The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-26
AN EARLY PEACE IS
 NOT LOOKED FOR BY
 AUSTRIA HUNGARY
Germany's Ally Busy Pre- pairing Defensive Works and Doubling Capacity
 of Muniti0n Plants

Vienna, December Correspond ence of the Associated Press )-An early peace is not looked for by the Austro- Hungarian government. While no of- fcial statement to that effect has been made, or for that matter would be made, the war measures now in hand and contemplated indicate that a ces- sation of hostilities in the near future Is most unlikely.
 Military preparations continue Throughout the dual empire, as the As- sNciated Press correspondent was able
 observe on a recent trip oyer a con- erable part of Austria and Hungary.
 Along many principal railroad lines eastern and northern Hungary field .rbrks are being laid out on large scale and Vienna and Budapest are be- ing prepared for defense in a like man. ner. North and east of Vienna are no less than nine lines of defense and the field works of Budapest are even more extensive. Some of the entrenchments. redoubts and artillery emplacements ap- parently were established sometime ago, but thousands of men and a large number of eXcavating machines are at work in laying out new ones.
 : The trackage of many railroad wards | also is being enlarged and supplies are being stored so that they may be used either for local purposes or easily sent to a front further out The additional tracks have made it possible to keep most of the supplies already packed in cars.
 Cholera Eradicated
 Establishment of a large cholera camp at Zsolna is further proof that Austria does not expect an early ter imitation of the war. Winter virtually has eradicated cholera and 1t is alto gether unlikely that this dread disease will reappear until the ground is thawed. Nevertheless the government Is sepnding s500,000 on the Zsolna cholera camp, so that it may meet a possible general epidemic next spring.
 Arrangements have been made for doubling the capacity of ammunition plants in the country. The largest of these. that of the Manfred Weiss con cern at Budapest, which heretofore has produced 2,500000 rounds of small arms ammunition daily, is expected soon to be able to turn out 5,0O0,0O rounds per I production of artillery ammunition. Ad ditional batteries of various types of guns are being made by the Skoda works at Pilsen. Bohemia.
 Near all the larger cities drill camps have been established The largest of these is near Budapest, where some 30O000 men are either being trained or given a chance to recuperate from the hardships of extended service. Near Vienna about 9000O men are being trained There are similar camps at Graz, Prague, Press burg Temesvar, Debreczin, Kausenburg, Klagenfurt, Brunn. Olmutz, Linz, Agram and other cities. It is said these encamp- merits now contain more than s00,0O0 reserves.
 New Monitor
 Though the government hitherto has kept this news from the press, it now is admitted that recently a monitor of more powerful type than the "Bodrog'' class has been put in commission. An other of these vessels now is being fin- ished in Budapest and it is understood two more are nearing completion else where and that the keels for a number of others have been laid. Work on them is being rushed.
 The new monitors have double the arm ament of the "Bodrog' and "Temes' class. They are armed with three in- stead of two long range guns of a slight ly larger calibre than those of the Bod rog"
 The thickness of the turret armor has been materially increased Instead of carrying one high angle piece the new vessels will be armed with two, in half turrets aft, while the quick-fire pieces on the upper deck will be increased from two to four, and the machine guns from one to six. It is believed that this fleet will be an important factor in the de- fense of the Danube and Save.
 There seems to be no shortage in chemical and metal supplies. In the Weiss establishment every available space is used for storage of copper and tin ingots.
 A shortage of saltpeter also has been ,Sfilet, it is asserted. Formerly this most essential constituent of explosives was largely imported from South America. A process has been discovered in Germany, however, for producing an excellent sub stitute by decomposition of other ele- ments.