PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2504, 3 July 1915, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Heavy fighting is reported to-day in both the main war theatres, and on the AustrChltalian frontiers. In Northern Franco the Allies are vigorously cannonading and mining tho eneity positions, and at other points have beaten off attacks. At time of writing the Germans do not seem to have gained ground at any single point, in the }Vcst, though in the Argonno and in Alsace they are developing attack's in considerable strength. The, Russians arc still giving ground in Galic'ia, fighting stubborn .rearguard actions, ' but there is no indication of German activity on other sections;of tho Eastern battlefront. Fighting appears to be general and continuous all round the Austro-Italiau frontiers. The Italians admit that their progress is slow, but chronicle' no reverse. 1 : : ■ **• * * The object of the violent attacks which the Germans have lately launched : upon the French line where, it crosses the Argonne Forest, west and'a little north of Verdun, is explained in p, message from Paris. The enemy are intent upon reaching a/railway which runs, roughly, parallel with the French line, in the south, and touches Verdun on the iwesfc. Since the war began the fortifications of Verdun have . been greatly strengthened and all attacks by tho enemy from the- east and north have been definitely checked. Possibly tho Germans (hope to find the fortress weaker on the western side, but as'vet, though they, have employed great forces—, something like 40,000 men on a nar/ row front—they appear to have made no; headway' in their latest enterprise., At St. Menehould_ the railway at which they are aiming is nearly ten miles south of the line .across tho Argonne- Forest which the French have been firmly holding for months and are still holding. The latest available news of the German attacks is that they, have completely failed! I#* • » » . Fuller accounts are given in a continuation of Sir lan dispatch of the part played by the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps in connection with Monday's assault from the left of the southern line on the Gallipoli Peninsula. Evidently, while,tho attack was proceeding in the south the colonial forces I kept a. very large force of tho enemy in play, and in a vigorous attack inflicted heavy losses. They succeeded in preventing the Turks sending reinforcements to tho southern area. The advance of 700 yards made by a section of the colonial troops was presumably temporary, for reports go to show that the task of the Australians and New Zealanders for tho time being is to hold their lines aud periodically threaten the enemy's 'communications and divide, his forces. The time for more vigorous tactics will come when the southern, attack has developed beyond its pre-" sent point.. '

No particular authority attaches to the-. Athens message, reporting a bombardment of the • interior forts of tho Dardanelles, ; and of Turkish towns further up the Strait,' tho latter operation'saicl to be carried out by ships firing from the Gulf of Saros. Recent reports from Captain Bean state definitely that the bigger warships of the Allies havo withdrawn meantime, no doubt to avoid submarine attack, and that'destroy-ers-and others of the smaller ships are using' their guns with effect in assisting the operations of tho forces 011 land. The rumour in Athens that tho Allies have occupied Kritliia no doubt owes its origin to .the fact that the. late advance on the left of tho southern lino has placed thorn IB ft muuh muvo favotivalila Msitioa to yam tfcfestisagh,pltl, v Ofl

their now line they threaten the village in flank, but at time of writing there is no official report of its capture. v

Stories transmitted by Reuter's correspondent at Cairo Of German spies having been discovered in the ranks, of the Australians at Gallipoli cannot bo accepted without Continuation. ' Coming as tbey do from tho representative of a responsible news agency they must nevertheless be based on hearsay, and no doubt many stories _ aro afloat in' Cairn which have little relation to actual events at the Dardanelles. It is not, of'course, impossible that men of German nationality and, sympathies may have joined seme of the British or overseas forces with the idea.of helping the enemy. But it is difficult to Delieve that an Australian soldier, could" have contrived to snipe his own officers or that others could, convey information to the enemy assisting him to dircct his bombardment. It will be wise to regard all such stories' with doubt until they are officially shown to be true. If traitors had been discovered in the rankv ■at Gallipoli tho authorities would have preserved'silence on the subject for it would then become necessary to exerciso extra care in_ recruiting to ensure that no additions should be made to their number. And this is an end that could scarcely- be accomplished by any policy of secrecy.

A' definite statement that -the group in the Greek Chamber of Deputies numbers 184 clears up doubts' as to tho actual outcomo of the recent, elections. Representation in' Greece ha 3 lately been adjusted as a result of additional population being'gained with accessions of new territory , and thcro is some convict of authority as to the present strength of the. Chamber. Probably, however,- it docs not cxcccd 280 and in that case M. Venezelos lias a majority of nearly two to one. That ho has a substantial .majority. ■. is quit® certain. - No .hews." has yet come through of the. resignation of the present Greek Government,-but M. Venezelos will-return to power in 'ordinary course. ~ Prospects of Greece entering, tho war on the side of " tho Entente ■ are accordingly brightened though her action must depend to some extent upon the policy adopted by Bulgaria.

