Wairarapa Daily Times [Established Third of a Century.] SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 1915. AUSTRIA TOTTERING.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LXVIII, Issue 14199, 30 January 1915, Page 4

Wairarapa Daily Times [Established Third of a Century.] SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 1915. AUSTRIA TOTTERING.

When the news of the disaster to the Austrian arms at Ulm was brought to the great English statesman, Pitt, he is said to have pointed to the map of Europe and said: "Roll up that map; wo shall never want it more." Ho realised that the fall of Austria and the French victory shattered the third Coalition of Britain, Russia, and Prussia. Such, then, was the importance of Austria in 1805. In .later years she lost none of that great political importance, as Moltke realised when he said: "With Austria on our side we have no other want. " But to-day Austria is breaking up. In that fact we can foresee the beginning of the end for the German Empire. Before very long Austria will go to the wall. Why? There are a plethora of reasons, but a few will suffice. The Hapsburg Monarchy controls a multitude of tribes. Out of a population of nearly fifty millions almost one-half aro Slavs. And one of Russia's greatest motives for attacking Austria is the liberation of oppressed Slav races! There are, further, nearly eight million Magyars, threo million Roumanians, and two million Jews. The remainder aro Germans. Now, it is a significant fact that the interests of all these Eastern groups are widely different, and the Germans have little in common with any of them. An authority on the country tells us that "the resulting phenomenon is a physical weakness aa a whole, together with a difficulty to combine as one nation when threatened by foreign Powers. " Examples of this weakness crop up every day just now. We hear from reliable sources that rebellion is everywhere Tife, and that Hungary now strongly disapproves of the war into which sho was dragged to please Germany. Already Hungary is refusing to share her foodstuffs with Austria, and the consequence of this will be that Austria,will be forced to forbid the exports of foodstuffs to Germany. Already the cables have told us that there, are strained relations between the courts of Berlin and Vienna. Now that the concentration of the main German army in the Vietula-

Warta region has failed, and Austria is invaded, Vienna will be more annoyed than eA'cr. A panic among the heterogeneous population" of Austria would be. as the spark to tho poAvder. Hungary would appear to be already watching to broak aAvay from Austria, and the Slavs in tho Dual Monarchy are a source of grave concern to the authorities. We are told "that in Bohemia hundreds of men have been shot for refusing to respond to the call to arms. Regiments were forced to climb cattle trucks provided for their conveyance to tho front at tho point of the sAvord, ten or tAVelvo being shot in a single regiment for failing to slioav sufficient alacrity. The Slavs in Bosnia assisted the enemy at every point. Austrian troops, instead of trying to conciliate them, took fearful vengeance, burning their cottages Avholosale. The peasants, in retaliation, arranged a system of siguals to Serbs, burning wood to give ii thick Avhito smoke Avhcn the Austrians were near." Even in the Austrian army there is the same Avoakness. These are not soldiers like those avlio drove back the French at Marengo and repulsed them fifteen times at Aspern. No, German methods have knocked the initiative Mid individuality out of the rank and file, and political differences have completed the undoing of the Austrian army. There are a few Lembcrgs in store for it yet. One high authority esiim:;tes Hint a. tixlh of the soldiers desire tho defeat of the army in Avhich they are compelled to serve.

The day is not far distant when Austria Avill go down as the result of a complication of diseases, accelerated by the crushing attacks of the Russian bear. Then it will bo tho Kaiser's turn to point to the map of Europe and say, "Roll up that map. We shall never Avant it more."