THE WAR.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 9873, 14 August 1914, Page 6

THE WAR.

MOBILISATION CAMP.

WORK COMMENCES ON FRIDAY.

Preparation* ana now in an advanoed ■tare for: the mobilisation camp at Awapuni. bo scon as all the men and theii? officers have arrived work will osmmence in earnest on a proper war footing. It will be a somewhat hovel experience for the territorials after the easier conditions of the annual camps. It is expected that all regiments will be under canvas by Tueedav, and ac av© work Will commence then. Troops are arriving dailv, and uniformed ini-rf- are a familiar feature in Palmerston's "streets'.' Troops which have so far arrived ar.3 :

... itegirnent. .. . - Officers. Men! 2nd Mounter Riles (Taranaki)... 1 17 6ih Mounted Rifles (Manawatu) 5 54 9th Mounted Rifles (Napier) ... 1 26 11 fh Regiment (Taranaki) ... 17'hf Regiment (Masterton) ... 3 .63 Signal Corps (Pahiatua) ... . ... Total 10 303 Capt. Wilkie (Reserve of Officers), Quartermaster, Wellington Mounted Rifles Regiment, has also arrived in camp. The Y.M.C.A. will have a tent at the. racecourse to supply reading matter for the men, and wi* be pleased to receive periodical*, .and magazines: These can be left at the "Standard" office.

Mr Ryan, social services expert for the Y.M.C.A., who is well known to territorials, will have charge of the tent.

DEFENCE DEPARTMENT'S LIST.

The following additional gifts have been made to the Defence Office:— Mr John Waughj sack of carrots. Mr Weston, Ohingaiti, 5 sacks carrots, 9 sacks oats. Mrs J. Coradine, Mayoress of Masterton, a complete outfit for the Masterton members of the Army Service and Medical Corps to leave. Messrs Sylverston and Meredith, Masterton, have offered the use of motor cycles.

The Heretaunga Co-operative Dairy Co.. Hastings. £IOO wortn of butter.

Mr T. Talbot, Napier, truck of chaff, free on rails, Hastings.

MEETING AT RONGOTEA

A "patriotic meeting of townspeople and farmers will bo held in the Coronation Hall to-morrow night, to maka plans for the collection of donations to the War Fund. Arrangements have been made to transmit the latest war news to the meeting, the postmaster at Rongotea having kindly agreed to keep the office open for the purpoae.

FARMERS PATRIOTIC FUND.

The following donations to the Farmers* Patriotic Fund Were collected at yesterday's meeting:—J. Linklater £SO, A. Rutledge £25, A. Davidson £25, Cellff'Bros. £lO 10b, S. W. Mitchell £5 ss, L. R. Bryant £5 ss, J. Balsillie £5 ss, Pw Mildon £5. J. Wiloock £5, Rarer* Farmer £5, W. H. Morris £3 3s, R. H. Hopkirk £3, Mr and Mrs W. Thomson £2 2s, J. T. Rodgereon, £2 2a, E. J. Kaight £2, C. Hall £l, J. A. McLeavev £1 (per month), D. Biick and Son 1 artillery horse, A. J. Gallichan 1 horse, Barraud and Abraham 100 sacks bats, J. Wingate 18 tons hay, J. Ryman 7 tons hay, D. Speedy 1 ton chaff, R. D. Knight artillery horse. Farmers willing to contribute either in cash or produce are requested to send in same to W. Hunter, Secretary Farmers' Union, and any farmer willing to sell or donate horses enitablo for artillery purposes art urged to send word to Mr Fleming, Stock Inspeetor, as these are urgently required. A meeting of farmers in connection wich this movement was held at Feildir.g to-day. GERMAN RESERVISTS SENT TO WELLINGTON.

Two more German reservists were br u; .;ht to Palmerston North from New Plymouth yesterday afternoori. The men were placed in the local lock-up and

tak'-n this morning to Wellington along v;ib the or tiers who had been confined i?> i'.dmerstc n North. The men, eleven in all. were taken down by the 7 a.m. train by an v rined escort from the camp 9* Awapun under Lieut. Lee.

VARIOUS ITEMS.

(By Electric Telegbaph—Copyright.). (Per Pbesß Association.) PARIS, Aug. 12. It is reported that, the steamer Bayem took refuge at Pozzuoli when there were reports that tt» i Goe en and the Breslau were searching lor foreign steamers in the Dardanelles. BOMBAY, Aug. 12. The native magnates are firm and hare given £7OOO towards a field hospital.

AMSTERDAM, Aug. 12. It is reported that two German airmen have been caught at Namur (the Belgian fortress). LONDON, Aug. 13. Significance is attached to the Admiralty's statement that permission has now been given for coal shipments from Britain to Norway and Italy. PARIS, Aug. 12. Madame Poincare (wife of the President), who s a trained nurse, is leading Frenchwomen in enthusiastic efforts for alleviation of distress.

PEKIN, Aug. 12. Shipping has resumed sailings to and from north of Hong Kong. BUENOS AIRES, Aug. 13. Th« Banks have re-opened. Received August 14, 9J.0 a.m. j PARIS, Aug. 13. Th* Government has decided to guarantee insurance on ships where war risks are paid. LISBON, Aug. 13. Ab Anglo-Portuguese treaty of commerce hb been signed.

GERMANY'S CORN SHORTAGE.

WAITING FOR HARVEST.

