The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-24
GERMAN POLITICAL SKY IS CLOUDLESS Kaiser Is Off to Visit Elm
 peror of Austria MOVE MISUNDERSTOOD Long Hoped for Reduction Of Arma-
 ment Still Not in Sight-Ger-
 many Cannot Afford Airship Plague
MOVE MISUNDERSTOOD

alrSn1p Ildguc
 Berlin, March 23.-(Special) With the departure from Berlin of the Kaiser. who is to visit the Emperor of Austria at Schoenbrunn, the light has gone out on
 the political sky and no political events
 of any importance are liable to happen until he returns from the Island of Corfu. The International outlook is, if not abso-
 Iutely cloudess, at least no worse than it has been for some time with minor storm centers apparently located perma- nently in Crete, China and Constantnople. the three great C's. The war in Trpoli is going on, but we have grown used to look upon it as we look upon the poor,
 who are always with us. and we do not worry about it, and the efforts that are still being made to restore peace are half hearted and not apt to result in anything
 as long as Turkey shows no inclination to make any sacrifices whatever.
 Russia has been the prime mover in these efforts. but on Wednesday next the
 Czar follows the example of the Kaiser
 and leaves St. Petersburg for peaceful
 and bracing Iivadia in the Crimea, where
 he lives the life of very bourgeois pater
 familias, with few companions beyond
 the narrow circle of the Czarina and their
 children. with very few servants, and
 where he will not be disturbed except in
 case of very important political events.
 With these two crowned heads away from the political arena the next month
 is doomed to political dullness.
 The announcement made some three
 weeks ago that on April 1 the German
 navy department intends to transfer the
 scouting fleet from kiel to Wilhelmshaven
 and keep it permanently stationed in the
 North sea and which, as a matter of
 course, was immediately siezed in Eng
 land as a new proof of Germany's evil in- tentions upon the island of window smashing suffragettes and striking miners,
 of course means no such thing.
 The transfer is merely natural result of England's own constant endeavor for several years to concentrate the flower of her own naval power in the North sea. England made the first move on the inter- national chess board and should know bet ter than to feel surprised that it is fol- lowed up by corresponding counter move, strictly within the rules of the game, on the part of Germany. Having
 reduced her Mediterranean squadron from 12 battleships to eight and permanently transferring the four others to the North sea, England emphasized her belief that in an eventual future war the most ln- portant battles will be fought in the North sea and left Germany no choice. The transfer of the scouting fleet now about to
 be carried out has been contemplated for several years and no sensible person would consider 1t any way connected with the Anglo German relations, still less as an unfriendly action. The consideration which caused it to be carried out now are simply these
 The reconstruction and widening of the North sea and Baltic canal will he tn- ished only in the year 1915. Should com pications arise or should Germans abroad require protection while this work is in progress some time must be lost before | the cruiser fleet is available in the North sea. This objection will be obviated when
 the reconnoitering fleet Is already at Will helmshaven The port of WilhelmshaVen has, furthermore been extended since last year in such manner that it provides ac- commodation for the reconnoitering fleet as well as for the "Dreadnaught" squad
 ron already stationed there.
 What is becoming of the long hoped for reduction of armaments? Every country in Europe. large or small, has increased
 
 the powers have hitherto been competing | only on land and sea, the keenest compe- tition is now in the air. For the first time we hear of aerial budgets added to the
 number of the plaques under which the people of the old world are still suffering. Germany hopes to have 250 military aviators trained during the next r months; England is following suit anl France has gone completely mad on heae- fer than air machines.
 France, however. can afford this mad ness. while poor Germany cannot. Here we are signing under our burdens of tax a tion; in France the people are complain ing that the government does not tax them enough and are voluntarily taxing them selves to make the government presents | of several aeroplanes a day. Here in Germany the socialists are raging against | the war department; in France M. Mill 1 lerand. the minister of war himself a | staunch socialist, has just laid before the chamber of deputies a bill providing for the creation of a regiment of aviators on the lines of the Corps of Sappers in ;he French army.
 The new regiment is to be entirely inde- pendent of the rest of the army. with it's | own headquarters, establishments, ohi- cers and general organization. It is to he open however, to receive officers and re- cruits from all the other branches of tine army. For the present all the officers | transferred to the aviation service will still retain their places nominally at least m the regiments to which they belong and may return at any time should the service require it. The bill allows for lib- eral compensation in case of accidents and Tn general the aviation officers and
 men are to treated as if they were in ac- tive service They will receive extra pay. N promotions to the Legion of Honor will be reserved to them, and in case of fatal accidents the widows and children of tbe dead will be treated as if the officers uf | men had been killed in time of war. The details of the organization will he what l described few weeks ago The | regiment will be divided into aviation squadrons Of eight pilots and eight aero | planes each. The total expense provided l for will be Si200.000 for 1912 and the | amount will probably have to be raised l to S5,009,G00 in subsequent years
 l Tn France the army is rapidly becoming 1 more popular than ever, as evidenced by
 the rousing cries of ''vive farnee" at the weekly tattooes which socialistic minis 1 ter of war has made a popular feature If ] every garrison town in the country ln | Germany the socialists hate the army con siderably more than they hate the devil. l Tn France socialists are approving or
 military expenditures; in Germany mil i itary expenditures are leading the state
 towards socialism, for the Berlin Tage-
 blatt states few days ago that in re-