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Star (Christchurch), Issue 11828, 13 October 1916, Page 1

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THE AUSTRALIAN REFERENDUM. SOME IMPELLING STATISTICS. (By N. P. WHITI-f/>CK, in the " Newcastle Herald.") Do those who are urging Australia, to vote tho assistance of a, furt.net" '150,000, when, if all should go, it will leave tis practically without bachelors—do they realise how thc-y arc jeopardising the vote with their imaginary millions? Following the assertion that Great Britain has enrolled an Army of over 5,000,000 for service abroad, and another of 4.000,000 to keep them equipped, wo now have, tho assurance that Russia has mobilised 18,000,000, many at the front, and all the rest in training. "What is tho only possible conclusion —

(1) That all wc can send, even though it strip the country, will not amount to a feather-weight. Or—

(2) That the?.© Germans sinu Austrians arc such terrible fellows that any ono of them is equal to half a dozen of the others, Tho first is practically inviting the people to return a negative vote; and tho second is an insult. lor goodness sake let us make an effort to be sensible. As everyone ought to know, but as, apparently, lew i do, 1,000,000 males divide up as follows—about 433,000 infant's to twenty inclusive; about 217,000, forty-live inclusive to oldest; about 3i30,000, twenty-one to forty-four inclusive. For tho sako of easy reckoning take the last as tho entire lighting range, find go into a library, with a pencil, lake tho enemy Powers first, Russia and Franco second, two and two, and see how it works out: — Germany.—Total male population, 1912, about 33,000,000. Result, about 14,289,000 infants to twenty inclusive; about 7.161,000, forty-five inclusive to oldest; iabout> 11,500,000, twenty-one to fortv-four inclusive, fits and unfit-;-. Advantages, reduced percentage of unfits due to t-eiendie care in advance; concentration in operations ; and superb railway system; organisation and the .arsenals of a dozen nations rolled into one, Krupp's. Disadvantages, certain shortages in material, but chiefly food. Austria-Hungary.—Total' male population, 1912, about 20,000,000. Result, about 11.258,000. infants to £0 incisive ; about; 5,0-12.000. 4-5 inclusive to oldest: about- 9,100,000, 21 to 44 inclusive; lits iuid unfits. Advantages, concentration in operations: a good railway system; fair organisation and reasonable equipment. Disadvantages, those of Germany. Russian Empire, European and Asiatic together, but excluding Poland as barred.—Total male population. 1912, about 79,0tt0,000. Result, about 31,207,000, infants to 20 inclusive; about 17,14-3,000. 45 inclusive to oldest ; abOut 27,050,000, 21 to 41 inclusive, fits and unfits. Advantages, chiefly in food. Disadvantages, a fairly high percentage of unfits; diverse theatres; a vast Empire and poor railway system; and deficient training and armament. France (oversea possessions excluded). —Total male population, 1912. about 20,000,000. Result, about 8,000,000, infants to 20 inclusive; about ■1.3-10,000, 45 inclusive to oldest; about 7,000,000. 21 to 44 inclusive, fits and unfits. Advantages, concentration in operations; a good railway system; iair organisation, aud general resourcefulness in emergency. Disadvantages, chiefly in losing control of the richestiron and coal fields, before full preparation. We exclude Italy, because, while she draws a- certain number of Austrian* off Russia, Turkey draws a certain number of Russians off Austria. And wo exclude the Balkans because it is one against one, and in any ease, it confuses. And —we exclude; Great .Britain for the express purpose of bringing her in to show what ihe call is to her and her Empire. Now, tho figures given show this—that the man-power asset, 21 to 44 ini elusive, without deductions through any I cause whatever, was: — S Enemy Power—-about 20,650,000, plus ! every preparation. (,'oetineii till Allies--nl>tv:t 3-1,0-50,000, minus eort-am preparation. 1 Difference iti favour of tho Allies. .11.000,(KM), bur subject to this great I discount Russia's two-continental j necessities, as it is as impossible ; for her to empty oin everything as it ; would be for Great Briinin, even to. i India. | LOSSES. | We come now to thai- most delicate ! subject--losses. Only Germany has: pub--1 lesiied them, and we should dispute her ; ii.; ! ( l r-s, no mailer what. ' A considerable time ago what was* represented 1 as the " Red e.rcs.s '' list was. published prc.uy broadly, this being for ail beiiiu'erents, for iho hi si, year. The figures 1.-may have been true or nm.; but, as we ; mti.-.o have something 1.. go on, wo ro~ : peat them for tlie.-e combinations. I .Enemy Powers. -Killed, j.<oo,ouo; | seviously wounded,, COO j slightly wc:.:ided. 2."i00e/v0: prisoners. !)-.t0,0G0; , total, 5.521.000. Leaving a, balance m i the visible asset, 1!)12, of about ! 1-J.829,000, plus recoveries and recruits : nolo twenties v.ho had conm of age. ! l.'o-it-iiiental Allies-- A'died. 2,5<>0 ; 00l); i seriou-ly wound.-d, 1 .'.•v().ij!)0; slightly ; v, ound-.d, •!,!?!••>* « >; j.-ri.-.oners, 2,900,- • 000; total 12,2(50,000. .Leaving a baij a?hv :n tiie visible a.'set, j.Bi2. of aboua : 22.091).000. plus recoveries. ,;;u! recruits : from twenties who had <-o>>.o <■[ age. Suppose, then, hinjinig' liedii:tios to ; these (.wo combinations, the Continental Allies bad assumed a general cti'en-;-ive on the ItOiith day. "When Germany and Austria were attacking-, every expert assure.;: u-- iiiat ii- required 2 to 1. An. >: l-ius appia 1 .- one .-.:( ie it itt-o applies ihe other. lie* ihr-ti visible. •••■{. of ib<. i tinny .»-i's would have re (.Mired a corn -paiidi »>.<;. visible stsset-. Coni inen?al Alhe*. r( about and they v.m.dd have been short, about 7.20N,00;>. AViat would be tiie position when (he genera? oil'eiisive ii:i> ordered'? Vie have tho .second year to reckon with, during which the enemy IVmer- w< re loss ,: n the oli;ei!*ive than the dej'.mdre < ami Continental Power:- s on il>, dfem-ive than the olfenMv,-. !s it. not fair to assume, hith ihoj-o terrific onslaughts on tie eastern skie. that of t-ho two combinations the oueniy Powers suffered less and the Continental Allies more? We want to get at the extra ! force that was required when the gen- i era! offensive was ordered, and what, practically speaking, it remains. Balancing Italy with Turkey, anc Rumania with Bulgaria, we shall hazard a guess—4,ooo,ooo, but these, of eovirsr. woold be actual soJdirrs. id. for thf field. Put. in tin-' Belgians, Serbian ■■ and France's auxiliaries from her possessions, and call ihe uua! 1.000,0:."''. and the couclumou is that- t-j win ih'.-

