NOTES ON THE WAR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15717, 18 September 1914, Page 4

NOTES ON THE WAR.

GERMAN SOUTHWEST AFRICA.

To-d.at's cablegrams announce that a certain portion of German South-We&t Africa is to be occupied by British South African troops for stratcgK purposes. This German possession is bounded en the west by the Atlantic, on the north by Angola, on the south by the Cape province, and on the east by Bechnanaland and Rhodesia. It is the only German dependency in Africa suited to white colonisation. It has an area of about 322.450 square mles, and a. population of Bantu negroes and Hottentots estimated in 1003 at 200.000. The European inhabitants, in addition to the military, numbered 7110 in 1907, of whom the majority were German. As the result of wars with the natives, the native population greatly decreased. and the nuuher of adult native nules in the colony at the beginning of 1908 was officially estimated at 19.900, a figure indicating a total population of little more than 100.000. The northern part of the protectorate is known as Ova in - poland. the central portion as Daman, or Heiero Band, and the southern regions as Great Kamaqualand. The immigration of Germans to German South-West .Africa was encouraged by subsidies and in other ways. The chief industry is st'Kk-r.'.ising. Minerals, especially topper, are plentiful in the country. In 1903 the value of the exports was £168.560. and that of the imports £388,210. The war with the natives led to a great shrinkage of exports, rendering the figures for 1904-1907 useless for purposes of comparison. About 85 per cent, of the import* were from Germany. The territory was acquired by Germany during the chancellorship of Bismarck. In Namaqualand and Damaraland, British influence, exercised from Cape Colony, had lon» been strong, but the British Government had refused to annex the country, even when asked to do so by German mission--1 aries who laboured among the natives. In 1882. F. A. I*mJcrite, a Bremen tpbacoo

merchant, approached Bismarck on the question of establishing a trading station on the coast at Angra Pequena. The Chancellor, while not discouraging Luderitz, aoted with perfect fairness to Great Britain, and throughout 1883 that country might have acted had she known her mind She did not, and in the summer of 1884 Bismarck decided no longer to await her pleasure, and the south-west coast of Africa from the frontier of the Portuguese possessions to the Orange River, with- the exception of Wolfish Bay, was taken under German protection. During the same year Dr. Xachtig.il was despatched to (he wast coast and stealing a march on his British and French rivals he .veined not only Tog eland, but Cameroon for the Germans,

ITALIAN'S AN'D SLAVS IX TRIESTE. Trieste, the greatest port of. Austria, and one of the most important in Europe, lias frequently given rife, to acute AostroItalian controversies. Its population of 230.000 is to the extent of 75 per cent. Italian, but tho entire hinterland is over-

whelmingly Slavonic. Both race? iusiston I their supremacy and claim, each for itself, paramountry. It is the eternal problem I right through the Dual Monarchy. The Vienna Government, which elsewhere dis- ! pules tho rights of the Slavs to "selfI determination." at Trieste supports the Slavs against the Italians,. It was in this spirit that the Statthaltcr. Prince HohenI lohe, issued in November last the famous | decrees expelling all Italians who were subjects of the kingdom from the muniI cipal office*, and it was i" the same spirit I that the Slavs were permitted on May J 1 to parade the streets in a big crowd, j shouting: " Long live the Slav Trieste." j 1 he Slavonic demonstration was quickly rej sponded to by a similar demonstration on j tho part of tire Italians crying: "Long [live tho Italian Trieste!" and the two crowds soon came, to blows. The rival bands attacked each other with their instruments, revolvers, and even rifles were Boon produced and went off by themselves, and from all windows heavy missiles, including pieces of furnitare. began to bo thrown upon the heads of the Slav demonstrators by the gentle, but unfriendly hands of the Italian women. The police did not intervene seriously until things began to look too ugly, and then about a 100 men were dragged to the hospitals, and 200 militants were arrested. The sequel took place both at the Trieste City Council and in various cities in Italy. At the council each party accused the other < ot provocation, and wnen a Slavonic councillor began addressing the Italian in his native tongue a general fight ensued. I

BRITISH AND GERMAN' POWDER.

The subject of German and British naval guns and powder was recently dealt with by on American naval officer in a New York paper. The German Fleet is equipped solely with Krupp guns," he said. "Such a thing as a burst Krupp gun has never been known. There have been Krupp guns purposely fired to destruction, but guns using the charge." designed fo-.' them have not, it is declared, ever burst. This result is ascribed to the crucible nickel steel which Krupp invariably uses in ordnance. The German powder is excellent, and in comparison, with British powder is regarded generally as superior. There is little doubt imported Krupp guns can be expected to stand up under a longer fire than Woolwich guns. The British powder is very bard on gun rifling. This has long been known, but it is cheaper to continue the gnus as designed, make them in more plentiful quantities, perhaps, than resort to a change in powder phnts. This is the view that many leading British officers have long hold. There is no question that British powder is one of the- safe?t and best keeping powders in the world, and for this reason more than any other the British have held on to it. It is at the same time one of the hardest powders on guns that is known. It may not matter much where a preponderance of numbers asstucs a. short- action. In a long-sustained action powder characteristics may have a most appreciable bearing on the result, for guns are of little value, when they have lost their accuracy by reason of powder abrasions."

THE FIRM OF KRCFTP. With its collieries, its iron mine?, and its steel factories, its workshops of Essen and Magdeburg, its naval dockyards of Kiel with their 5000 engineer?, 60,000 workmen, and the 250.000 persons who owe their livelihood to it, the famous firm of Krupp represents the most powerful and modern industry in the service of destruction. Instead of great banks— which, by the way, have saved it more than once from disaster—it. boasts a sleeping partner and protector, none other than the Emperor of Germany. How does it happen that the head of the most aggressive military nation of the world should at the same time bo a shareholder in the largest gun-factory ? It happened in 1867. Bismarck, having defeated the Austrians at Sadowa, thought of making war on France. For that he needed a formidable artillery, and Krupp only could supply it. rni'ortnnatelv. the workshops at Essen were not fitted tip on a scale big enough to permit of their carrying out in two or three years the programme mapped out by Moltke: they would have to construe;, new'machines, increase the size of the buildings, and capital was lacking. In flir.se days the German banks had not the enormous credit they now possess, and the secret designs of Prussia could not he confided to foreign financiers. Then King William I. came to the rescue. He realised on his personal fortune 5,000,000 tlialcrs— 20.000,000 francs, or CSoo.ooo—which he lent to Krupp, whose partner he thus became. 'Die transaction was advantageous to both parties: three years later King William was crowned, at Wivaillcs, German Emperor. The Prussian victory was the most marvellous advertisement for steel guns. The whole world came to Essen for arms. The house of Krupp became the most powerful metailurgic firm in the world, and Emperor William 1., its sleeping partner. saw his 20,000.000 francs triple their value. TRIPOD MASTS. The first German warship to 1* fitted with the tripod mast, which is a familiar feature of the British battleship of the Dreadnought, class, was the armoured cruiser Blucher. German naval constructors have the reputation of being conservative as regards the, adoption of those innovations in warship design which the British Admiralty spring from time to time upon the naval world. Their first all-centre-line gunned ships are only just being completed, although America reintroduced the disposition in 1906 and Britain followed her lead with the Orion class. The 12in gun was only mounted when Britain had discarded it for the. 13.51 C, and her first 15in gunned ships are still on the storks. Torpodo-nets first appeared in the Nassau in 1909, after their utility had been proved for years; and now in such minor matters as rig she is tentatively following the British pattern of meeting.