is by no means safe to conclude that Austria-Hungary as a fighting force has as yet come anywhere near the point of iinpotency, and, with the inexorable driving power of Germany behind, there is no reason for thinking that she will not be able to do very much still, at least to assist in deferring the end. This is the opinion of a correspondent, writing from (Switzerland, who says : “He who expects Austria to collapse is mistaken. She will not collapse, possibly because. Germany will not allow ner to do so,, possibly partly because of a cracked vessel lasting longest. A neutral who recently visited the Hapsburg Empire, and who is assuredly not disposed to depict matters there as any worse than they are, states that despite *outbs of is and men of 51 being called up. there seems no lack of agricultural labourers, and that whatever else, may be neglected, the culitvation of the soil is not. Both in Austria and in Hungary not a particle of available land is uncultivated.” The main difficulty which may face Germany in keeping her ally in the field, until the inevitable overtakes both, will probably lie in the jealousies which exist between the two members of the Monarchy, which have in reality little in common beyond, their Imperial head. Towards him, as the outcome of a reign over both extending back to within a few months of half a century, both have contracted a strong sentiment of personal loyalty, and although he is now but the shadow of a man, the memory of what he has been to, and done for, both still holds in check such forces of dissolution as are undoubtedly at work. Austria-Hungary is, in truth, neither a State nor a nation, but as it has been put, “a fortuitous collection of territories and nationalities, which have been held together hitherto partly by force and partly by concession, partly by cruelty and partly by deception, and possibly, in a maternal measure, by attachment to the Emperor.” The war has had the effect of arousing racial instincts all over Europe, and while the iron grip of Germany has so far succeeded in keeping together the many mutually repellent national factors in Austria-Hungary, it might possibly be that the dissolving ot any of the few internal cohesive elements would render even that outside compelling force ineffective. In the meantime, and if only for a brief

time, the successes against Rumania are likely to have some bracing effect on the Austro-Hungarian people, and especially upon the army itself. For the moment the Austro-Ger-man successes in the campaign of punishment" launched against Rumania are doubtless deemed sufficient to divert tbe minds of German citizens from the more vital significance or the failure to Hold up the AngM-I rench offensive on the So >im Lin uninj s Zeppelin flirt ’s Huiebnr foi tin turn be’ng leJatively inactive, the only recent refill m« to it hr mu i '.ugm stmn (< tridav th <t i squadion of tignt of the “sausage-ships ’ seen of the soutn'tedt i n coast ot Nuiixax »xas destined to take part in a naval battle reported by a Norwegian steamer as having occurred in the Arctic. This “battle,” according to an overnight message, resolves itself into a meeting, chance or sought for, between a Russian warship and a detachment of German submarines, probably those which we were told some days ago were operating off the Munnan coast in the neighbourhood of Russia’s new Arctic ice-free port. This later message says nothing of the participation pf Zeppelins in the engagement, so that it would look as if those seen off the Norwegian coast were employed on some other mission, possibly not altogether unrelated to the campaign of destruction which Germany is directing especially against Norwe-' gian merchant shipping, and which also assumes a punitive character on account of Norway’s demand that Germany should keep her submarines out of Norwegian waters. Germany “punishes” enemies and. little neutrals alike with supreme indifference and impartiality. America, the big neutral, from whom we are buying unnecessary motor-cars by the hundreds of thousands of pounds’ worth, takes no note of this. But she does make a great fuss about the British Navj r temporarily holding up parcel mail-bags to make sure they do. not contain contraband goods destined for our enemies.

