NOTES ON THE WAR.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2274, 7 October 1914, Page 4

NOTES ON THE WAR.

Some insight into tho methods of the French forces may be gathered from the interesting translation of the new French regulations for field service which will be found in our news columns. Incidentally they may serve to throw a little light on the operations of tho Allies against the Gorman forces in France, and may lead to a clearer understanding of the objects aimed at in the tactics which are being followed. ' Broadly speaking the whole purpose of the Allies is to lead up to a position in which they will find themselves so situated as to be able not merely to score a temporary advantage, but to strike a decisive blow and follow it up with a crushing defeat. To attain this end they must make sacrifices, and they must develop a plan of attack- which with such huge forces engaged may extend over weeks before all can be staked on a final tremendous effort. So it is that we have heard from daV to day during the past three weeks of desperate fighting without any ' decisive outcome; but, despite occasional fluctuations of fortune, it has been clear that the Allies _ have steadily improved their position. This is quite satisfactory from the point of view of modern military tactics. We must be prepared for occasional delays in the forward movement of the Allies, i and temporary checks, and should be well content so long as the general situation continues favourable. So far as can be gathered from to-day's messages there has been little change along the long lines of the opposing forces in -France. Hore and. there south of the]Oise the Germans appear to have' gained a little ground, but on the whole the situation remains very much as it was.

So far as the Russo-German frontier fighting is concerned, the details to hand confirm the earlier messages of the heavy German losses in the southern district. Apparently there are still German troops in different, parts of Russian Poland, bjit the Tsar's troops have started once more on the invasion of East Prussia at two points," moving in the direction of Allenstein. With , the winter coming on the troops will find transport over the bad roads and marshy country an easier matter than it was six weeks ago; but it will be a little time yet before the roads and marshes are sufficiently frozen to allow of the passage of heavy artillery and wagons. The Tsae himself is now stated to be at the front. This should inspire thet troops to still greater efforts. Tho invasion of Austria-Hungary goes on apace and with continued success. The Russian troops which crossed the Carpathians have advanced well into Hungary, at a more eaeterly point than was at first understood. They will now have a grea't stretch of plain to operate on, and the Cossack cavalry will no doubt be heard of frequently in this quarter.

Accounts of the 'of tho British Expeditionary Force in France, which came to hand by yesterday's mail, stir the pulses and make one feel that- it is good to be a Britisher. The Times correspondent, in the course of his description of the stirring scene at Boulogne, tells of the outbursts of enthusiasm with which tho troops wero received by the French population, and,, proceeding, describes the men themselves :

Watch them as they pass, he writes, every man in the prime of life, not. a youth, or stripling among them. Their' shirts are open at the front, nnd'as they shout you can see tho working of tlie muscles of their throats, their wide-open mouths and rows of dazzling teoth. Every movement spells fitness for the field, for long marches by day and longer nights in lilie trenches, for hard fighting and rough living. "Ah . . . " gasped a Frenchwoman standing on the steps of a hotel as they passed. "It makes me ill of Hie heart to see so many fine men marching to the war. They nro so full of life. Never have I seen such splendid men. Oh, but they nro "-brave to go laughing." I can see. them asai", with their brown, jolly faces, full of liuighttr, and hear them still shouting and singing "It's a long way to Tippei'firy . . . it's a long'way to go . . ~" while the officers, with tho (luiet, confident smiles, ride between, raising hands in salute to their French; eoinvadrs in arms on tho pavements.

These arc the men who since that day hold in check the furious onslaught of the picked tcoops of Germany during the magnificent refcirenipn't of. iha AUJos in the earlier stages of the war—the finest achieve-

menfc of its kind recorded in history, according to American expert military opinion. These arc the men, too, who later assisted to turn thetide of invasion, and irresistibly pressed back the German hosts; lighting .continuously in flooded trenches for clays on end, drenched, often foodless, but always the same cheerful, shouting, singing, indomitable fellows, whose light-heartedness in risking their lives made such appeal to the Frenchwoman on the hotel steps at Boulogne. Our New Zealand troops have been set a splendid example £o live up to by their brothers-in-arms from the Motherland.

