Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1915-04-15

British Expert Thinks That the Side
Win In the End-Asserts That Ger
many Has a Sufficient Supply of
Food to Last Year.
London.-There is probably no ques-
ton asked more frequently just now
than: when do you think the war will
end?" Opinions differ widely, as is
only natural when there is so little
real information to go upon. Betting
in the city is quoted as being, that the
war will end:
Before May l. 1918 to l against.
Before June l. 1872 to l against.
Before Sept. l, 1915-even.
Before Dec. l, 1915-1O to / on.
Before March l, 1916-15 to l on.
This certainly indicates a more OPP
timistic feeling than anything said by
ministers and other important author
tiles would seem to justify. though all
of these are careful not to commit
themselves to anything definite.
Generally speaking. the highly placed
authorities are grave in tone. and prep
aratiOns of all kinds are going on
with increasing vigor Lord Southwark
announced at the annual meeting of
the Associated Chambers of Commerce
that he was authorized by Lord Kitch-
ner to say that since the beginning of
the war eve have increased the output
Of war material 300 times in excess of
what it was before. He added that I'M
der the bill we were discussing in the
house of lords he hoped and expected
to get great accession of labor which
would enable him enormously to in
crease the supplies"
Statements like this and Asquith's
recent warning that the war would be
a long one seem to suggest that the
calculations of those who ought to
know best hardly reckon on an early
end to fighting
A high authority said the other day:
"This war will only be ended by kill
ing The allies have to face Germany
with a butchers bill so huge that she
will at last refuse to see it increased
To the question of how big he
thought that the bill would have to be
he answered after awhile: THAT is
hard to say. But I estimate the Ger
man casualties up to date at 100000,
and that, l think, is barely half what
they will have to be. But, believe me.
it is only by kill, kill. kill that they
can be defeated The question of food
will not enter into it. They have plenty
Of provisions. 1t is only by killing
their men that we shall make them
give in
He then told me of a remark made
by a German officer rescued from the
Bluecher, "Have your sailors nothing
better to do with their time than to
save the lives of the enemy?" This.
he said. was right in effect for the
death of every German soldier or sailor
brought the war SO much nearer to it's
end, but the tradition of the British
navy is to save life after the defeat of
the enemy
An interesting article published by
a writer whose opinions have often
proved we'll justified gives the result
of an inquiry made on the spot into
! the present conditions in Germany
From a friend in the diplomatic corps
in Berlin, who had unusual facilities
for collecting the information, he OBJ
tanned the following figures: There
were 100000 ablebOdied men between
nineteen and forty-five who had not
served in the army up to Jan. /. There
were close upon 100000 volunteers,
half of whom were included in the
ersatZreserve or substitute reserves.
| To these are to be added the approx
mately 100000 now with the colors.
Casualties reported up to Jan. ID
were said by the same authority to be:
Killed. $4,000; wounded, 1000; miss
| ing and prisoners, 10000, making
total of $4,000 An estimate of the
| losses up to Feb. / makes the killed.
wounded and missing or prisoners ap-
proximately 1,2S9O0O. Allowing for the
return to the firing line Of only one
third of the wounded, the irretrievable
loss in fighting material is estimated at
1,OS9,OO0 officers and men up to Feb. 1.
Making allowance for another six
weeks of fighting, this estimate differs
little from the 100000 of the English
authority referred to above.