Progress of the War.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16259, 9 July 1918, Page 6

Progress of the War.

Activities on the West front are still confined to local movements by tho Allies, and there are no signs suggesting an immediate renewal of the German offensive. To-day's reports record a further advance by the Australians on their sector south of the Somme,

their line being poshed forward some 400 yards on a front of over a mile. The snccesß of thi3 latest attack, according to the correspondents' reports, has resulted not only in rectifying the line at this point, but has cleared the Germans ont of important observation points which wonld doubtless have interfered with the defence of the sector in the event of a heavy attack by the enemy. The French front remains comparatively quiet, the only military movement recorded to-day being a slight advance west of Chateau Thierry. The messages from the Italian theatre show that the Italians have carried their operations on the Lower Piave to a successful conclusion, the Austrians on July 6th being completely driven to the left bank of the river. Thus the whole of the coastal zone occupied by the enemy since November has been recaptured. The tally of Italian captures since June 15th, comprising 523 officers, 23,911 men, G3 guns, 1234 machine-guns, and much other materia', in addition to the recovery of all the artillery and material lost in the first phase of tho straggle, gives some indication of the heavy losses inflicted ">n the enemy. The latest report to hand relating to the Allies' intervention in Russia states that England and France expect to land several thousand troops, but it is -uncertain what part China and Japan will play, though it is believed that Japan's 500,000 soldiers will be used advantageously. At Vladivostok the Czscho-Slovaks appear to have assumed complete control, having disarmed the Bolsheviks and restored tee former administration.

When it was stated some time ago that insulting messages had been enclosed in gift parcels sent to . our troops in Egypt and Palestine, the committee of the Lady Liverpool Fund indignantly denied that such messages wore enclosed in any of their parcels. For those who know anything about the working of this excellent fund, no such denial was necessary, and. indeed, we fancy most peoplo concluded that the whole story was an invention. We have, however, received from a lady the following extracts from a letter which has come to her from a brother on active service in Palestine: "AVe have often got notes'in our gift parcels saying that tliey hoped a fighting man would get this and not a cold-footed mounted. I would like to get some of them who say such things and put them out in ike desert for two years. . The conditions and hardships arc not what they used to be back in the desert now that we are up in Palestine, I will admit, but people who think the Mounteds have not done anything should go through the heat and tlie flies of the Jordan _ Valley. The place is like an oven in the summertime, being so low, about 1200 ft below sea-level. That yarn about socks being used fnr rifle cleaning is all bosh ; what piffle some do get hold of. I know our own lot

are only too pleased to get all the

socks they cnn. lam surprised .-t —— saying they were used for audi

a purpose, as they would bo quite useless."

Anything more wickedly unjust and cruelly unfair than the insinuation contained in the notes referred to we can hardlv conceive. It is perhaps a sufficient answer to point to the fact that his Majesty the King, in his speech at the Guildhall reported in our cable news to-day, especially mentioned the troops in Palestine, and other distant theatres of the war, who, he said, had experienced most trying times. The truth is they have not yet received nearly the credit they deserve.

It will bo interesting to sco what reply the German Government will make to Mr Wilson's speech on Independence Day, which gains spoeial importance from Mr Lloyd George's comment upon tho President's four indispensable conditions of a scttlemont. "Germany can have peace to-morrow," Mr Lloyd George said, "if she accepts tho conditions voiced by President Wilson, but tho Kaiser and his advisors have not given any sign of any intention to acccpt those conditions." This, of course, is not the first time the British Government have given Germany an opportunity to show its good faith, but it is the first time such vory definite language was used. Mr Balfour, on May 16th, said that if any representative of any belligerent country desired seriously to lay any proposals before tho British Government, the Government were ready to listen to them. He was replying to a. question concerning tho letter of tho Emporor Charles to Prince Sixtus, which was shown in confidence to King George and the Prime Minister. Mr Balfour Incidentally mentioned that ho had no secrets from Mr Wilson, and that complote confidence existed between America and Britain. .

This particular speech of Mr Balfour's contained soino interesting references to French war-aims. It had been stated that Franco had asked for a bigger Alsace-Lorraine than that of 1870. Mr Balfour did not deny this, but he denied that such an extension was any part of the Allies' war aims, Tho Franco-Russian conversations in 1916, in which France asked for Russian support for a bigger Alsace-Lor-raine, were not known to Great Britain until very much later. They did not pledge Great Britain, and the British Government never gave tho least encouragement to any such notion. An extended Alsace-Lorraine was not a subjoct, he said, which should over be contemplated seriously. There was a suggestion that the demand of Franco for extended territories had interfered with tho pourparlers over the Emperor's letter. 3lr Balfour said that this was not the case, and in any event there was no evidence at any time that Germany had contemplated the possibility of "what we should regard as a reasonable peace."

It has been decided that there shall be no street collection for the benefit of the French Relief Fund, the time between now and next Saturday being considered insufficient to allow of arrangements being made. We are sorry for this, because it is desirable that Canterbury should contribute a creditable quota to the fund, and a street collection, properly organised, would have yielded a handsome sum. Those who sympathise with the movement to pay a tribute to our gallant Ally will not, however, be deprived of the opportunity of helping. Subscriptions are asked for, and as there is not much time left before France's National Day has come, we hope that the public will

realise the necessity for promptness in giving if Canterbury's contribution is to be what it ought to bo.