NOTES ON THE WAR.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17390, 30 January 1917, Page 4

NOTES ON THE WAR.

+ Whon tho effects of the absence of organisation in tho Russian food supply were dealt with in these columns a few days ago, the "Novo© Vremya's" statement that Mr M'Keuna had estimated that tho tax on war profits would produce £120,000,000 was corrected'. But although-tho Petrograd newspaper was at fault in crediting the British Chancellor with tho estimate it seems that the experience of tho operations of tho tax up to the end of November had led to forecasts in London, which placed the revenue from excess war profits not so far behind the expectations of the Russian journal. On November lo the amount collected by tho Imperial Treasury was £56,121,000, but by December 7 this sum had risen to £67,500,000, the week ending December 7 having produced over £5,000,000. These figures support tho prophecy, mado by the "Daily Chronicle" towards tho end of Novomber, that by the end of the financial year in March tho total revenue from the excess profits tax will have reached £110,000,000, or £24,000,000 in excess of the Imperial Chancellor's estimate in his Budget for 1910-17.

Protective measures against torpedo attacks have been under consideration ever since the torpedo was accepted as an effective weapon. Tho first system adopted was, of course, the use of heavy steel nets, but theso cannot be used if the vessel to be protected is moving with any speed. Tho long, heavy nets would retard the progress of the ship, and in rough weather would be of little value. They wore used for many years as a protection for stationary ships, though in tests in actual warfare they were not entirely successful. in oiivj

instance in tbe Chino-Japan war a netprotected warship was attacked at night. The torpedo struck tho net and forced it back towards the ship before bursting. Tho hea.y explosion near the side of the vessel was sufficient to start the plates, and the warship had to be beached hurriedly to prevent her sinking. Then came tho use of torpedoes with knives to cut a passago through the nets before exploding. far as is known, however, this system has not been tested In actual warfare, and tho not protection, too, has passed into the background since the arrival of the submarine. So far the best means of defence, against the submarines has been found in high speeds, and tho uso of tho raco from the propellers. But this form of defence is not possible in tho case of the merchant ships who are carrying the foodstuffs of the nation. Most of these travel at moderate speeds, and their powers of manoeuvre are strictly limited.

In view of the invention referred to in this morning's cable messages, au ingenious device evolved by an American engineer is interesting enough to be worth a few lines of description, though possibly ft is- more ingenious than practicable. This now device provides for the building up of a temporary wall, which will stop a torpedo approaching from any direction, and cause it to explode before reaching tho ship. Summing up tho whole thing roughly and shortly, this protective wall is to consist of a series of revolving discs, fired spinning out of specially constructed guns, twenty or thirty of them one after tho other, in such a manner that as they struck tho water they would form an almost continuous screen. This screen may bo imagined as in the form of, say, half a dozen rows of huge dinner plates, ono row underneath another, all spinning

at high speed, and tho whole series falling slowly and perpendicularly through tho water, parallel with the vessel's side. Tho discs would bo twenty-four inches in diameter, and two inches thick, but hollow, so that they are not much heavier than water. They would bo fired by compressed air out of rectangular barrels, and given their spin by contact, with a driving pulley as they left tho barrel. On account of their spin the discs would maintain the perpendicular position in which they left the, gun; this will be quite understandable by anyone who has tried to alter the angle of a spinning bicycle wheel. And, in this way, the gunners should be able, assuming the scheme to be practicable, to put a wall of steel plates in the track of an approaching torpedo, whose wake is always discernible as it comes.

Disclosures of an interesting nature concerning tho efforts of Germany to secure trade through Scandinavian neutrals were made in the British Prize Court in November last, during a caso involving the seizure of 185 metric tons of cocoa on the Danish steamer Baron Stirnblad. Tho cocoa was valued at £16,490. Counsel for the Crown said that the. recently-formed Cocoa War Company, Limited, of Ham burg, with its capital of two million marks, was a German Government in. stitution. Counsel went on to explain that Sweden's imports of cocoa had lately increased from 1692 to 15,800 tons. The affidavit of W. Fuller Smith, of tho War Trade Intelligence Department, employed on research into tho cocoa demand, stated that the effect of

the war had-beon to. cut off from Germany 44,'SAQ tons of the normal supply of 52,336 tons, or 85 per cent. The German Government had ordered tho strictest economy in the consumption of cocoa and its products. The formation of the War Cocoa Company look place in January last, and all the loading cocoa and chocolate manufacturers in Germany joined it.

"There was a serious shortage in Germany at the beginning of this year." the affidavit proceeded, "and In JMarch the price of cocoa was eight or nine times the London prices. In April it was reported that tho stocks were nearly exhausted. The inducements to tho neutrals to tranship these commodities to Germany were great. From August 1, 1911, to July 31, 1915, 1,'255,687 kilos of cocoa beans and 76,711 kilos of cocoa shells were exported from Sweden to Germany. Since tho beginning of tho year a constant traffic had taken place between Donmark and Sweden of cocoa and its products for immediate transhipment to Germany. This traffic gradually increased until in January, 1916, it, became the practice to ship cocoa beans on regular Danish shins to Gothenburg

and re-ship from, there to Germany." Counsel said the increased import would ration an army of a million and a half.