war within a, solvent time the British Empire must supply 3,000,000. THE BIUTISH ARMY. Now, if Great Britain had mobilised from within herself the immense num- , Ix-r alleged, statistics would he useless, the assertion that, ''9,000,000 men have oeeu put into tho fijjtht" contradicts Sir Gilbert, Parker, a Privy Councillor, at the fountain head, who affirms that " nearly 5.000,0 CX) " havo been mobil- ; ised, but inclusive of the Navy, the i personnel of which has been trebled. I And with respect to workshops, it contradicts the London correspondent of tho .New York "Herald," who affirms thut the number is 2,000,000 of both sexes and all wrviceable ago*. And it contradicts "Tho Nation." which affirms that 4,000,000 have been, mobiiscd for war, and '2,000,000, raided, for .supplies, thereby, if the former figures exclude tho Navy ( endorsing. 'And abovo all if contradicts tho Prime Minister of Great. Britain himself, who, on introducing the Compulsory Bill, affirmed that the total British forces at Homo and abroad amounted to eightythreo divisions, or 1,1)00,000, and that ibe Bill was not so much to raise them as to ;.:;vo the Government a better means of selection for recouping. With or without her dominions' help Great Britain will provido tho turning weight, simply because she is in too deep to avoid it. But unless the dominions d'o help to the full measure of their ability it wiii mean a much longer war, resulting in the utter bankruptcy of Europe, both in men and moneymen in the face of Asia and with the risk of the inscrutable, and money in the face of America, with the risk of her supremacy. Wo have got to unlearn some things which have been "fed into us" by the jugglers of millions. Whatever the position, Great Britain has not raised all those men for service abroad. As already explained, Lord Crewe ar.d Lord'Desborougb, speaking officially, have warned the British people of tho possibility of invasion, and declared that a large Home Army must be maintained to meet. it. Keep tickling public vanity with those millions and millions, and Germany's assured destruction, and it is as good as an invitation to the electors to vote "no" in a body. On tho other band, beat it into the public brain that Great Britain is 1,000,(XX) short of v. hat is wanted to win the war I within a solvent time, Canada doing her part, Australia her part, and all i the others their part, and we shall proh. j ably turn every hesitating vote into u. i "yes."

