The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-08-18
WAR ECHOES

| engaged the attention or naval experts
 for many years regarding ships. guns, armor, etc, may at last be settled in the greatest naval fight in all history. 1 There will be the question of the big battleshlp against the smaller, the ar
 mored cruiser, or battle cruiser, against the unarmored cruiser, and oil fuel against coal. The important question of | fleet communication by day and night | and the increased use of wireless will be among the important clements of the | struggle. Then the battle airships mine | laying and scouting airships, seaplanes and aeroplanes will be given ample op- portunity of demonstrating their value, l but as we have stated many times pre- viously we believe their principal value will be for observation The anti-air- craft guns abroad ship and the aircraft guns will probably come into play and the various auxiliary vessels and turbine engines will receive the most severe test. The torpedo boat destroyer class of ves- l sells particularly and also the submarines. are expected to play a far more impor- tant part in this war than they did in the Russo-Japanese war. In the British | navy no less than 20 new destroyers were commissioned last year, against 15 the previous year. Most of these vessels
 have a length of 200 feet and most of them have a speed of over 295 knots. Tn | the design of British destroyers special | regard is given to- the attainment of high speed on heavy seas, and thus in com parison with vessels of the same class in foreign navies the true test would not be fair weather steaming at the rate
 possible with a North sea gale blowing. One or two of these vessels attained sea speed of nearly 30 knots. In the case of submarine, nine new vessels were commissioned last year. These latter are of various designs and range up to ves- sells of considerable size. The details are 1 kept secret.
 1 During 1913 six large destroyers were added to the French navy, all over 30 knots. Twenty submarines were laid down since 1910. most of which are in commis- ! sion. In maneuvers the work of the | French submarines has been classed as very successful and the extended opera | tions gave a wide experience to officers
 and men.
 l
 have been completed. The designed speed
 of all the recent boats IS s2.5 knots. The
 boats have been kept very actively at work. The submarine boats completed
 number about 3O During 1913 24 subma-
 rines were kept in commission. l The six Austrian destroyers of 800 tons
 have been completed and have steamed on trial from 325 to 33.5 knots. Four teen submarines are in the list, of which l six are of the 2S0 to 300 tons type. 1 The Russian destroyer Novik, of 1900 l tons, made a speed of SIS. Several sub marines have been launched in the Black sea- Great progress has been made in the air service for both the army and navy. The government programme i'm
 cluded 330 aeroplanes.
 l Paris Special New York Times: An of fcial communication issued today says that since the beginning of the war the
 German people have been systematically deceived by false news circulated by a large German agency, with the object of l making Germans believe their troops had l gained great advantages. It adds that there has been an absolute suppression
 of all news disadvantageous to the Ger
 mans.
 The French government, 1t is stated, has decided to issue daily news bulletin for distribution among the French troops. This will be composed of reports of field operations and of important events in France. the object being to create a
 strong link between the French soldiers l in the field and their relatives
 The decision to isSe this bulletin was reached as a result or correspondence be- tween Adolphe Messiniy, French minister of war, and Premier viviani M. Messimy writes:
 "Our armies cover front of more than 250 miles, from the North sea to Switzer-
 land. Among the several millions of men
 each officer and each soldier is lost He
 is given over to the Impressions of the
 moment and of the place where he is, and
 is without news of the others and without
 news of the war.
 1T believe it to be necessary to send tc all those fighting under these conditions the comfort of a daily newspaper.
 would have the soldiers constantly mea s.
 ure the importance of their individual ef-
 fort in the national task and by this
 thought create among them generous
 emulation.
 I 1T wish the soldiers to learn with what
 care the nation surrounds the parents
 the wives. and the children they have lef behind them while ttey consecrate them
 selves to their great task-a task gloriou. because their sacrifices are the price O
 the independence of our country and o the grandeur of France in the triumph o right and liberty"
 Premier viviani responded, approvinI of the suggestion with much feeling.
 London dispatch to New York Sun The Times Brussels correspondent tele
 graphs an interview with Victor H Duras, American vice consul at Liege who was an eyewitness of the first two days attack on Chat city.
 MT. Duras is quoted as saying thai tn,
 German army underestimated the fight ing qualities of the Belgians and paid 2 terrible penalty for their own daring. The Belgians, he says allowed the German. to pass the forts and advance toward tn, city itself, and then attacked them in tn, rear. while Belgian infantry faced them He estimates the German casualties a, f from five to ten times greater than tn, losses of the Belgians.
 oI Speaking as neutral Mir Duras f. u,,otod nyir,rv soa,,.. .