AVe may feel fairly well assured, however, that, as soon as the pyrotechnic brilliancy of Mackensen’s and Falkenhayn’s attack on Rumania begin to lose the dazzling effect which the Kaiser seeks to give them, another air-raid against Britain will be organised. We are not so optimistic as to conclude that the rather heavy losses sustained by the Zeppelins during recent raids are likely to result in a cessation of those visits. Recent reports that Zeppelin ere as were refusing to take the risk involved in these raids are probably as wide of the mark as were the German statements that British seamen were refusing to go to sea on account of the submarine danger. Since the Zeppelins were brought to earth in England recently many people have been asking what Germany’s loss represented in bard cash. Owing to the strict secrecy observed in all matters pertaining to airship construction, it is, of course, difficult to obtain accurate information on this point. Lord Montagu of Beaulieu probably has a better knowledge of the subject than most people in England, and, in an article in the “Edinburgh Review” he points out that the public are apt to overestimate the monetary loss sustained by Germany on the destruction of a Zeppelin, “A Zeppelin of the newest type,” lie writes, “does not cost more than £125,000 ,or a good deel less than the cost of a firstclass destroyer. The number of men lost, even if they all perish, is infinitesimal, compared with the loss of those who may perish in a cruiser or even in a destroyer. Even if the Germans have lost, since the beginning of the war, twenty such ships the total loss in money would not be more than £2,500,000. though the trained men lost count for much more in the balance-sheet of war. Germany, moreover, is turning out these airships somewhere about the rate of three a month, and is making preparations to increase this output. Probably she has well over forty now available for naval and bombing purposes.” We can. therefore, expect to hear more of the Zeppelins before long.

The messages that have just come to hand tell us definitely that the Rumanians have been obliged to abandon and destroy the great Chernavoda bridge over the Danube, and have themselves retreated still further north. This sacrifice, which is isaid to have been dictated by the overpowering strength of the enemy’s long-range artillery, serves to emphasize the precarious position in which the Russo-Rumanian Army in Dobrudja has been placed. Several comforting suggestions are made in the cables with regard to the difficulties which face Mackensen’s so far victorious army, but it is impossible here to say how far these should be accepted. Military strategy will not, of course, brook of any interference on the score of cost, and there may be some deep-laid plan at the back of the destruction oi so expensive a work and of our Allies’ retirement. But, so far as the ordinary mind can judge from the crude and naked facts communicated to ns, there seems little evidence of the retreat having been anything else than purely compulsory, nor, as yet, do the Russian troops which were said to have been “pouring” into Rumania appear to have materialised on the southern fighting area. However, the Russian High Command—and it may be assumed that it is in control in Rumania—has given us every good reason for implicit faith in its capabilities, and we are quite justified in regarding the Rumanian rebuff as merely an incident in the general give-and-take inseparable from so huge a field, or so many fields, of operation. The main purpose now in the Dobrudja will be to prevent Mackensen’s army from effecting any crossing of the Danube in force with a view to its junctioning with Falkenhayn’s army striving to come across from the north, and so cutting off the western part .of Rumania from contact with Russian relief. With regard to Falkenhayn’s movements the messages are by no means clear, but it would appear that, at the worst, he has been able to make no further substantial progress, and it may be hoped that the bulk of the reported Russian reinforcements has been devoted to the task of holding him back. Mr. Lloyd George’s answer to questions in the House of Commons, and the Czar’s assurance that all _ Russia’s resources will be made available for Rumania’s salvation, as well as the, transference of the seat of Government to the Russian town of Odessa, cannot fail to impress us that there are serious apprehensions with reference to the immediate future. Although we need have no grave doubts as to the eventual military outcome. some anxiety must be induced by the knowledge of the methods adopted by a victorious army of modern Huns in occupation of an enemy’s country.

There is to-day, up to the time ot writing, no news from any of the other fronts which offers any serious distraction from contemplation of the development of events in the Rumanian campaigns. General Brusiloff is still awaiting some definite issue to the intense and persistent struggle that has been in progress so long in Volbvnia and Gain <a btfoit he makes anv icpoit ana the onlv <k dm tion to b< made item the icl'tm silencr with itgaid to thes C trout, is th it had the -Yustro-Germans gained anv definite, iun it onh tcmpoiaix udvantagt xc -hould hxxe hfr’id mui h iiiok >f i‘ foi Biihn must bt anxious to make the most ot whatexcr smcex, rnav be coming to the Central Poxvers. The position on the boinnie 13 virtually unchanged so far as is disclosed bv anv news reaching us to-day. but the 1-rencn nave effectea some little further progress at Verdun, where continued German coun-ter-attacks on their new position have been unavailing. Salonika provides no special incident to note, end Italy merely speaks ofthe “recovery of certain points” o! whose loss we had apparently not been apprised. Possibly the general atmosphere of reticence may portend some big events in contemplation.