The Berlin correspondent of the Economist, in a letter printed on June 13, said: "On July 1 the firet official census of corn supplies throughout the empire is to be taken, as ft basis on which to judge the difficult question of food in war time- In recent years the export of German corn has rapidly increaled. It has been particularly great during the last 12 months, and there is every prospect of a marked shortage within the next few weeks, should there be any delay in the harvests. It will be found, in all probability, that on Jitly 1 there i« hardly more corn in the country, both homo and foreign, than would be consumed in one or two months at the most. An important factor ip the problem is the great charigt which has "taken place during the last 15 years or so in the milling industry. Almost all the small mills, formerly scattered ©vfr the whole country, have now beeni swept away and replaced by large milling concerns, concentrated for the most part in ths large ports. These few large mills 0 keep Mpthing like the total supply of grain formerly kept by the multitude of smaller rivals. Iri addition, their concentration on the coast makes the distribution of supplies over the whole country far more difficult during time of war. For the great part theS.lSr&e concerns depend for their supplies pn foreign corn, which would cease at once in case of blockade, or, as is possible, even on' the outbreak of war. The corn tratkf busies itself now for the greater part with dealing in fodder, and with the export of native corn. Corn supplies in any quarrti-v are no longer kept, since the small oonfurrfrrs no longer exist. The, result is that between May and. August comes a period which, in case of war, might prove critical. There are many suggestions to remedy the evil. One of those most ofton vr<?eJ i? that the Government itself should collect supplier. A reserve of about lj million tons, two-thirds rye and one-third wheat, Sfith the proper arrangements for distribntiba "ioiiH it is calculated, enable the /roumw out over these critical •* ttat montluV How fu those precaution*

ar« nsoomury will b* raad* cUa* by the tftxning census, in which homeSbd forsqfrn corn are to be treated separately. It mar be added that the ftfcater part of Germany "a foreign supplsea, both of cdra and fodder, is drawn from Russia." > GERMANY IN PACIFIC. I POLICY NAVAL BASE. For many years Germany has been steadily pursuing a policy of expansion in the Pacific. This is one phase of her ambitions dreamsof a colonial Empire. To eetiafalttfa thi» Empire Gerfciany for many years has spent over two millions annually. And, as the revenue from her cornier in Africa and' the Pacific only atnoiint to about half a million, the annual loss is roughly £1,500,000. German colonisation in the Pacific is | a thing of recent growth. Prior to 1870 j German interests were practically confined to the Fatherland. In 187SHti big firm of German merchants failed, ana their interests in the JP&cific were about to be taken over by Baring Bros., of London. But Bisinark saw that this would inevitably mean that England woukl secure the German interests in Samoa and other islands. So the German Commeftial and Plantation Association of tfjeSouthern Seas was formed, and the Iron Chaneeller became the champion of colonial expansion. Huge slices of territory were acquired l in Africa, and many islands in the Pacific. Millions were spent by the German people, but so far they have not reaped a pecuniary reward commensurate with the outlay.

A glance at the map of the Pacific,; excluding the East Indieß, shows that Great Britain—in spite of her apathy in recent years—still has a big share of the islands. But there is no gainsaying the advances which Germany has made. Starting from the Ladrones,. or Marianne Islands, with the exception of Guam, which is American, Germany controls a tremendous area of Melanesia and Polynesia. The whole of the colonies are under the flag of the Fatherland ; then farther south are New Britain, New Ireland, and hundreds of smaller islands round these two groups, and known as the Bismarck Archipelago. Then there is the north-east portion of New Guinea; farther east are the Solomon Islands, the southern portion of which belongs to Great Britain, but the two northern islands, Bougainville and Buka, with some of the adjacent islets, belong to Germany. Northeast again are the Marshall Islands, which belong entirely" to Germany, and a few isolated islands like Nauru (Pleasant Island). South-east again is Samoa, which is mainly German, though America owns Tutula (Pago Pago). To Australians the chief point of toterest in the German possessions is New Britain, for here the great naval base of Simpson-hafen was recently established at a cost of thousands of pounds. Quietly, under the guise of mercantile expansion, Germany expeditiously and successfully a few years ago built up this naval base, right within striking distance of Torres Straits, where all lines between Australia and the East converge. Simpson-hafen is on a peninsula of Blanche Bay, at Malupi. It is commanded by highlands of volcanic origin, and is an ideal site for a naval base. The wharf is 1000 ft long, with spacious warehouses costing £40,000. The wharf is larger than any in Australia, and is equal to the needs of a city of 100,000 people. But there is 110 trade and few people at Simpson-hafen. The port of Herbertshohe is only 10 miles away. When operations first commenced the island traders were puzzled at the scheme. They wondered where the huge shipments of timber and stores were going.

WAR ITEMS

"Beating them wrtfi the' flat ©C*the-s*ord ! D—cl conscripts!" said the Colonel of the Ghurka regiment in "The Drums of the Fore and Aft," as he matched the officers of the broken English regiment trying to rally their men after the murderous Pathan charge. English prejudice spoke* there, but poihaps he had in mind the fact that during the war of 1870 at times Germany infantry had to be pushed on by their officers to the charge just as according to a message published to-day, the German columns were driven forward to the assault or. the Liege fort. Finely as the Germans fought at Gravelotte in 1870, it, is said that many soldiers hung back from the charge under the cover of tree trunks, and that soma officers had to use their swords to drive their men in to the attack.