WAR NOTES.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XLVII, Issue 13050, 12 January 1917, Page 1

WAR NOTES.

About a. month ago the German statistics of the 1915 grain and potato crops were published. The figures were similar in some respects to those given in Wednesday's paper as having reached the Motherland via Amsterdam. That, message says: "Bread l is fairly plentiful. The crop of wheat and rye is estimated at 1,500.000 tons better than 1915, and the barley and oat crops are 3,500,000 tons better." This as it stands would give Germany a considerable surplus of foodstuffs over 1915, but itwould) be erroneous to suppose that this is the whole of the story, • for all mention is omitted of the potato crop, and. as this is now the staple article of diet in Germany it is necessary that it should be taken into -consideration, in estimating how the Germans stand relative to the approximate Quantity of food available till the harvest of 1917 is garnered. In 1915 tlio potato crop totalled 1 50,000,000 tons, and in. 1916 20,000,000 tons. This shows a d'efii'it of 30,000,000, and' herein lies'~the weakness of the German food position. The statistics of a month ago gave the surplus of cereals over 1915 as 3,500,000 tons, but if the deficiency of 30,000,000 tons of potatoes is 6et against the cereal surplus there is a decided shortage of food in the Fatherland, and it. is" this shortage that- forms the basis of the cable, message in Wednesday's) paper. Nor is this .all. Germany was never a self-contained country in respect to its foodstuffs. It had! to import largely from Roumania and Russia to balance the deficiency in .its own supplies, but as both countries are now at war with the Central Powers the quantity that came from them is not now available. Up till the declaration of war with Ronmania that country supplied both Germany and Austria with large quantities of grain, and it is only now that the cessation is beginning to tell. It is quite obvious that the Roumanians destroyed as much of their grain as possible as the army of invasion pushed them back; °a£ all events, the Central Powers have admitted this, and Russian news confirms the statement. The people of Austria were told particularly that they conld' not look for much relief from Roumania, and this .information is emphasised by the news that the Quadruple Alliance have only enough food' to last for three month:-:, and this, too, on a restricted daily allowance. Germany and Austria are 'without fertilisers, and soil that is> continually being cropped will not .give the tistial return without stimulants. Every acre of Germany is being used, to provide food, but for the reason stated the soil will not respond.

The Gorman nation is shrinking. So says Dr Rosen, a food specialist, of Berlin, who seems to think it is a good thing for those who were troubled' with gout audi corpulence. The German was always a copious feeder, but now, like the historic Red Indian, he will hare to pull in his* belt, and let imagination <lo wliat it can in impressing on him •the belief that lie has had a hearty meal. Dr Rosen says emaciation is pretty general. especially in the towns', but it is seldom accompanied by weakness. I*i> (or is it down) to a certain point this may be physically what bas taken place, but there is a- limit to what a human being can subsist on, arid -if the ponderous German is dwindling out of his gout and corpulence ho may pass into the shadow of bis former self, and then —pass out altogether. Dr Rosen takes the most cheerful view of tho situation, but that view may not be shared in by the bulk of those who ll;l ve fallen away in their avoirdupois till now. instead of being a steadier for an elephant, they are physically equipped to ride a four-furlong sprinter. Even the obese Hind'enbnrg is said to have "gone off" in weight, but his shrinkage may ha ve been caused by worry. He lias the whole weight of the Quadruple Alliance on his back, and while the Food Dictator will relieve him of the impossibility of surmounting the food problem, he lias not given the Germans the victory that was to come on the West or the Russian front. However, he lias partially made up for that in Roumaaiia, if ho can get out of that country as easily as he got in he will not have done so badly. The latter prcbl-om may be that which is giving him cause for alarm.

The story cabled ou Thursday in which Mr Philip Gibbs, the correspondenkjit the front for the Daily Chroni-the-extraordinary episode of an Anglo-Scottish raid' on the German trenches at Arras, reads so much like a fable that olio would be almost inclined' to disbelieve it were it not that it comes from sucli a trustworthy source. To penetrate to the third line of the German trenches on a 2000 yards' front, and meet with little or no opposition, would almost lead to the belief that the enemy had begun the operation of shortening his lines of defence, and only thinly holds those in the localities where he expects only raiding attacks. It would' he dangerous to hazard' ail-opinion as to the reason for the fact of the Germans not holding their lines in strength." but it may have been for a sinister purpose. An English officer is reported to have led a detachment through "No Man's Land" to the. third line, and, mounting the highest viewpoint, stood there observing the lay of the land, but- he saw no Germans. A Scottish officer had a .similar experience, and saw nonliving Germans. The question is", How far could' the raiding party havo gone before they came in contact with the Germans in force, <?r wore there any hut weak rear-guard's in the. trenches ?* The correspondent suggests that the enemy might have been holding his 'lines thinly with youths, antL_eaving his ammunition. If that were so the youths must have bolted early in the raid', for there were onh twenty British casualties, and a. few German dead were found in the trenches. The British had shelled the trenches before the raid was made, and the Germans were aware that an attack was imminent, yet they made 110 effort to meet it-,' and' were not in sight. It is one of the most peculiar episodes m tho whole history of trench warfare on the "West front. The Germans cannot afford to leave gaps in their defensive system, and the impression will be formed that they either had not the men to man the lines or had set a trap that failed fo go off.

A glimmer of light is thrown on what was. described' as the injudicious speech of Mr Gerard, the American Ambassador at Berlin. Mr Gerard said that the relations of America, and' Gernvuiy were never better, and lie remarked that while members of the present- German Cabinet and military and naval leaders lield office lie was certain t-liej would' continue so. . This statement- lias, brought Count Reventlow out of his shell, and ho asks for the recall of Mr Gerard. We can understand the reason way. Count Reventlow is "the apostle of ! 'f rightfulness,'' and the men mentioned by Mr Gerard are not. Mr Gerard' made his remarks in the interest of his conntrv, because he knew if the demand for Bethmann-Holhveg's resignation were given effect to Americawould he drawn.inio the war owing to the institution of a form of warfare that America, had -already warned Germany would lead 1 to the severance ior diplomatic relations. Count- Reventlow, ron Tii-pita and Herr Tallin are now clamoring for the dismissal of the present- German Government, because they I have made proposals of peace which Tveres rejected, -and'.if tlie rejection, is dofinite the Seventlows, ot- hoc genusomne, wi*?h to do all the harm tliev can before they go under. < MHJerard's remarks were therefore a warning ,to the German rteonle that if they changed their Government they might bring the. "United States in as a- belligerent, of, if not that, they -would' be unable to count on her friendly • offices.

The fibre of willow-rose is being used in Germany as a jute substitue for warbags. '