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Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 212, 12 October 1914, Page 6

At this stage of the war, statistics of the German rate of progress in 1870-71 afford an interesting comparison. War was declared by the Prussians on July 15j 1870, and concluded on February 15, 1871—a period of 210 days. In 180 days of actual hostilities 156 engagements were fought, 26 fortresses taken, jand 17 great battles decided, says the "Staats Anzeiger," Berlin. In each of the six months that active operations were going on, the Germans had on an average 26 engagements and three battles, captured 1950 French officers and 60,500 men, 1110 guns, 20 eagles or standards, and four fortresses. Von Moltke secured an overflowing bag in this war, as is evidenced by the following aggregate figures:-—11,650 officers, and 363,000 of the rank and file made prisoners, and 6700 guns and 120 eagles captured. Teuton arms have reaped some goodly harvests in the present war, but with more than two months' fighting behind them, their record, as compared with 1870, is distinctly on the meagre side—their successes on land have been mainly at the expense of a violated Belgium, whom the Allies could not afford, by reason of the exigencies of the '' general strategic situation, to render material assistance to prevent the enemy from establishing himself strongly in the country. The fall of Antwerp and the Meuse forts, and the capture of Brussels notwithstanding, the Germans have fallen far short of their schedule. According to the German General Staff, France was to have been humbled in a month's time, but today, after nearly ten weeks' war, France is still in a sound position for defence or offence. The supplies acquired by the enemy in Antwerp should be very welcome. His immense forces must require a prodigious commissariat service to keep them from going hungry. In 1871 the three-quarters of a million German soldiers on French soil consumed daily the following piles of provisions : _723 tons of bread, two tons, of pearl barley, or rice, 2000 head of oxen, 540 cwt. of salt, 105,000 quarts of spirits, and some 35000/,s of orange essence or some other bitter mixture for the spirits. If these figures are multii plied by, say, live, the reader will have a fairly general idea of what the German legions in the Kast and West require in the way of food and drink, and what administrative skill is necessary for the feeding of these millions.