SHIPS WITH LARGER GUNS.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 29, Issue 41, 29 May 1917, Page 8

SHIPS WITH LARGER GUNS.

Wo now know that at the beginning of March or thereabouts the Gorman High Seas Fleet will at last have recovered from its disastrous drubbing at the hands of Sir John Jellicoe and Admiral Beatty last summer. Losses have been made good, damage repaired, and some new ships, chiefly cruisers, it appears added to the fleet. Even the Seydlitz appears from this account to have been repaired or rebuilt, unless the reference in the report is to another vessel given the same name. Ihe “Telegraaf" report states that the ‘ ‘ Osfriesland class, ’ ’ which the ng lish text-books call the Heligoland class, is armed now with 38-centxmetre guns (15in), like the Baden and Bayern, instead of the 12in guns for which they were built. But even if some details of this remarkable account may appear inaccurate, the general statement that March 1 will see the High Seas Fleet reconstituted and rather more heavily armed than before would appear to be true enough. All these statements which have reached Holland may doubtless be inaccurate in details, but their general truth, the truth that Germany has managed during the winter to bring her preparations for the “last round to the highest stage of completion, is not questionable. Neutrals assert that she bas “more men in the field than at any time during the war"; they believe that she has more guns, especially more machine guns and heavy artillery, more ammunition, perhaps more ships, or at any rate not fewer, and, finally, a courage which, though it may be that of despair, is not therefore the less dangerous. There remains only one respect m which she has been obliged to leave her preparations incomplete for want of material —namely, that of food. I am afraid there may be some illusions regarding the actual effect of Germany's economic privations on her ability to fight “the last round." If so, they ought to be removed at once. From all the reports received it is indicated that the civilian population is suffering in part from privations and even actual want; not everywhere, for the south is quite evidently better off than the north, and the west is in some respects less hard pressed than the east. You can still buy things in Dusseldorf which you cannot obtain for love or money in Hamburg; and the peasants of Franconia seem to have stores, hidden or buried, which are not to be found even among the big feudal estates of Mecklenburg and East Prussia. ENOUGH ARMY FOOD. But even admitting that the “useless mouths" are barely filled with enough food or food substitutes to keep body and soul together, there is no evidence at all that Germany, as a fighting force, is seriously handicapped for this “last round." What has happened and what is happening is what must have been expected; since there is no longer enough to fill and over-fill the military stores and also to supply to the full the needs of the civilian population, the German Government deliberately insists that the latter shall take the consequences.

A Bohemian paper pointed out recently that in parts of Lower Austria butter was being used at one time as axle-grease, because nothing else was available for the purpose. At another time, when petroleum ran short, butter was run down and burned for light. These are merely illustrations of the general fact that whatever might bo the needs of the civil population they would not be allowed to handicap the smooth running of the German military machine. If there is nothing else available, then butter must be used to enable military trains to run, even if that butter is really needed to save some woman or child from death by tuberculosis.

In all the reports furnished insistence is laid upon the fact that there is no lack of food or of food variety at the front. “Let's get sent to the front to get a square meal''; “there was any quantity of food at Yilna and Warsaw''; “at the beginning people at home sent food to the front, now men at the front sent food home.'' Such are some of the phrases in reports. It is, however, quite possible that the German military authorities may fear that sooner or later there will even be a certain shortage at the front; it is against this that they have been providing not only fiy rationing the civil population, but also by promptly removing from the market any kind of food on which there was a run. The military authorities have done and are doing everything in their power to force people into taking their food exclusively from the great municipal canteens, which receive, roeghly speaking, what the army does not want. THE CLAIMS OF FRANCE. PARIS, May 23. .Speaking in the Chamber of Deputies, M. Ribot explained that France even conceded the nationality policy to her enemies, but insisted upon 1 ranco s right to claim compensation for the wrongs suffered in Northern France, Serbia, Roumania, and elsewhere. France desired restitution of the stolen provinces, but she did not wish to impose any penalty upon Germany, s

Old friends, old books, old songs, old wine, . . _ Old-fashioned folks to these incline, But as a rule, apart from such. Old fashioned fads don t count lor much. , , .. The old-time chemist made and sola His worthless dopes for cough and cold; , But sufferers now such trash abjure Preferring Woods’ Great Peppermint Cure.