EUROPEAN SITUATION.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume L, Issue 9001, 25 January 1906, Page 6

EUROPEAN SITUATION.

GERMAN"!* "PREPARING FOR EVEN-

TUALITIES."

DUT DESIROUS OF PEACE

EXPLANATION OF A BIG ORDER

FOR ROLLING STOCK.

(Per Mail Steamer at Auckland.)

'FRISCO SUMMARY.

BERLIN, January 3.

The. railway administration placed orders last week for 20,000 freight caxs at a cost of 50,000,000 marks, stipulating for delivery by the middle of February. Besides utilising the car works oi Germany, contracts were distributed among makers in Bdlgium, Holland, Switzerland, and Italy, which would not have been done unless some 'reasons for haste existed. Enquiries made regarding the Teasons for urgency resulted in obtaining a statement that the ordering of the cars was a precautionary measure, the general staff desiring to be ready to move troops if necessary by Ist of March*. - This is only a proper measure of prudence, it was asserted, in view of the extensive military preparations going on in Pranoe, which, among other dispositions,, include a movement towards the ' German frontier of six regiments of artillery, or 180 guns. The ordering of these- freight cars, each of ; which would accommodate forty, soldiers, . or would enable the authorities to transport material, is only owing to the French preparations, and must aiot be- taken to indicate any hostile. design on the- part of Germany, whose peaceful intentions remain unchanged. The step taken is due to the conviction long held and acted upon here that the best preservative 6t peace is complete preparedness for any. eventuality. The word "wax" is not used, because such word in itself would be a provocation, and every interest both in and j outside the Govrniment shrinks from such j a possibility, unless it be a small group of military men. , The- Government will probably regret the publication of this intelligence, but its transmission seams necessary to a proper understanding of the drift of . events, and shows how botli France and Germany are strengthening their diplomatic position on the eve of the Moroccan Conference by material preparations. No doubt exists that the French and German policies wiJI differ in the conference on the question of policing thq Morocco-Algerian frontier, and on some less important questions.