WHY GERMANY IS LOSING THE WAR

Taranaki Daily News, 26 February 1918, Page 3

WHY GERMANY IS LOSING THE WAR

' Tir AVitli a Gcriuftn drive impending In the west, it is reassuring to read ''The Scientific America's" editorial discussion of ''Whv (Germany Is Losing the War" in its ifsuo of December 1,1. "To-day," the article says, ''among nil military Wen, and among those civilians who have irnnaged to maintain a true perspective of this vast war, it is known that the backbone of German resistance will be broken when the wastage of man-power ride-bearing man-power—has reached tk* point where it is no longer possible . hi wan the battle front in sufficient strength to hold back the enemy. This wastage and. the ultimate arrival at the point- of man-exhaustion are a mere question of mathematics—of addition and subtraction. the result is as certain as that water will not run uphill, or ' that the whole is greater than its part. '"Look at the map!' cries Von Hollweg. 'Look at the cistern!' we answer, and with our eyes on that annual loss of one and a quarter million German fighting men who will never again shoulder a rifle we care very little whether the blood-letting be done a little to • the east or a little to the west of a line traced 011 a map. . . A sum- •; ■.nary of totals of killed, permanently ■ ci ipp'cd, and dead through sickness gives a yelrly total of 1-,098.200 men absol- ( utely lost. To compensate for this, Germany calls to the colors each year about <?ofl,000 young men—not doo'ooo, which is a figure they give out for publie consumption. The total annual loss therefore, is 1,243,200. And if this rrte he maintained until August. 1918,. the total net loss will 'be 4,902,800, or, say 5,000,000 men. This, it will .be. noted, agiees with the total loss as d^ermined .the Allied Secret Service- from the ofl'e'al notification:) ma:'e by the Govern ment to the lelativcs of soldiers lost at the front. Therefore, we repeat: 'Look at the cistern—not at-tho-map."'