REALISE. Optimism of tlie. kind that finds favour is simply conceit; and the man. who parades it a mere boaster. When will the people learn by experienceY When will they read? We find men in responsible positions talking and writing of the Germans as " Huns." They are not. Huns, b'ut Goths, and the Huns were broken by them. Realise tins spirit of Lhe nation we .are tip against—an obstinate, pig-beaded aggregation, descended from the tribes that tackled the Roman Empire for four generations, and at last broke it to pieces, one result being that they displaced the Romans in England, and iienco the name. Realise that it is ihe nation that fought the Thirty -Years' -Wai<, the Seven Years' War. and that produced Blucher —;i mart who fought Napoleon for twenty years, and though vastly his inferior, still came at Waterloo, even after a, smashing two days before. Grsieian, the philosopher, left us an excellent; maxim—" .Avoid the chief fault of your nation." What is ours, here, in Australia;" Country marches, patriotic land's. " Tipperary." everyone knows it—mercurial ism. We infiame easily enough, but the enthusiasm lessens. Monday, yes : but not necessarily Wednesday, and still less Saturday; for wo tire. Wo cannot; afford to tire, and so we. inusi; support the Government. If Germany U able to effect a compromise she will work her lingers to the bone for revenge, every mu«. cut, generation to generation, as a religion. It is the national character. Study geography and, in a measure, geology. It matters not our side how far Russia penetrates, as it will not win for us. It is Belg inm every time. and. all the time. If Austria were to collapse, if Turkey shrivelled up like a burnt leaf, If Poland were rescued w»th Eu:-.t Prussia added; and if with all this Belgium wero left under Germany's bee), the war would still be lost. For Belgium, and that pari; of France which has been invaded contains most of the iron and coal of Continental Europe, outside of Germany, worth mentioning; and 1 if .Germany were left with it she would be able to outbuild Great Britain in. less than twenty years. This is the national part —the Balance of Power as between nations in Europe. Study geography, and with it, populations to area. It matters not bow the war ends, if it ends too late, as Europe will be broken. And thinking in " continents,'' it is Europe every time paid all the time. .If Europe is broken, then A»neriea. vii! bo too master of the financial world, which is serious; but Asia- will be the master or the vital world outside of America, which is most serious. Do van know this country's name in the sphere sense ? Australasia! If Europe is broken the future historian may have to divide the narae. turning it in;o two —Austral Asia, or j Southern Asia. The Kai-cr would iilto us to vote " No." Disappo.-nt him byvoting "Yes/'