The Austrian ultimatum to Servia seems to have been deliberately presented under conditions that afforded the Powers no opportunity for timely intervention.
It appears hopeless to suppose that Russia may be kept out of the quarrel between Austria and Servia, and once a third Power participates in it the direst possibilities in the way of a European struggle involving Germany and France and perhaps Italy and Great Britain are threatened.
On the Continent public feeling accords strongly, as far as can be gathered, with what may be described as the official commitments.
In Berlin popular opinion seems to be strongly anti-Servian.
The report that the German fleet has been ordered to concentrate at preappointed spots is significant in the suggestion it conveys that Germany was not ignorant of the dramatic step that was contemplated by Austria in the delivery of her note to Servia.
That the ultimatum was intended, as it is believed in St Petersburg to have been, as a direct challenge to Russia has of course been disavowed.
Placing, however, upon the ultimatum the construction that is popularly given to it among her people, Russia is evidently prepared to accept the challenge, and the declaration by the Minister of War that his country is in a state of complete military readiness indicates that she may be expected to reply very spiritedly.
The reverse of reassuring as this is, it is nothing to the tidings which it is feared that any hour may bring forth.
• During the course of his remarks at the Farmers' Conference on Wednesday afternoon Major-general Sir Alexander Godley mentioned (says the Dominion) that he had attended military manoeuvres at Home in which 409,000 men had participated.
In accordance with the latest regulations, no tents were provided, and the men, when they were not engaged in ''fighting'' or marches, slept in ditches, or anywhere else.
A delegate raised the pertinent question as to what effect such exposure had on the health of the men, and the General replied that it seemed to improve their physical condition.
• There is a good deal of dissatisfaction in the Kurow district and Upper Waitaki generally in connection with the subdivision of the Omarama Run.
The grounds of complaint are (our Oamaru correspondent states) that the run is not to be sufficiently subdivided, and that the work of survey has been stopped without adequate cause.
The feeling of dissatisfaction found expression at a well attended meeting in Kurow on Friday night, when the following resolutions were passed: - (1) ''That this meeting of Kurow residents affirms the resolution adopted at a previous meeting, that it is desirable in the interests of the land settlement in North Otago, and of the Upper Waitaki districts especially, that Omarama be subdivided into not less than 12 small grazing runs, the same to be ready for selection immediately after the termination of the present lease in February, 1915; (2) that in view of the fact that the subdivision of Omarama into 12 small grazing runs will take considerable time, and the desirability of the small grazing runs being ready for the ballot immediately on the termination of the present lease, this meeting views with disfavour the calling in of the surveyors.''
It was decided to forward the resolutions to the Land Board, the Minister of Lands, and the members for Waitaki and Oamaru.
- ODT, 28.7.1914.
