Evening star., 1914-12-26
AUSTRIA EXPECTS
NO EARLY PEACE
Military Activities Indicate End
of War in Near Future Is
Most Unlikely.
VIENNA AND BUDAPEST
PREPARED FOR DEFENSE
Extensive Intrenchments Being
Constructed-Supplies Stored
in Cars.

tusr,spondeuce Of the Associated Press.
VIENNA. Austria, December 9-Ar
early peace is not looked for by the AUS
tro-Hungarian government While no oi'
t5ciaI statement to this effect mas oeeh
made or for that matter would DE mace
tn. war measures now in hand and those
contaminated indicate that cessation OF
bos,iIities in the near future is most un-
likely.
Military preparations continue to De
made throughout the dual empire, as tne
Associated Press correspondent was aoie
10 observe on a recent trip over coi'siu'
erab,e part of Austria and Hungary
Along many of the principal lines IN east
ern and northern Hungary military neio
works are being laid out on large scale
and the two principal cities OF the EN-
pire, Vienna and Budapest, are pelhe pre-
pared for defense in like manner lo
the north and east of Vienna no less than
nine lines of defense may be observed ana
the field works of Budapest are even more
extensive. Some of the lntrenchihehts
r,doubts and artillery emplacements,
which constitute these WORKS, were es.do
hshed some time ago, to judge py tneir
settled appearance, but more are Deihs
laid out. Thousands of men and large
number of excavating machines are en-
poyed in the further extension OF these
precautionary measures.
Supplies Stored in Cars.
In addition to establishing field works
along the railroads the trackage of many
yards is being enlarged and supplies are
now being stored in such a manner that
they may be used either for local pur-
to r0Y1f fllr
ont. the various bases supplying one
another. The additional tracks have
made it possible to keep most of the sup
plies in the cars, SO that at very short
notice they may be moved as the exl-
gencies of the campaign may demand.
The establishment of a large cholera
camp at Zsolna. or Sillein, as the place
is called by the Germans, is further
proof that the Austro-Hungarian gov
ernment does not count upon an early
termination of the war. The coming of
winter has virtually eradicated cholera,
and it is altogether unlikely that this
dread disease will reappear until the
ground is thawed. Nevertheless, the
Austro-Hungarian government Is
spending about 100000 on the Zslona
cholera camp, in order that it may meet
Il possible general epidemic next spring.
Arrangements have been made for
doubling the capacity of the ammuni-
ton plants in the country The largest
of these, that of the Manfred Weiss
concern at Budapest, has heretofore
produced more than 2,500,000 rounds of
small arms ammunition daily. This out
put has been increased considerably
during the last three weeks, and is ex-
pected to reach the enormous total of
100000 rounds per day. The same
plant is extending it's production OF
artillery ammunition, but no figures on
what the output has been in the past, OF
will be in the future, are available
Meanwhile additional batteries of va
rious types of guns are being made by
the Skoda works at Pilsen, Bohemia.
This firm also has been given recently
large contract for more machine
SIns.