NOTES ON THE CABLES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16292, 27 January 1915, Page 5

NOTES ON THE CABLES

By Shhapnel. THE NAVAL BATTLE. The Blucher, -which was sunk in the latest naval engagement, can hardly be said to belong to tiie class of German buttle cruisers to which belong the Von dor Tann, the Aloltke (sister 01 the Goeben), the Seydiitz, and the Derfflinger. The Lutzow belongs to the same class, but the knowledge of her completion has not yet been given to the world. Germany, in a companion with Great Britain, is very poorly supplied with armoured cruisers or cruisers of the Dreadnought type. The Blucher can not be said to belong to the latter type as her armour and guns fall below those of the Dreadnought class of cruisers. The Germans laid down the Blucher in ISO 6, and completed her in 1908. She was an answer to Great Britain's proposed construction of the Indomitable ; but Germany's secret agents wero badly informed as to the plans for the construction of vessels of the Indomitable and Invincible class. They reported that, the vessels would have a displacement of a little over 15.000 tons, and that the basis of their armament would be the uniformity of their guns. They expected that the arrangement of the guns on the British vessels would be on a par -with those of the weight and calibre of metal on the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau.

The Blucher was and afloat as part of the German navy in 1909, carrying 12 B.2in guns tnd eight quick-firing 5.9 in guns. \Vhen the particulars of the Indomitable came out, and it was found that her displacement was 17,250 tons the Germans received a surprise; but the construction of the Blucher was so far finished that it was too late to reconsider the design. Count Reventlow, an eminent naval authority, admitted that Germany had been outwitted and urged the Germans not to be mere copyists of Great Britain in naval design. The ship cost Germany over 1| millions, and the error in construction and designed epeed has led to her taking a long rest at the bottom of tjie North Sea. She was inferior both in power and speed to her British contemperoraries. Her speed was about two knots less than that of her consorts. They escaped because their speed was on a par with that of the British pursuers. They escaped, but not without damage, while the Blucher received the first salvoes in a stern chase as the speedier British battle cruisers came within range. The vessel had no chance against the hard hitting power of the big 13.5-inch guns of the Lion and the other British vessels. They settled the Blucher in passing, and continued the chase of the speedier German vessels until they reached the safety of the Heligoland mine defences. The light cruiser flotilla evidently continued the chase of the German lighter vessels, and engaged them to the north of the Freisian Islands. Commodore Tvrwhitt commanded this section of the British fleet, and his reports will have to be awaited before the result of this fighting is known. That the gallant Arethusa is amongst the combatants may be an augury for the best when the news does come. If the results are not satisfactory it will not bo for the lack of pluck and enterprise. THE RAIDS A SIGN OF IMPOTENCE. Many reasons'have been assigned for this new attack which has been so ably frustrated. It has been said that the raid was designed to satisfy German hate, which has developed into unreasoning frenzy. Another statement is that it was the intention to do something that would be a pleasant greeting to the Kaiser on his birthday. These may have teen helping factors; but probably the real cause of these attempts is the fact that Great Britain has a million men almost ready for the front, and the Germans fear the result of these men landing in France. They recognise the quality of the British fighting men, and they know that thoy have paid very dearly in numbers to the contemptible little British army that they have alrcadv met The Germans must realise that the lii.king of these new British forces with the men whom France is bringing into line will ring the knell of the occupation of France and Belgium. These attacks and the appointment of Prince Otto as the new King of Belguim are all part and parcel of a bluff to screen their own weakening power. AUSTRIA AND HUNGARY GERMANISED. All news from the Dual Monarchy points to the existence there of a very eerious :-iate of affairs. Suffering and a long series, of defeats have brought enlightenment to the Austrians and Hungarians. An Austrian paper, in sheer disgust at the unhappy position of its country, revealed in true colours the German plot which was to Germanise the whole of Central Europe to the shore? of the Sea and the Dardanelles. The eastern shore of the Adriatic was to bo Germanised down to the Straits of Otranto. Scrvia wai? to be blotted out. and her r;i. ; lway. which leads to the Near East, was to 1)0' seized for the purpose of strengthening Germany's position in Asiatio Turkey. A new railway was to be constructed to the jEjrean. Further, it was un-. doubtrdly the intention of Germany to seize Salonika, which port was to be used as a naval base to control the ./Korean Sea. and the Levantine portion of the Mediterranean, wiv'lo the Adriatic was to be used as a naval ba.'se for cutting the Mediterranean into two spheres of control. The Greeks, however, forestalled this plan. Thof.p were the purposes of the war if it could be brought to a successful issue. Austria sees that the nlot is over, and that she is in an inextricable mess. Her people are svd to bo'starving and to be enraged against the Germans. She cannot fit out any new levies, and she sees the Hungarians so disaffected that they want either to withdraw from th" war or to declare their independence. The Austrian*: and Hungarians are alive to the fact that Prussian officers are now the true rulers of the Austrian Empire. The resignation of the Austrian. Premier has probably been induced by German influence and arrogance in the management of Austrian affairs. The quarrel of Count Tisza with the Austrians at Bill Plata ifi prohahly due to the same cause. The removal of Austrian troops to France imd Belgium and the replacing of them by G'-rman troops is a shrewd mov<» on the part of the German authorities to keep Aurtrta, "■» *±>e conflict. With tho Austrian and Hun- I

