PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2327, 8 December 1914, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

The movements of the Germans in Belgium are said to be shrouded in mystery, but there is a strong impression that they are sending a large nnmbor of troops eastward. Tins theory is supported by' the latest news from the Eastern'front, which states that the enemy has been heavily reinforced, and is now making a vigorous, aggressive movement. The Germans now occupy an extremely strong position in Poland, and have control of the main railroads in the area of operations. Some verysovere fighting is proceeding, (ind it is reported that tho Gcrmans loak i60,Q00 effectives in the

battle at Lodz, while the Austrian losses in the- engagements proceeding simultaneously at Czestochowa. and Cracow amounted to 100,000. The Germans have established a wedge in\Poland, the base of which rests on Kalisz and Thorn and the apox at Lowicz. This them a very strong offensive position. A message from, Berlin claims that the Kaiser's troops have actually occupied Lodz, and that they have inflicted heavy losses on the Russians. But news from this source cannot be .accepted without ' confirmation. Thoro is no sufficient reason to bolieye that the [Russians have lost their advantage in spite of the determined counterstroke which they have- to face; \t must be borne in mind that they prefer to meet the enemy in Poland, as tho system of military railways which has been established along the frontier would give the Germans an enormous advantage if the fighting had to take place on German territory. The cablegrams leave the .result of the operations still in doubt, but it is quite clear that big things are happening, and it now seems very probable that the Germans have been endeavouring to deceive the Allies in Belgium by giving the impression that they were about to make a strong attack, and under the cover of this "bluff" they have been send-ing-reinforcements to repel the Muscovite onslaught. It is questionable, however, whether tho Allies have been deceived by these tactics^ * # * * The reference of the Times to some item, of news which is being kept secret as far as the British public is concerned, although it has been published in German and American newspapers, cannot fail to give rise to a multitude of rumours and conjectures which have an unsettling effect on the nation. Strict Secrecy regarding naval and military operations actually in.progress is, oi course, absolutely necessary, but it is advisable that the authorities-should take the public into their confidence as far as they can do so without disclosing any information that might prove of advantage to the enemy. As soon as the reasons for secrecy cease to hold good, the facts should, be made public, as' unnecessary concealment breeds suspicion and uneasiness, and people aro apt to exaggerate the importance of matters concerning which nothing but vague hints and rumours are in circulation. The- general, public is almost certain to connect, rightly or wrongly, the comments of the Times on th.j concealment 1 of a certain "piece of news" with tho same paper's suggestion that _ the Government should advise_ .citizens how to act in case of invasion, although such an occurrence may_ be improbable. But it is quite possible that the hidden event may be a matter of comparative unimportance. In a great war liko the present we must expect to receive, blows as well as give them. The British public fully realise this, and is not afraid to hear the truth. . General , Joffre is so confident of ultimate victory that he is reported to have remarked that the triumph of the Allies is now a "mathematical certainty." France was not nearly ae' ready for war as Germany—all the world knows that. But with the help of the. Belgian and British troops the enemy was held in check; and all the while General Joffre was improving the French military machine. His first tasfc : was to forge a weapon, arid ,he had to fight with it all the time. He says that this weapon has now been. _ brought to such a state of perfection that the Germans , will . dash themselves against it in vain. As a matter of fact the enemy is exhausting-himself in x his desperate efforts to break through the lines of the Allies. Ever since the Battle of tho Marne, when the Germans were thrown back from the neighbourhood of Paris, the Allied forces have proved themselves more than 'a' match for their power : ful adversary, and the weapon General, Joffee has forged is now doins its work so well that victory is assured. ' ' ■ * .