WAR SCARE

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8683, 17 March 1914, Page 5

WAR SCARE

RUSSO-GERMAN SITUATION

CONFERENCE OF RUSSIAN MINISTERS. P. 7 Telegraph—Press Association—CopyrlgUi ST. PETERSBURG, March 15. The Premier (M. Kokovtsoff), the Minister for War (General Sukhomlinoff), and the Minister for Foreign Affairs (M. Sazonoff) are conferring with sixty-five members of the Duma, including . members of the Military and Naval Budget Committees. The newspapers allege that the conference is connected with the RussoGerman situation, and hint that_ the Minister for War proposes a considerable increase in the army. AN INSPIRED ARTICLE. FOREIGN JOURNALISTS REBUKED. LONDON, March 15, An inspired article in the journal “Rossya” rebukes mischievous attempts by foreign journalists to sow discord between Russia and Germany, and remands them, of Germany’s refusal to accept any limitation of armaments. The writer recommends them to abstain from unfriendly attacks and unjust aspersions, INCREASE IN ARMAMENTS. “INITIATED BY GERMANY.” "Times” and Sydney "Sun” Services. LONDON, March 15. The St. Petersburg daily _ paper “Rietch” likens the anti-Prussian outburst in Germany to the campaign against France which preceded the opening of the Morocco question. M. Sazonoff, the Russian Minister for Foreign Affairs, interviewed, insisted that the increase in armaments was initiated by Germany. COUNT WITTE INTERVIEWED. BALKAN AFFAhTnOT DISPOSED OF. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyrishi BUDAPEST, March 15, Count Sergius Witte, member of the Council of Empire, in an interview in the newspaper “Azest,” says that the Balkan affair has not been disposed of. Only the first act has been played)' and the entr’acte may last years or months. The danger point is Roumania and Austria. Count Witte declares that Russia is not aggressively disposed towards Germany, hut the Freiioh Sentiments towards, the latter will always arouse doubt. The increase in armaments after the Balkan war was 1-emarkable. BELLICOSE UTTERANCES DISCOUNTENANCED. EXCITEMENT SUBSIDING. (Received March 16, 10.30 p.m.) VIENNA, Marfch 16. . The “Neue Freie Presse” states that the Austro-Hungarian Embassy in St. Petersburg is assured that authoritative qUahters entirely dissociate themselves from the bellicose Utterances of the Russian press and deny that these are justified. Prince Gagarin, in an interview with the “Tageblatt,” declares that Russo-German and Russo-Austrian relations ate excellent. Correspondents agree that the antiRussian excitement in Austria and Hungary iS subsiding, one writer remarking that this was possibly because they found they had already gone far enough.

RUSSIA’S AUGMENTED FORCES. SOCIALISTIC OPPOSITION. (Received March 16, 10.30 p.m.) ST. PETERSBURG, March 16, With a View to raising revenue to meet the impending increase of the peace effectiveness of the 1 army by 460,000 men, the Government is studying the proposed State monopoly of the oil wells and naphtha Works._ j It is understood that all parties in the Duma, except the Socialists, agfeeed to the necessity for an army and navy commensurate with population hud territory.

BRITAIN CROUCHING FOR AN ATTACK. “WAR, AT LATEST, IN 1916.” By Telegraph—Press A b*o elation—Copy right (Received March 16, 11.30 p.m.) BERLIN, March 10. Colonel Frohenius, in a pamphlet, alleges that Great Britain is crouching for an attack on Germany. Meanwhile, Russia and France are preparing. He predicts war, at latest, in the spring of 1916.