gariim armies away on the fighting lines, and German officer.} and soldiers in the centre of I In- umpire, the Germans will soon suppress any attempts of tho populace to compel the. Antrum authorities to close down on tho war which they so rashly brought into being. The Germans feir that, the entry of Rumania into the conflict would be tho last titraw to Austria, and there can be little douht that the Hungarians recognise that it would be greatly to their interest to mako peace before they lose Transylvania to Rumania. By their actions in Austria tho Germane show that they have no intention of letting the grass grow under their feet, and of so having to let go their hold on Turkey and Asia Minor. The withdrawal of Austria, and even of Hungary alone, from tho struggle would cut off the German communications with the near east. The whole proceedings of the Germans in tliat, part of the world indicate that so far they are not very much humbled, and that they have hope of continuing the war for a long time, in this case their actions are not those of make-believe, but a recognition that they must put Austria and her resources to the best use against the Russians, and for the purpose of keeping a strong hand on tho road to tho rich fields of Asia Minor and the strategic position of the Bosphorus and that afforded by the possession of Syria and the Valley of Mesopotamia. Germany will fight long before she will release the hold she has obtained on the Turkish possessions. The talons and boak of the German eagle have sunk deep into Turkey. The prize is great, and has been long besought and plotted for. Germany must, however, recognise that tho inveigling of Turkey into tho war was u huge blunder, and that unkss she can wear out her opponents on each side of her Russia will take Constantinople and Great Britain will take the Euphrates Valley and Syria, while France will also claim a part. At present Austrian sovereignity bids fair to become only a memory. THE AUSTRO-ITALIAN TROUBLES. Seventy-two thousand Germans in Italy are said to have received orders to quit as soon as possible. This news, if true, is perhaps the strangest and most important that has lately appeared in tho cablegrams. The considerations that nrompt the recall of Germans from Italy mutt be momentous. The German reading of the Italian temper tells them, that Italy is about to enter the conflict. This means that German diplomacy has again failed to secure a suitable understanding. There must be some tremendous interest at stake, for Germany will lose a groat inlet for contraband of war and other materials if Italy enters tho arena of war. Some Italian merchants will also be exceedingly sorry if their desire for gold is greater than their patriotism; but hero let it be said that the Italian nature is intensely patriotic, and the Italian people are very intelligent. The leading people of Italy can see that their countty never had such a chanco to become once more a great leading nation in Europe. Concomitantly with the downfall of Austria's power that of Italymust go up. She must become the controlling influence in the Adriatic, and share with Britain and France the control of the Mediterranean, to which her position entitles her. Any domination of tho Adriatic or the JEgean Sea by Austria and Germany would means tho deviation from Italy of much eastern trade that reaches Central Europe. Italy sees that if Germany, by any mischance, should be successful, Austria would become as much part of the German confederation as Saxony and Bavaria have become, and that her chance of obtaining the lost provinces on the north-east, Trentino, in the Tyrol. Istria, Carinthia, and Dalmatia would be lost for ever. The Irridentists are no doubt working every possible lever to see their long-cherished hopes realised, and they recognise that not a day is to be lost. The diplomacy which has defeated the German agents has no doubt received much assistance from Irridentista.and tho Garibaldians. To reiterate, Germany must have received a shock from Italy, and it is her intention to garrison Istria, Trieste, and Pola with German troops. THE SPECTATOR NEEDS SPECTACLES. The Spectator expresses alarm at the way in which the United States and Great Britain uie drifting into collision. There really seems to be not the slightest chanco of such a collision. The American people of British descent are prouder to-day of their ancestral ties than they ever were since the War of Independence. All the leading papers are on the side of the British. All the foreign element in the United States, except the German citizens, arc favourable to the Allies. A large percentage of the population recognise the noble fight Britain is putting up for democracy against a huge and powerful military bureaucracy with the Kaiser at its head. The.y see the proudest blood of England, the finest men of the British middle class, wealthy and leisured, and members of her greatest professional classes fighting as comrades side by side with the regular soldier, sharing his dangers, sinking all distinction, and proud to be associated with him. Such a spectacle is one that appeals to the American spirit and whatever attempts the great trusts and the German agitators may make will need no exposition to intelligent Americans from Britain's side. As their enlightened politicians have shown since the day when Theodore Roosevelt was elected President, tho American people are even, if Britain just now is in danger from the great American dollar corporations, quite alive to what tho majority of tho American people have suffered through the control by these corporations of the food and business channels, ' There is a strange and anomalous state of affairs that is in the balance against the fears of the Spectator. The Germans who wish to trade with the United States aro blaming the United States for trading with the Allies. They cannot get their own way. The might lies with Britain's command of the sea, and, as tho Germans are the unblushing expo Ants of the dictum " might is right," they should be proud to see that England is Germanised to that extent. The Americans certainly in this respect will re cognise the justice of Britain's position. The Spectator is hastily' judging by appearances. '