NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16265, 26 June 1916, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

THE ST. LAWRENCE BRIDGE.

THE MESOPOTAMIAN CAMPAIGN. The circumstances under which the Mesopotamian campaign was developed are typical of the policy of drift. When in November, 191", Lord Hardinge, with the concurrence of the Home Government, | began operations in Mesopotamia, his in- [ tentions were clearly of the most modest kind. With a single division he seized the important Turkish seaport of Basra, saved the Admiralty oil refineries on Abadan Island from destruction, and cut off the Turks from access to the Persian Gulf. He went himself to Basra, and to the advanced base at Kurna, 60 miles further up the river, in the following February. Had the operations stopped at that point, as wa s originally intended, says the London Times, British interests would have been sufficiently served, and the subsequent unfortunate complications would not have arisen. Never was there a more mournful example of the way in which a little overseas expedition is liable to develop into a great and costly campaign. Fresh bodies of Turks and Arabs began to collect at widely separated points of the Euphrates, the Tigris, and in the neighbourhood of the Karun River. The area was in no sense a decisive one, and the risks were obviously great. But though we should never have left the districts accessible to sea transport, the Mesopotamian force was increased to an army corps, which before very long was waging three minor campaigns at the three points of a triangle. The command in Mesopotamia had meanwhile passed to LieutenantGeneral Sir John Eccles Nixon, and under his direction General Townshend advanced in September to Kut-el-Amara.

The end of this year will see, if present anticipations are realised, the completion of a notable Canadian engineering workthe great bridge which is being constructed over the St. Lawrence River eight miles above Quebec, to enable the National Transcontinental Railway to reach the maritime provinces. It is a, structure of mammoth proportion*?, and the first attempt to raise it gained notoriety for the enterprise by ending in calamitous failure. The second attempt is redeeming the mistakes of the past, and promises to achieve lasting fame as a brilliant su<x:esss. The construction of the bridge was first undertaken by a private company, with a subsidy from the Canadian Government, authorised in 3899, the actual work being done by an American bridge company. One of the greatest disasters of engineering history was when, this initial venture collapsed! on August 29,

1907,- carrying, with it over eighty engineers and workmen. The Government then took over the responsibilities of the bridge company, and, after a Royal Commission had investigated the failure, appointed a board of three eminent engineers to prepare a design for a new structure Tenders were invited for'the new bridge in June, 1910. In response 35 different propositions were submitted from engineers in Great Britain, the United States, Germany, atid Canada. After long consideration and consultation with advisory engineers, the board finally recommended the acceptance of the design submitted by a company formed especially for this work by two leading Canadian companies. The bridge is of special interest to engineers and to lovers of new records, as it will boast of the longest clear span in the world. Its centre span will liavo a length of 1800 ft, or 90ft more than the longest single span of the famous Forth Bridge, which has hitherto held the honour. Like the Forth Bridge, it is built on te cantilever principle. Its total length will be 3239 ft. or about three-fifths of a mile. For a length of 760 ft over the channel of the river the bridge will have a clear height of 150 ft over high-water level, and it will thus allow the passage of the largest vessels. The width of the bridge will be 88ft, and it will comprise a double-track railway and two sidewalks for foot passengers. FOOD SHORTAGE IN ROUMANIA. The correspondent of the London Daily Telegraph describing conditions in Bucharest, says :The discontent due to the increased cost »f living increases daily. There is lack in particular of meat, poul try, eggs, fat, and certain qualities of grain and flour. This is due to the great amount of smuggling being carried on by German agents, with the connivance of bribed guards at the frontier. M. Taki» Jonescu moved in the Chamber to have a Parliamentary inquiry to fix responsibility for the smuggling traffic. The Home Secretary, M. Mortzun, admitted that there was a great traffic in contraband goods, but opposed the idea of an inquiry by Parliament at the present time. The Chamber thereupon requested the Ministry for Justice to institute a judicial inquiry. The danger of a popular outbreak is not to be excluded because there is serious discontent. The Government will have to take urgent and energetic measures to deal with holders of monopolies and to stop smuggling. Several Bills with this object have already been adopted. A law has b,een passed preventing increase of rents.