PROGRESS OF THE WAR.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2406, 11 March 1915, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR.

Further acts of piracy by German submarines aro recorded to-day. Three British merchant vessels, were

sunk on Tuesday last, and 37 of tho crew of one of the number aro missing, It is plain that the oncmy's submarines are now operating over a wide area. One of the unlucky, vessels was sunk off Scarborough, well up the. East Coast of England; another off Hastings, in tho English Channel, near / the Straits of Dover; and the third off Liverpool, on tho West Coast ot England, clearly showing that three separate submarines were at work. The biggest of the vessels sunk was the Tangistan,'JiVoS tons; the others being about half that size. This no doubt for one day's work was a good haul from tho German point of view, and while it does not repre'sent a. very serious loss to us, and counts -for next to nothing from the military. point of view, it nevertheless serves to cmphasiso the. desperate nature of the struggle in which the Empire is engaged. In that way it should servo a useful purpose in stimulating recruiting in tho Motherland, and in stiffening the people to endure tho inevitable hardship and loss which such _ a struggle entails. The best qualities of the British people have always been shown Under stress of adversity.

The activity of the French troops in France has been vel'y noticeable of late, and especially in the region east of Reims tho progress made has bden decidedly encouraging. The struggle here has for its immediate object the wresting from the _ Germans of a line of railway which is used as a feeder for the invading troops over a Considerable section of the country. The French h&ve been steadily pushing forward to secuve a position from which _ their artillery can command this railway, and though the progress has beon slow, and marked by distinct checks, it has of late been more steady. Further to the East and South the fighting has been practically continuous, and to-day's .messages indicate lurther successes for the French in this direction. 11l thd North, where the British troops aro stationed, Field-Marshal Sir John French is well satisfied with the way things are going, but reports that the general situation is unchanged. Tho general idea appears to. bo that when the Germans make their big effoi'tr— assuming they are not forestalled by the Allies—it will he in the rcgimi held by the British force, and will have for its objective the seizure of Calais and the adjoining coast line. This would place the German commanders, both naval and military, in a much better position than they are at present to strike at hated England. To attain this ohd, therefore, the German troops may be expected to excel themselves, which means a desperate struggle. So far, however, we have had no definite evidence that tho Germans are yet in a position to make the grand onslaught of which we have had hints. They have their hands full at present holding their positions. * ♦ * *

Heading between the lines we may expect to bear of a renewal of the German offensive in Northern Poland within the next day or two. .Desperate fighting is reported along the whole of _ the Nieman-Vistiila front, which in effect means along the whole of the line through Russia and Poland, and the Russians continue to hold the advantage. A significant item is sandwiched in indicating' that heavy bodies of German troops are being brought into the fighting line to the south of Chorzele. Whenever we hear of the massing of German troops at any point in the Eastern. Theatre of war ifc is Usually followed by a check to our.Allies. In the present instance the probabilities are that the German forces which were compelled to retreat hurriedly after their defeat at Prasiiysz have - been reinforced. and are now about to take the offensive. Chorzele is some 15 miles to the north of Prasnysz, and very close, to the Southern frontier of East Prussia. In spite of the aggressive movements of the AustroHungarian forces in Galicia, the Russians in that quarter are more than holding their own. The situation generally in the East shows little change, t but there are many signs that point to an early' clash which may have momontOus consequences.

A crushing answer to the German suggestion that Britain is endeavouring to get to Constantinople ahead of Russia is to be found in the fact that jthe Russian cruiser Askold hag been invited by the Allies to take the_ Russian flag into the Dardanelles in front ox the Anglo-French Fleet. Throughout the war the German Press and German diplomats have systematically sought to create jealousies and bow dissension ' amongst the Allies, but happily without success. The attack on the "Dardanelles continues to progress, but as anticipated it is slow work at the present stage. _ To-day we learn of more forts being battered into silence by the heavy guns of the Allied warships, the work of the big 16-inch weapons of the Queen Elizabeth apparently being the outstanding feature. Tho statement that the 11-inch guns of the ex-Ger-man battle-cruiser Goeben have been mounted near the Narrows would seem to imply that the reported injuries' to the Goeben have not been exaggerated. With this powerful vessel out of tho way the Russian Fleet in the Black Sea Could more than hold its own against tho remainder of the Turkish .Fleet, and we may therefore hear at any day now of renewed on its part. Indeed, it may soon be knocking at the doors of Constantinople from the Blast while the AngloFrench Fleet is advancing from the Wcst " * * * » Half-measures having failed to bring about a settlement , of the Labour which art hampering the efforts of the_ British military and naval authorities, the Government have decided to apply to all factories the provisions of tho Defence'of-the Realm Act. This means that the Government itself is prepared to step in and practically control the working of such industries as it may deem necessary.. Thiß may appear an extremo action, but it plainly has become imperative. It almost passes belief that with the Empire engaged in the greatest struggle in the history of the world, with its whole future as a first-class nation at stake, its efforts should be fettered by internal domestic disputes between employers and employees as to fractional increases of wages. Yet such is the case, and the situation appears to grow worse instead of better. Tho only possible excuse that Can be put forward is that those who are responsible for these troubles have no proper conception of tho veal position. Thoy have learned nothing from tho lesson of Belgium and the terrible position of the poople within the war zone of Eastern France and Western Poland. The horrors of invasion, tho destruction of their homes, the

violation of their women, and all the unspeakable atrocities suffered by those who have passed under the heel of the German hosts weigh as nothing with. them when compared with the gaining or the granting of a few pence per day extra, on a wage-sheet. _ In their selfish folly (and we refer to both employers and employees) they arc blind to the peril which they may be bringing on themselves and the nation; seeking to. profit out of a struggle in which, their countrymen are laying duwn their lives for theif protection and future welfare. It is quite time that the Government stepped in and put an end to this stupendous folly.