NOTES ON THE CABLES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16994, 3 May 1917, Page 6

NOTES ON THE CABLES.

By Shbapnzl.

PEACE KITES. Germany wants peaoo before the East is ...... lost. Heir von Bethmann-HolLweg is oxpocted to make a new pcaco offer in tho Reichstag this week. . 'lie policy of tho H/. Gorman Government of making porjodical peaoo offerings Is based on many objects, tho chief being to onablo Germany to corao out tho winner by referenoo to the war > . map of Europe. She occupies Belgium, tho most intensively industrialised country in Europe, and sho also holds the best manufacturing departments of Franco, ■ while Poland, though principally an agri- . cultural country, has coal, iron, and ooppcr, ,i, ita chief manufacturing town boing Lodz, r■' ■ The Russian provinces held by Germany between tho Dwina and East Prussia, though not tho most fertile in Russia, aro the. most advanced in tho direction of trado and agriculture, Austria, now said to be moving restlessly in tho shackles which Germany has put : upon her, is thoroughly Germanised as far ;V '•*' Austrian and Hungarian aristocracy i" 1 . concerned. Tho rulers aro the military , aristocracy which is divided into grades, tho ' highest boing that of the grand dukes, all : of whom are related in blood to tho Haps- . burgs. It is only by marriage with some impoverished military aristocrat that tho rich bourgeois oan obtain a footing in tho ( ruling classes. In ordier, however, to hold a

position of power it is neoessary for a.per- • son to show 16 quarterings on tho family escutcheon, eight on tho malo sido and . eight 'on the female. The casto lines arc will defined and .strict, and the dislike of democracy is as strong amongst tho ruling v - . classes as it is in Prussia, tho country which ~ designs to, smash democracies throughout v the world. In Hungary the noble are feudal military aristocrats, if successful, will perpetuate tho power and rule of tho nobles

in Austria and Hungary. Austria is, therefore, an appanage of Germany, and without ; ■ a revolution it is questionable 'whether, oven, with the assistance of the Emperor | Charles, tho people of Austria will be able v to. throw off tho paKtioo-aristocratio hold ' that (Germany has on Austria. Since Russia has become a republic and . tho Germanised reactionary rulo that had. its headquarters at Petrogradi, is gone for good, it is more than ever necessary for ■ v tho Prussian military and feudal bureaucrate to maintain its Austrian brotherhood's influence in the Dual Monarchy. The German "War Book" says that assassination is ■■■■.. justifiable, if it' is necessary in order to achieve military aims, and, as Austrian rulers are used to "removal" methods, another "removal" may be necessary if the Emperor Charles stands in the way of the aims 1 of Prussia.

Only by the help of Austria can Prussia i . maintain herself against the rising tide of dicmocracy. In order to maintain the posi- • tion of ascendancy the military bnreaucrats of both Empires must remain united and their aim must be to preserve the road , to tho oontrol of the Eastern Mediterranean and the great strategical' centre of tho Old World. That strategical centre is found in Asia Minor, Palestine, and Mesopotamia. German militarists sine© tho days of Bismarck andl Moltke havo recognised the strategical value of the Asiatic possessions

f of Turkey. Bismarck, land Moltke laid down the policy of "Drang nach Aston," and tho Kaiser and his diplomats have ;* . /stealdily followed tho policy. They axe, of course, mere copyists of Napoleon, who was the first European ruler'to point out

y x tho value that Palestine, Syria, and Meso,,\r potamia would strategically be to 'any aspir/jr- ;ing military .Power in Europe, i ; ' • Mermany would gladly retire from Belf' ~ gi\im, Franco, and Russia if she were '<y allowed to retain the road through Serbia and Bulgaria to the Middle East, obtain protectorate over the Turkish dominions, fc/. retain her Turkish prospccts, and escape ¥. [ . indemnities. Sho would give tip Alsace and, • . Lorraine to France after she had thoroughly - . depopulated those provinces of their vigor- • ous manhood and male children. Her oon- . quests in Belgium and Franco threaten tho

British Empire at tho. fountain head, both

■ commercially and strategically from a milii tary and a naval-point of view. In tho same direction Germany's extension of her

rule over the Middle East would enable

,her in time.to strangle the world. It would be a world calamity if any. aggressively military Power became the possessor of the \ domains of the Turkish Power.

