The North Otago Times. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1914. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

North Otago Times, Volume C, Issue 13135, 6 November 1914, Page 4

The North Otago Times. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1914. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

The Hussian ■ forces in Poland continue on their victorious ■•way. ' They have progressed.along tlio whole front' extending across Poland from Potrikii'a' to llic junction of Ilia, Vistula and tiib\ rivers on- the Oalieian frontier, the' Germans retiring boforo- tlio irresistible' weight of their advance. In Galici'a, too, and'on the frontier on-tlio.north' of East Prussia they have met-with successes.. Yesterday's .niossiigcs iiidi- 1 catdd that the Austro-Goriiiaii forces i;:-'' tended to.retire to: Silesia, and there acton the defensive, whilo the canV pnign in France and Belgium,'was being, pressed Jioine;''On present appearances tliey will have all their work cut out: to reach Silesia,-for the Hussian .Bight appears., to. have .developed, ity Enveloping liiovenieiit/'AWiich is liablo to cut ofrthc German lino of retreat to Silesia. •Tho i situation from the Allies' point of vjowiii wholly satisfactory; .Russia is now liioving in all her might -r'slowly, perhaps/ but it; shdtikl prove lin'csistibly.; V v .',■ .■ - ■*■■*■; ■;■■'■

Toi the moment TiiiliCj occupies the ccntio of inteicst, not so much because of niijtlnnjf that she might ilo hcisclf, hut because of the complication? which may nmo as the icsult of her |liiomiif[ j in hci lot with Geimfiny. The infoima itiou bo fur to hand is reassuuiig. The I fern Hint Hie MolinmniDilaus m India might be influenced by tlufact that thoJicad-of their ie]igious' Older is ar,laycd against Butani seems slight? The Vlceioy" 0/ liitlia." taken steps' 1 ' to hh the tme facts of the position fully ' oh ciliated anioiigsUU'classes in liidiji'/ 'ami,so far*tlib rtsultllias bcoiffiiiost' satisfaßoiy! t "Responsible', tlanV'lfifvjp Q\pielscil thcirsympthyi

wlmso Inclinations'hive bcciucgaiilcd lis soiueiyiat i uncertain, hap /Uhvi y do cjarci lici intention s to malutaiu,, nor,, neutrality, but nils'may'not Bible with a ucighboUi like, Tiiikdj, Tt bcpmLhoviO\ci, tliat despite hw <lifloi dice/ mill Stiviu, Bjilgunk is* moic likely to bo on "tho side of'tbo Entente tjmu onjthat of Gounau), bo aloo with Rumania. Italy still appeal s to be bal aucing, and it is impossible to toll nlmf/ of Government about to tako pjaco thoic will bang foilk. It is inconceivable that she could now as Gist tho Austio German Alliance, and 4 Turkish success would greatly mi peril hor recently acquned tcuilorylu Tijpoli Yet sho hesitates to join with tho EnUnto whero hci whole interests appear to lie Ihq truth is no doubt that she la not picpare dnnancially lor wai.

A modem battleship Co3tfl from £2,000,000 to £3,006,000, a cruder fiom 1300,0()0 to £500,000, and a laigo dc stioyer oi aubmarme appioximatol) 1100,000 Consequents, rcmaiks Mi Aleiandci Hurd m an aiticlo in tho loitnighth, fiom twenty to thntj sill marines can be obtained for tho puce ol a battleship of tho famihni Diead nought hpc Although this gient Jib panty m tost exists, and although much is hcaid of the menace of llio sub niaiiiic, llicio arc to dm moio Dicad noughts building limn bubmufiuM This is luio ol the Clicat Powers as woll as the lcssoi onc«, a\lio would jump at Hie possibility—il llieic woie such ut posst bililj—of seeming oafctj'ilicaph b\ coiisliucting biibniauiics The uuiboi i"< ilso being noglcilcd These significant fads pio\idn a commentni}, on tho ono h uid, upon the II urn that tht siilmiti mo the piunacy ol the hnh, mill, on tho othci, upon the cm icut agi tation in the BntJsli Dominions in fa\ otu oL iiuiscis to the pnctical cxolus ion of,nil consideration of the siiprcm.. I role of tho battleship as tho arbiter or. tho,high seas of national destinies, Qeriiiiiny, lias building or projected eleyea Drcadupugiits,, Austria six, Italy eight, Frnuifo' ton', Rn'ssia eleven, the United States eight, Japan four, Turkey three, Oliili two, Spain three and others of the 'smaller Powers; are acquiring these large units ; b'fiiiival warfare Can it be doubted, iii : face of''this-activity in the cdnstriictioii'' of arnioured aliips of the largest size iijid ; the grcatost power, that.tlio British Empire, consisting of n quarter of the habitable globe, and inhabited, by nearly 440,000,000 pcrsoiiH, i still requires battle fleets of 'commanding strength? : Throughout the whole world the consensus'of instructed-opin-ion holds that sea command rests stjll with the battleship.