It is worthy of notice that in connection with the transport of the British Expeditionary- Force to Franco, the Times is particularly emphatic in directing attention to the part which the Navy has played since the outbreak of hostilities. Despite the.importance and. absorbing interest of the operations on land, the London journal remarks, the people of Great Britain should not for an instant forget the North Sea.

. On its grey waters, the article proceeds, our incomparable fleet is rendering service of priceless value to our Empire and to our Allies. The nation does not yet fully realise how unprecedented and how flawless was tlie i>art played by the Royal Navy in the transport of the Expeditionary Force across the narrow seas. It tears Httie of tho exhausting and incessant strain imposed upon all ranks in the Fleet during that unexampled enterprise. If ever the story of the last fortnight is revealed the world will receive fresh proofs of the audacity and the endurance of British eailors.

It is always well to bear in mind the great part the British Fleet is playing in the present war. Despite the fact that the German fleet has failed to give it an opportunity of proving its strength in a great sea battle, it has at no time been idle. We do not know, perhaps, as the Times suggests, we shall never know, the full story of its doings; butthe fact that we hear little of its activities should not lead us into tho error that it is idly cruising in the North Sea.

Public confidence in the ability of New Zealand to weather the disturbances of trade and commerce incidental to the. war will be strengthened by the PiuME Minister's statement in the House of Representatives on Monday night that he thinks the Government will be able to carry on public works right through the war, as in the past, and that more men are employed upon these works at present than formerly. It is encouraging to hear also that the Government anticipates no difficulty in obtaining the funds required for additional swamp drainage works at Hauraki Plains and llangitaiki. The sums involved are comparatively small, but taken in conjunction with the fact that the Government is prepared to repay" a loan obtained from the Public Trust Office at any time, if tho money should be required by that Department for., advances in aid of development work, the intimation appears to indicate clearly that the Government at anyrate is. not reduced to scratching for supplies. The PriJie Minister did not take the House into his confidence as to the resources actually available, but his statement, though somewhat general, was definitely optimistic and justifies the assumption that satisfactory financial arrangements have been made to tide over the present period of difficulty. The country it is clear is now reaping the benefit of the prudent financial administration of the Hon. J as. Allex,under which the State Advances and other accounts were restored to a sound condition with ample balances available to meet commitments. It is to be hoped that the Prime Minister's expectations may be realised in their, entirety so far as the prosecution of public works is concerned, for it has been said, with justice, that the- Government, at a time like the present, should set .an example of confidence and enterprise to private employers. Judging from Mr. -Massey's remarks the other night tlie Government is fully prepared to live up to this conception of its and responsibilities; and, indeed, it must be said for Mr. Massey and his colleagues that in this great crisis, _as in the lesser emergencies of their period of office, they have splendidly risen to the occasion.

The Labour Department's report upon trade conditions in Wellington during September affords further ground for satisfaction. It indicates _that so far as Wellington is concerned, the war has had only a slightly depressing influence upon some trades, and upon others none at all. Quite a number of industries are reported busy. Even in the building trade, which, it was expected would receive a sharp setback, there appears to be very little unemployment. Another important feature is a distinct recovery in retail trading as compared with August. The uneasiness which was prevalent during August and which had a depressing influence upon trade appears to bo wearing off, with the result that conditions are reported to be moving back to normal. The outlook all round should be distinctly hopeful. There is bound to be some falling-off in trade where luxuries and things that cor* easily be done without are concerned, but if unemployment is kept dpwn to a minimum, as it seems likely to be. there is no reason why trade all round should be anything but good. There is no doubt that Wellington has iftiffered less than some other parts of tho Dominion in the matter of unemployment, the equipment of the troopships absorbing a great deal o£ casual and other labour, but with ordinary good fortune tho trouble should not attain serious volume anywhere in the country. Public works meantime will keep a large number of mon employed, and during the summer there should be a big demand for labour in various country occupations, So far as evidence is available it would appear that such disorganisation of trade and industry as has occurred has been duo more to apprehensions based on an unwarranted fear of the future than to any solid cause.