Germany would be -well equipped for another great war if sho .were allowed to establish herself acrpss Europe and between tho Levant and the Persian Gulf. In tho eyes of the Central Powers, Constantinople ... is the bridge to tho domination of Asia and tho East Indies and Australasia, ' \ THE WESTERN AT.T.TES „•' • German influence and chicanery i n Bussia, and the supineness lof the Government under the ex-Czar havo thrown a heavy burden upon the Western Allies. Round i the traitorous Czarina, influenced by tho !■> unscrupulous Rasputin, was collected a proGorman camarilla' which demoralised and paralysed the military strength of Russia. 'It went very near to defeating Russia and , eliminating that country from the band' andl bond of tho Allies. Only certain Rus- ,• 6ian generals, probably with the support of i tfie Grand Duke Nicholas, saved the situa- . tion. If Generals Alexieff and Brussiloff p-had not backed up the patriots in tho ■ Duma, checked M. von Sturmer and M. . Protopopoff, it is hard to say what would have happened both, to Russia and tho . ..Allies. If the camarilla hadi effected its purposes, Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, and . Turkey would have been enabled to throw their combined weight against Britain, France, and Italy, and it may bo questionable whether , tho forces of tho Entento Powers would have been able to stand against the revivified enthusiasm that would have been created amongst their allied I', antagonists. As matters stand to-day thousands of |... Britons and Frenchmen aro dying because of the effect of tho evil influence of tho Czarinas upon her llusband. But for this ~ General Brussiloff 'would bo attacking with . the help of the Rumanian army and General Alexieff would havo had such strength on his right flank that Marshal, von Hindenburg. would have been short of thnje-quar-tera of a million of men on tho West front. The offensive on 'the West front is not general; it might have been if it had not . been for what has happened i n Russia, j|Che Allies are not only' lighting for victory for France and Belgium only, but also to |. help tfio Russians whilo a stable system ol I' . government is being established, and while the Russian army recovers from paralysis. Fortunately the Western Allies havo struck | such a blow that Germany has received a ' very deadly shock, but there is no doubt that it has been done at great cost, though so far tho Allies havo been victorious. , The dead|y nature of tho fighting in'the t air will give somo hint as to tho terrifio I, struggle in which Britain and Franco are |;.V engaged io savo the world. When that is . understood, wo oan understand ' General Joillro's pathetic appeal to America. The .French delegates, it is said, implored V . American to make haste, and they are not making any secret of the fact that they aro appealing on behalf of a nation almost I spent." That is what' tho treachery in Russia has

. dono for Franco. The army of Fianco is still about three and a-half millions strong, i but it contains every ablo-botlied Frenchman and youth not employed in inanition works; and for# Franco, along with the , British, to begin a general offensive, while Russia is prostrated for another two months, •would mean the annihilation of "almost | tho entire male population <Sf that devoted I .nation of heroes. It is necessary, howovcr, | for Hie victory of tho Allies" that tho French - and British should keep tho present terrific .. struggle going against tho still ' great strength of Germany in order that Hindenburg. and Ludendori may not attack Russia . in -her weakness. Xf tlio Bssskzi armies

were in good order and wall munitioned, Germany, instead of having 143 divisions on tho west front, would havo had barely 120 there, and a gonoral oltcnsivo would have been possible. As it is now tho Allies aro fighting what may be called a defensive offonaivo, and luckily they have been moro than a match for Hindenburg. Tho closing of tho Swiss frontier by the Germans has therefore no terrifying significance. The Allies have saved Russda from a sudden stroke by Hindenburg at a time when it was possible to deliver lior a fateful blow. All that Russia now wants is time and munitions, and; if no counterrevolution raises its ugly head, or if no attempts at a counter-revolution intorfero with internal reorganisation; a month's time should see Generals Alexieff and Brussiloff striking what effective blows they can, with tho forces and material at hand to take tho . pressuro off thai western front. Tho western Allies havo greatly weakened Germany by eating up her reserves, and there is not much now to stop tho Russians from marching from victory to victory if they can get tho munitions. It must be noted, however, thp.t the severity of the German submarino* pressure has greatly interfered with tho possibility of Britain sending supplies of munitions to Russia. In these circumstances it should bo possible to rely- on Japan to redouble her special efforts. China could assist, and so could California, Western Canada, and India.