-* . • * Though . it. brings into prominence some of the worst features of the German submarine "blockade," the sinking of'the liner Armenian, off the Scilly Islands', is in a somewhat different category to such a deed as the torpedoing-of tho Lusitania. In ; its details the ; attack on the Armenian was a murderous 'outrage, but a fact upon which the Germans wilL rely is that the ship endeavoured to escape when the submarine summoned her to surrender by firing shots across her bows. The Armenian had a speed of 14 knots. Its destroyer,- 'U3B, is'presumably one of the new German submarines, and would, have a v surface speed of about 18 knots. > . Since his ship evidently carried no gun, the brave captain of the Armenian _ may , seem to_ havo shown more spirit tha,n discretion in attempting to escape,' but. he had a start of four miles -'and no doubt hoped' to summon the assistance ol coast patrols—a hope that would pa all the stronger from _the fact that his ship carried a wireless equipment. : It. is a rule of international law, that a merchant ship must surrender when summoned to do so by a legally-commissioned enemy cruiser, but no section of the.British' public is likely to find ' fault .with a sea captain who disdains this rule in practice when there is a chance of escape, even-if his action results in loss of life. At all events'the action of the captain of the Armenian is to be considered in the light of the fact that the ship Svas attacked almost in British coastal' waters in an area which the-..enemy submarines Have at different times made a '-huntingground. On this .latter account it might be expected that the; area would receive special attention from naval patrols, and the master 'ofv x ariy ship, plated as the .Armenian was would be quite, justified/in risking something upon the chance of assistance arriving before his ship, was captured and destroyed. . * • */ * »

. Against legal point which will probably be. raised by tho German it can be urged that a submarine cannot be a legally-commissioned cruiser. The British contention that the habitual methods of the 'submarines antount to piracy is based not only on the facj; that ships have been sunk without warning, but upon the additional fact that submarines hi the nature of 'things cannot observe the rules enjoined by international law merchant shipping is concerned; This is recognised notonly, in Britain, but in America, and the recognition found expression in the No to addressed by the United States to Germany in regard to the sinking of the Lusitania:

"It is practically impossible," tho Note stated, "for officers of submarine's to visit a merchantman at sea and' examine her papers ' and. cargo. It •is practically impossible ' for them to make her a. prize, and if they cannot pnt a prize crew on board they cannot sink her without leaving the crew and all on board to the mercy of tho sea in her small boats. . * Manifestly submarines cannot be used against merchantmen, as the j last few weeks have shown, without an inevitable violation of many sacred principles of justice and humanity."

A strictly accurate interpretation of the international law and obligations bearing on the matter would no doubt declare that the attack on the Armenian was in no way palliated by the attempt of the ship, to escape..

The circumstances in, which' tho Armenian was destroyed will no doubt revive tho much-discussed proposal to arm merchant ships .with .> guns. .Much has been said for and against the proposal in general terms, but this is a concrete instance providing a number of arguments in its favour. Given one good gun aboard ,thc- Armenian, and such a captain and crew as manned her, the chances are that instead of- the British mercantile marine being poorer by the loss of an 8000-ton steamer, the i Germans would. have been poorer by a submarine.' The submarine was able to overtake tho Armenian only by running on the surface, and therefore presenting a target. There is probably no submarine ; in existence capable. of an under-water speed of 14 knots, and it is unlikely, that tho underwater speed of U3B was more than ten knots—the speed of tho latest German submarines about which anything if definitely known. . Most of the later . German boats carry 14pounderguns. A much more powerful gun could be mounted at no very great expense on a ship like the Armenian. Difficulties might arise in regard to providing the.guns and the instruction of gun crews, but' tho last at least 'should, not prove

tance voyage wouldSifford plenty of facilities for. training' and practice which need not involve any, great expenditure of ammunition.

If Britain adopted tho policy of arming merchantmen, Germany would, of course, assume the rights to sink any British merchantman without warning, but that is practically her policy to-day. It is only in exceptional cases that warning is given, and these cases are scarcely worth considering. British ships are exposed at all-times to the risk of being sunk by submarines which they have not even seen. • The fato of the Armenian brings into prominence •another risk—that they may be chased and destroyed by submarines, running on the surface. Against this second risk merchantmen would: be to a very great extent protected if they were armed. \

Even if it were granted that U3B had a right to.'fire upon the Armenian in order to disable and bring her to a standstill it would still be true that, cap tain of. the submarine was guilty of a murderous attack. Tho story of Captain Trickery, of the Armenian, is remarkable for its moderate tone, but he mentions incidentally that shrapnel shells .were fired into his ship. Shrapnel could only ,have been used with'the object of killing men; ordinary explosive shells would have been much more effective in disabling tho ship, and no doubt it' was of this latter class that wrecked the engineroom _ and , the steering-gear.. The captain's general statement about the, fairness shown l by the submarine is in conflict with other reports that firing continued ' while the •; Armenian's boats were being lowered, that tho falls of one boat were, cut by a shell, • and that the, submarine fired upon a \ Belgian trawler approaching to Rescue the survivors. It is dillicuft to believe that these circumstantial statements are mere inventions, and if they are truo tho conduct of the submarine cominandor was' anytiling but fair. . *** . *

. As is natural, from) tho factvthat most of the crew who perished were Americans,' the sinking, of the Armenian has created a sensation yi the United States. American diploihacy being what it is, this is perhaps not a circumstanco of great importance, but the latest outrage emphasises the futility of the negotiations in which the American Government is seeking satisfaction for the' murder -of its citizens in the Lusitania. Doubtless it will not attempt to treat the sinking of the Armen-, ian on the same basis as the tor.pedoing of the Lusitania, but the later outrage almost equally flouts the general contentions ; regarding submarine commerce-raiding raised in the American Note to which Germany, has not yet returned any., but an evasive reply.