PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3177, 30 August 1917, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

At tho moment of writing there is hardly any news of recent events in tho war theatres. A galo and heavy rain have interrupted operations on tho British front, and no new development is reported in Italy. A message dealing with tho position in Moldavia not only bears witness to tho courage and efficiency of the Rumanian Army, but confirms earlier reports that Mackensen's offensive has failed, and.that the Rumanians aro firmly established on a sound defensive line.

The outlook in Russia is not made brighter by the news that a serious conflict has arisen between M. Keuensky and General Korniloff, the G'oramander-in-Ohief of the Eussian armies. Hitherto M. Kerensky has been tho main link, as far as a link can bo said to have existed, betweon the Socialists and other extremists and tho more moderate parties in Russia. Since thero is little doubt that General KonmtoFi? will bo solidly backed %. his Army reform proposals by tho middle-class parties and groups, the conflict now reported threatens an even worse condition of internal division and dissension than has yet arisen. Events at Moscow should soon show whether ov not the gravity of the situation has been exaggerated.-

As matters stand in Russia not a 'littlo interest attaches to the attitude of tho Cossacks. On the occasion of tho Cossack Congress early in July an English correspondent declared that of all tho events of tho past three months it was the first to bring assurance of a bright future for Eussian freedom. "The Cossacks," ho observed, "know what freedom means, and barely disguise thoir contempt for the Russians at largo, who have plainly shown that they imagine freedom to be identical with anarchy. Almost alone of_ the nationalities or national groupings of tho Russian State tho Cossacki lrnvc retained patriarchal views on family life. Youth deeply respects age, and men have to deserve the respect of their womenkind. Upon homo discipline, which for_ a generation past has been steadily disappearing from Russian households of all classes, it is an easjr matter to build up sound public institutions such as tho Cossacks have longenjoyed. And no vagaries of thollyissian Inielligentia or Russian mujik , ? .can injuriously affect the stability of institutions erected on such solid foundations. I have sent you already tho Cossack resolutions regarding the prosecution of the war. They aro entirely in accord with the opinions declared by the official world and felt by all men in England' and France. While tho rest of Russia merely repeats tho parrot cry, started by German agents, of "peace without annexations and contributions," tho Cossacks ■ paraphrase it into something perfectly definite, and by an intelligent interpretation of the third item of the German formula, namely, selfdefinition of peoples, easily dispose of difficult problems like AlsaceLorraine when regarded in tho light the Germans have succeeded in fore- , ing upon ' the ignorant Russian mob."

"The Cossacks say," the- correspondent continued, "self-definition of peoples quite- settles any vexed questions. Wo first beat tho _ Germans and then ask the inhabitants of Alsaoii-Lorraino, or any other territory won or Josfc in the course of this war, under whose rule or to which group of nationalities they prefer to attach themselves in future. If any express an overpowering desire to remain under German rulo they are, quite welcome. The Cossack utterances upon other questions regarding the internal affairs of Russia are equally sound and •practical, but it is most important for the Allies to note that the Cossacks unanimously insist upon the immediate and energetic prosecution of the war. Tbo Congress represents the Cossackdom of All the Russias— that is, eleven distinct groupings, from the age-old Don Cossacks, the Kuban, Astrakhan, and others, to the newer formations of the Amur and trans-Baikal Cossacks. They passionately declared their intention, if need bo, to mobilise all ages from fourteen to sixty. At tho very outset of the war they put forth half a million fighting men immediately, and a great deal of that marvellous war work, accomplished under inconceivably difficult circumstances, on the Asiatic front—tho capture of Eraruni, for examplewas made possible largely thanks to tho special qualifications of the Cossack fighting forces. One thing became plain in tho course of the proceedings of the Congress—namely, that Cossackdom, while remaining a full member of tho Russian State, under whatever form it may eventually assume, has no intention of restoring order in Russia at large. Under the Imperial sceptre this was not the least- of Cossackdom s services to the Empire, but a new situation has arisen, and Cossackdom is unanimously minded to attend to its own business, "leaving to the Russians to evolve whatever they mav think fit out of the now prevailing chaos. We want nothing from anybody, say the Cossacks practically, and we shall talco care nobody lays hands upon anything of ours Needless to say that Gossackdom upholds tho Provisional Government."

An informative note on the coun-ter-battery work which takes an important place in the British tactics on tho Western front was supplied recently by a special correspondent of tho Morning Post. "Our counter-battery work," he wrote "never ceases. Every day there arc 'shoots.' An enemy battery is detected and located, and it is then engaged. A 'shoot , is the result. Now a 'shoot' moans that suddenly, and without warning, anything from 150 to 500 heavy shells are turned on an enemy battery. Eoraomber, too that modern artillery is, as a rule most accurate, and, whenever it is inaccurate, it is corrected by our air observation. What happens to a battery which undergoes this procoss? Sometimes, by a sort of miracle, guns remain untouch-

c<l, but in the vast majority of cases guns and gun pits aro obliterated. 1, who have seen the results, can attest to the tcrriblo destruction which is wrought by a 'shoot. . Now let us go further and consider how many of these- 'shoots' we have had from tho beginning of January. We have located nearly 6000 German batteries since January 1 this year,, and wo have observed direct hits on over 4000 gun pits, besides blowing up battery ammunition dumps in nearly 1000 eases. • But what tho reader, no doubt,, would most like to know is how many German, guns have been destroyed. Hero there is a discrepancy in calculation. The modest soldier will not allow more than 20 per cent, of direct hits to represent 'guns destroyed, but ray experience on the Sommo last year, when our counter-battery work was not so perfect as it is now, leads me to the belief, that 32 per cent, is a fair estimate—some 1280 Boche guns destroyed in 23 weeks. Not a bad record. And this, of course, docs not includo tho splendid work of tho French."