THE WAR COMMITTEE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2619, 15 November 1915, Page 4

THE WAR COMMITTEE

The now War Committee of the British Cabinet announced by M-r. Asquith last week includes four Ministers who might have .been expected to find a place in such a body, namely, the Prime Minister himself, the First Lord of the Admiralty (Me. Balfour), the Minister of Munitions (Mr. Lloyd George), and the late Leader of the Opposition and now' Secretary of State for tho Colonies (Mr. A. Bonar Law). The choice of the fifth member, Mr. M'Kenna, Chancellor of the Exchequer, is something of a surprise. It was generally thought that the Secretary of Stat© for Foreign Affairs, Sir Edward Grey, would be included in the War Cabinet. Obviously his close acquaintance with foreign affairs would seem to suggest that he should be m a position to render valuable service on such a Committee, and his omission is difficult to understand. It is possible that Mr. Asquith has been influenced in making a selection between Sir Edward Grey,. Mr. M'Kenna, and Mr. Bonar Law \ by considerations of expediency. There has been a tendency of late to cast the blame for the failure of our diplomacy in the Balkans on the Foreign Office, which means Sir Edward Grey. It is doubtful whether the course of events there could have been materially changed by anything else than a display of force, which at the time we were unable, to make; but failure meets with little sympathy in such times as these, and the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, despite his past magnificent record, is to some extent, perhaps unjustly,.- under a cloud. Mr. M'Kenna, on the other hand, though much attacked as Home Secretary, jumped into popular confidence by the bold and courageous fashion in which he, as Chancellor of the Exchequer, handled the problem of war finance. . If he acts on the War Committee the same thoroughness and strength as,he displayed in framing and championing his War Budget, ho will deserve his place. Mr. Bonar Law, no doubt, owes his position to the tact that it was" felt desirable to include on the War Committee the late Leader of the Opposition. That Mr. Churchill should have been disappointed over his non-inclusion is easy to understand- Ho has never been guilty of underrating his own powers, and while there can be no question that ho possesses great ability which might be turned to good account in a struggle such as the present; the cloud hanging over him in connection with tho Dardanelles campaign and the resignation of Admiral Fisher does not encourage confidence in his judgment and discretion. His resignation from the Cabinet at the present time will not occasion any great concern, though it may mean the loss of a driving force which is at times useful, and in which the Ministry seems to be somewhat lacking. That, _ indeed, would appear to be the chief, weakness of the War Committee. Its personnel rather gives the impression that it will be slow to move. That, however, remains to be tested.