* * * In marked contrast'to General Joffre's optimism is the confession of a , captured German officer that the Germans are beginning to lose faith in their "technical superiority." "Assuming that .everything remains favourable," he s said, "the Germans will not soon be conquered, but matters may quiekly become critical if our generals continue accusing each other of failure." The most pronounced Pan-Germanist must admit that the struggle is not developing favourably for nis country. Russia has inflicted enormous losses on the Kaiser's armies, and the German death-roll in France and Belgium has also been tremendous. Attention is again drawn to the weakening of the morale of the enemy's troops. This is, of course, a difficult matter to judge, as morale cannot be measured by a footrule. It is, however,' certain that the German soldiers must have; ceased to believe in their own invincibility. -Their confidence in themselves and their leaders has been rudely shaken. — - * '* * * It is stated that tho Allies intend shortly to makes a concerted movement on both the East and West fronts for the purpose of preventing the German troops from shifting from one frontier to the other. In this connection it is interesting to note that General Joffre has stated that he is not anxious that tho Germans should decrease their strength in the West, as the present position would enable the Russians to press forward more rapidly. There can be no doubt that the Germans have been making the very most'of the advantage which they derive from their ability to concentrate quickly aj; given points on either front as the occasion demands. A military expert points out that Germany's fighting power.is by this means mado much greater than her mere numerical strength. The Germans may be trusted to fight with' tho utmost determination against the Russians, and before a truly critical situation can arise in Eastern Germany sufficient time will have elapsed tor the transfer of troops from the Western battle line, to the East. The readiness with which the Kaiser seems to sacrifice his soldiers in Belgium would not be due to a disregard of the value of German life. The situation in which Germany has'found herself simply compels hor to strive to achiove lier purpose on the West at any cost. To retire from her. position in France and Belgium before either the Allios or the Russians have made it imperative to do so would, be merely • accept . defeat prematurely. By increasing the pressure on both sides simultaneously the Allies will make it impossible for the German troops to move from front to "front with the &ama freedom as they have done up to the njeseftt, A vigorous concerted. '

forward movement by the Allies would tax the resources of their enemies to the utmost, and would keep the strain on Germany at the highest point without relaxation. * . # * * The 'account given , by Beuter's Rome correspondent of Italy's efforts to restrain Germany and Austria from plunging Europe into war shows quite clea|ly that. Germany had made up her\r.ind that the time was favourable for the realisation of the aggressive ambitions which she has cherished for years. She thought that Russia was unready and Britain unwilling to , draw fthe sword, and Italy's warnings were in vain. The documents sotting out these facts provide a further proof that the war was deliberately provoked by the Prussian militarists. This has, of course, been already proved conclusively, but the new evidence has an interest of its own.' 'No one outside of Germany now believes that the Kaiser and his advisers were reluctant to go to war., Some light is. thrown on this point in a letter to an English paper by Mr; Gayford, of New York, which (jives particulars of a significant inoident that occurred at Dusseldorf in June last. A lady who teaches German in an American college usually spends her\ summers there and deposits her money-in one of the banks. This last summer she mentioned to one of the officers of the university that she was about to follow her usual ous-. torn. He. answered quickly:. "Don't doit!" Why 1" she asked. "Because we are going to war." She expressed h'er amazement and asked for what-reason. The answer was:. "Because we are ready and they are not." . ' ' i » • » • The cable message stating that in consideration of the receipt of £8,000,000 of Russian' gold the Bank of England discounts under Government guarantee a further £12,000,000 of Russian Treasury bills needs further elucidation. Ever since the commencement of the war; commercial intercourse between England and Russia was hampered by the inability to adjust the exchange problem, which was rendered worse by the prohibition of,food exports, upon which, Russia mainly relies for the mantenance of her credits abroad. The prohibition was subsequently removed, but owing to the almost complete stoppage of the Baltic trade the immediate effect was not very great, and the rouble was quoted at 110 to 120—a practically prohibitive rate of exchange for ordinary commercial business. To overcome this