PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 16, 13 October 1917, Page 6

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

A return of fine, clear weather is reported in the latest messages from Flanders in hand at, timei of writing. The Allies are profiting by these, conditions to bombard tha enemy's defensive positions and communications. They an; now very much better placed to do so with effect than they were before a footing was gained on the Passehciidaelo Kid go last week. Such a bombardment as is now in progress together with the. spleuchd work or. the aircraft, will speedily pave the way for further attack, but tho extension and scope of infantry, attacks will now, of necessity "be determined very largely by the weather. * * • *■ »• . Some vcrv important facts of the war are * disclosed by General Maurice (who speaks on behalf of the British Wav Office) in a statement transmitted ' to-day. -n° ' n ; cidontally discloses the fact that British casualties in all theatres since, January last havo not exceeded half a- million. The sacrifice in itself is heavy, but it is not unduly heavy by tho standards of this war. and there is much to set against it. At the cost of about as many, casualties as the Germans sustained in their disastrous attempt to breach the French line at Verdun, the British and overseas troops have in the Western theatre shattered the cnemv's defensive line in ganders and Northern France, defeated his best troops and cut down his effective strength in a long series of victorious assaults, and brought him within an ace. of decisive defeat -Within tho period covered Bntam has conducted a splendidly successful campaign in Mesopotamia, involving the capture of Bagdad and an advance up the Tigris to a point 70 miles north of that city. Account must be taken also of a .series of battles in the Sinai Pomnsnla and in Palestine, where the British 1 forces have been established since Anril within a few miles of Gaza, and of a considerable amount of 3ting in East Africa. There have bin some battles in Macedonia; and British artillery and other detachments have been engaged on {he Italian front and elsewhere Taking account of what has been accoraSfshcd it would not have been surprising if the tota number of casualties for the period had been considerably higher.

N EW s from Russia shows in the main an improving tendency, though it cannot, of course, be assumed that his tendency will be maintained. The new Coalition Government has issued a manifesto in Sit states that it will work ndefatigahly for peace, but adds that i will exert its whole strength n support of the Allied cause, to cUthV enemy from a««"i, and Sre the fighting streng h 0 h Avmv The mere fact that anei long succession odi^rous Austrian troops needed to hold the S n line is of hopeful augury, and suggests that the .aspirations of the &ional Gomnmont may be vpnli=ed It is probably not unduly optimistic to believe that each definite step taken towards the cs-

tablishment of orderly government iu Russia will result in a stronger war policy. * * * *

Supplementary accounts o£ the Gorman naval mutiny suggest that it was even more serious than' repork .published yesterday indicated. It is stated that at least six important ships were involved, and that, on several of these ships, while they were at sea, the men tried to dispose- of their officers with a view to taking the ships into neutral or enemy ports. Further, that the authorities dared not take.the sternest measures of repression on a large scale,- lest they should increase the unrest. If this is true, it means that German discipline is tottering and that the only methods by which it ever was, or could, have been, enforced, are deemed impossible. As to the political situation, the story in favour is that the revelation of naval sedition has discredited and divided the Socialists and entrenched the Pan-Germans in power. Against this, however, it is reported that both Socialist groups voted in the Beichstag against the Supplementary Budget. This is not consistent 'with the assertion regarding a split. The two sections of the Socialist Party, the big Majority group and the small Minority, have hitherto been sharply divided. 'The general policy of the Majority Socialists has been to support the Government, except on occasions of stage-managed "revolt"; the Minority Socialists have habitually and consistently voted in opposition. If the two groups voted together in the division reported to-day, the fact would suggest rather that they have been drawn together than Jnat they havo been driven apart. However it is much more as an" indication that the bonds of discipline and the spirit' of submission to authority are losing strength, in the German Empire than because o£ its immediate effect, on the political situation that the- naval mutiny commands -and seems to deserve attention. . .