PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2987, 26 January 1917, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Thehk is distinctly good news from Rumania-., Some days ago the enemy reported that he had driven the Russians across the Soreth on the central part of tho Rumanian front, and it seemed possible that Mackensen had beon reinforced, and had resumed the offensive. That theory is now discounted. The position on the central front remains obscure, but thcre'are reports to-day of defeats inflicted upon the cnomy in Western Moldavia, and on the Danube, towards the eastern end of the battle-front. As to the Danube, the Bulgarians lately claimed that they had forced that river at Tulcea, a town standing on the St. George's branch of tho Danube, about half-way across the Dobrudja at its northern end. The St. George's branch is iho southernmost of several channels in which the Danube reaches the sea. It is made known to-day that the enemy failed to master the crossing. A German report states that "we ovacuated the north bank of the Danube at Tulcea." The Russians announce that they surprised and destroyed the Bulgars who were crossing the river. In the circumstances it cannot bo doubted that the Russian report gives a faithful account of what happened. The fighting at the othOT end of ' the fropt, in Western Moldavia, is not yet officially reported, but an unofficial message states that the Russians attaoked the enemy in the wooded heights adjoining the Trotus River, and, though they were sfcubbornly opposed by seasoned German troops, advanced over a mile, ' and captured a strong position. It is added that they wiped out two enemy battalions, and took 400 prisoners and ten machine-guns. These events arc not unimportant in themselves, and they afford a welcome indication that the Allies are no longer handicapped as they were in the earlier stages of the Rumanian campaign.

On the northern front, near Riga, where they lately struck into the German defences to a depth of four miles, the Russians have suffered a partial set-back. They state that they were pushed back half n, mile, and they havo apparently lost the crossing of the River Aa, at Kalnzen, which was an mportant element in their gains. The Germans olaim that they captured upwards of 1500 prisoners. The final outcome of flie struggle in progress has yet to be seen, but as matters stand tho Russians havo lost a part, possibly an important part, of what they gained in their recent offensive. On the other hand, in order to evon partly restore his damaged and shaken front, the enemy has had to effect a concentration in the Riga region, which must have weakened him elsewhol'e, and may account in some degree for the present state of affairs in Rumania.

At time of writing no detailed official account has arrived of the rocent destroyer actions in the. North Sea. The Germans supply an official report which is certainly untrue, sinco the only loss it admits is that of the destroyer which sought refuge, badly damaged, in the Dutch port of Ymuiden. Available evidence now favours the theory that the actions arose out of an attempt by German destroyors to escape from Zeebrugge, and reach their home bases, but tho full story has not yet been told. There does not seem, to be any doubt, however, that the German flotillas wcro badly cut up, and that their losses were heavy.

So much is_ heard about the necessity Russia is under of importing munitions from abroad that the progress; she has made in the internal production of cssontal war supplies is apt to be overlooked. In point of fact, However, Russia's own war industries are expanding rapidly, and have already reached an enormous output. . Definite information on the subject was given by General Shuvayeff (then War Minister) in a statement to tho Duma on November 17. It was not only the Russian Army that was waging war, he said, but the whole Russian State. Everyone whom it was possible to take for the manufacture of munitions of .war had been taken, not only men and boye, but women and young girls. The following figures showed the respective increases in the'output from January 1, 1915, to January 1, 1916, and from January 1, 19L5,. to tho present time ..(November, 1916): 3in. guns 3.8 times and 8 times respectively. Bopairs 5.7 times and 3.2 times d'.2in. howitzera... Twira and nearly i times Rifles 3 and i times 3.6 in. sholls 8.5 times and 7.5 times 4in. shells 2.5 times ami 9 times 6in. shells Twice and 5 times 3in. shells 12.5 times and 19.7 times •Jin. and (iin. . . bombs for land mines i tijnes ami 16 times In certain cases the increase of output has been as great as forty times. As for asphyxiating gases, the increases in the output for the periods mentioned were 33 and 69 times. With, regard to artillery munitions,, ho declared emphatically that, although defects still existed, the position was tolerable. The difficulties which they had to encounter with regard to motor-cars did not depend on themselves. Aviation, he added, was developing. These figures show that if Russia is still in part dependent upon her Allies and neutrals for supplies she is also developing her own war industries on a scale and with results which will tell heavily in the further stages of the war.

It is calculated by the Daily News that in the ninety days ended on Tuesday last, German submarines sank 470 vessels, 187 of the number being British ships. These fignres, if they are acourate, show that the proportion of Allied and neutral snips attacked and sunk in the period covered was remarkably high, and at the same time that in their present campaign tho submarines aro destroying a considerably larger amount of merchant shipping in a given time than they diet in 1915. During ninety days of that year, from tho middle of July to nearly the middle of October (a period which witnessed the maximum development of the 1915 campaign) 88 'British ships were sunk by submarines, less than half the number sunk in an equal time in 1916-1917. There is no doubt that a large proportion of the nonBritish ships sunk during the last three months were sailing under neutral flagSN In tho reports received at time of writing for publication to-day three ships are reported sunk. One was British, one Danish, and one Norwegian. A similar proportion of

British and neutral ships destroyed has como ),o bo the rule during the last few months. * > » ♦ Something has been said of late about the possibilities of defeating the German submarine campaign by arming mcrchantmon and in other ways, and alw> by expediting the production of now tonnage, and making more economical use of the tonnage that already exists. \ It is not only in Great Britain that such measures as standardised construction are being put into active operation. Other Allied countries are adopting a similar policy. Tho French Government, for instance, has decided to promote the construction of standardised ships, and recently a Bill was submitted to the Chamber of Deputies which authorises the Government to lend £6,400,000 to shipowners for the purchase and construction of new vessels. In the debate on the Bill it was stated by M. Nail (UnderSecretary for tho Merchant Marine Department) that "the Frcnch tonnage, which amounted to 2,500,000 in August, 1914, had lost 300,000, but, on tho other hand, 350,000 tons had been provided, bo that they were at almost the same figure as at the outbreak of war-, without counting the 180,000 tons represented by the fleet acquired by the Minister of Commerce. There were 160,000 tons of shipping now approaching completion in France, and 40,000 tons in England, on behalf of Frenoh owners." ,

The various nations of Europe, M. Nail remarked, were not constructing shipping on as large a scale as was iniagihed. Thus Norway was finding herself inconvenienced and Holland was devoting her energies to tho making of munitions. America alone was displaying marvellous activity, having 207 ships under construction, representing 1,300,000 tons. As for Germany, out of 5,000,000 tons she had lost 1,450,000, including tho ships seized in the ports of the Allies.. Ho was convinced that there was a great deal of bluff in the German reports about the thousands of tons supposed to be under construction in Germany. The war would lead to the United States and the South American Republics possessing fleets which would be their own. . The old merchant marines which would suffer the most were those of countries without colonies, notftbly Germany. England and France, thanks to their colonial possessions, were certain of regular traffic. Materials indispensable for the construction of ships arrived in too small quantities, but the Government had made vory strong representations to Great Britain, and Me'. Runciman had declared that he reckoned upon Being able at tho beginning of 1917 to give France and Italy the necessary steel.