difficulty an Imperial Ukase authorised the Russian Minister of Finance to issue on the English market short-dated Russian Treasury bills. The issue in no way reflects on Russian credit. It is merely a financial manoeuvre by which Russian merchants will be enabled to pay for goods imported without losing' over 20 per cent, owing to the abnormally high rate of exchange. One of the principal benefits likely to arise from the new position 'created is that it will facilitate the resumption of shipments of Indian tea to Russia. This trade had been at a standstill owing to the difficulties of exchange. ». # # # The people of 'Germany are etill hoping for a Holy War; but the more they know" of what is going on in the Moslem world outside - the Oi> toman Empire the less they are likeV ly' to expect in the way of help from Mohammedanß living under British, French, or Russian rule. They are not told.anything about tiie splendid•: proofs of loyalty to Britain given I by the princes and people of India, j A Swiss journalist who has just made a tour of Germany tells us that the populace are daily expecting to hear of serious trouble in India. Their newspapers have been endeavouring to cheer them up by assuring them that Britain's great Asiatic dependency is on the verge of revolt. If they had read the cablegram published in yesterday's Dominion regarding India's loyalty • they .would see how utterly untrustworthy such stories arei The list of the Indian gifs of men, money, and equipment speaks for itself. Moreover the headß of the great Native States have expressed regret to the Viceroy that Turkey should have joined Germany in- fighting England "under whose benign rule the Moslems enjoyed perfect religious freedom. These facts cannot be very encouraging to those who are hoping for a Holy War. # - # # - # . '■ : , The German people have also been led to expect a general break-up of the' British Empire. This hope has been' Shattered just as completely as the expectation of a.Holy War against 'the Allies. In our cable columns will be found a report of a speech by tho Canadian Prime Minister (Sir R. L. Borden), who declares that Canada is prepared to dispatch 300,000 more men if necessary. Canada had,. he said, unflinchingly determined to. fight to the last man, and the other Overseas Dominions are just as determined as Canada to see "the war through to the end by the side of the MotherA few days ago we made reference to an article in the_ London Moraiiig Post adversely criticising the dispatch of the Naval Brigade to assist in the defence of Antwerp. The expedition was described as a "costly blunder for which Mr. Winston Churchill must.be held responsible on the present evidence," and the question was asked whether, the plans had been approvod by General French and Lord Kitchener. Further light has now been thrown on the affair by a dispatch by Sir John French, a eummary of which appeared in yesterday's issue. Sir John French does not tell us who was responsible for the. expedition being sent, but he etates that the battalion- behaved Bplendidly, and ; that its services were of great value. His report does not definitely dispose of tho allegation of 'Ministerial interference." It does, however, indicate that, although the fortress was not saved, the efP e f"" tion can hardly, be called a "costly blunder." > # *■»..»-,. ■■ ■ Shortly after the article referred to appeared in the Morning cost, Mr. Churchill made a statement in which ha said: . The Naval Division was seatto AnfcV«rp not as an isolated incident, but as nart of a largo operation for the reliof of the city. Other and more powerful isidorSions prevented this bom beinc carried through. The defence of the inner lines of Antwerp could have bw* maintained for Rome days and the Navnl Division only withdrew *teii ordered to do so in obedience to tho ccneral strategic situation, aud not on. account of any attack or pressure by • tho enemy. Tho prolongation of the defonco duo to the arrival of the division enabled the ehips in tho harbour to be rendered 'useless and many-steps'of importance to. be taken. It is too early now to judge what oft'ect the delaying, even for five or els days, of at least 60,000 Germans before AntiTorjj may hare had upon,. tb.e for-

tones of the general battle to the southward. It ivas certainly powerful and helpful. Commenting on Me. Churchill's explanation the military- correspondent of the London Times states that he is "disposed to believe that such an operation was practicable,,- and that it failed, nofc from any fault of ours, but on.account of one of those disappointments which are only too oommon in the conduct of allied operations." The correspondent thinks that it is obvious that the First Lord must have acted with the consent of his colleagues, also with the approval of our Allies.