The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. THURSDAY, JULY 22, 1915.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLV, Issue 3988, 22 July 1915, Page 4

The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. THURSDAY, JULY 22, 1915.

A Mystery that, has Been Cleared Up.

The recent announcement that souk

divisions ot “ Kitchener ’ s New Army”—

as it is generally railed—have at last reached France disposes of all the speculation thai has hecii rife as to the field of operations in which it was to he Utilised. It is the position, as is wellknown. i.hat' many people could not make themselves helieve that it was intended Britain’s new troops should he sent to strengthen the Allied Luces engaged in Belgium and France. How anybody could have come to entertain anv idea other than that the services

of the new army were necessary on the Western Front is, perhaps, open to at least one explanation. Apparently it had become fairly widely held that it might not he part of the Allies' plan of operations to force a way into (formally through Belgium or France, hut to concentrate on some other front. If such had been the case the Allies would, of course, only require io maintain in France and Belgium sufficient forces to ‘‘hold" the Germans. But e'ervthing would seem

to point quite to the contrary. The original claim that the British, French and Belgians would merely act as tile anvil whilst Russia would act as the hammer has never had official support, although some politicians have stated the position in that way. ii must, therefore, have been on account

of reasoning on the assumption to which we have alluded that many people had, it would seem, thought oi other countries in which it might possibly have, hoop arranged that Kitchener's new army should operate. An impression would appear to have prevailed in some quarters, for instance, that a large percentage of the new British force's would lie- despatched to the Mediterranean with a view to sinking at Austria from the

south, possibly in conjunction with the Servians; and to the people thatheld this view there was a special significance in the recent Servian operations which cleared a way front their country to the coast. But a great many more people have all along held that it would he found that Kitchener’s new army would be thrown either into Schleswig-Holstein or into Holland. In this connection it has been felt in many quarters all along, that Holland has simply been awaiting a signal to repudiate its neutrality and join on the side of the Allies, jf at any time, the Huns make war on the Dutch or the Dutch find themselves compelled to declare war on the Huns it is, of course, certain that Britain would send troops into Holland and maybe France, too, would spare one or more army corps for a similar purpose. The Huns are, however, too shrewd to do anything, if they can help it, that would lead to Holland also taking up sides against them. dust at this point it may he recalled that, prior to the outbreak of hostilities, the Kaiser and Ids War Lords intimated that although they wished to make a right-of-way of Belgium, they had no intention of permanently occupying that now ruined little country as it would mean that, if they extended lheir borders so as to include Belgium, they might as welt think of also annexing Holland, which step, they stated, was far from their thoughts. Wo don’t think anybody can, however, have any other opinion than teat if Italy had agreed to assist Germany and Austria, the Huns would havo felt strong enough to invade Holland as well as Belgium at the very commencmont of their struggle for world domination for they have long had their eyes on the great Dutch ports. As things even stand to-day the Dutch recognise that the fate of their country would he sealed if the Huns should emerge victorious from the present war and this explains why all along they have remained prepared for any contingency. But to return to the arrival in France of the first instalment of Kitchener’s new army. The event, it must ho agreed, is one that must give Empirewide satisfaction as well as great pleasure to the people of France and Belgium in particular. It shows in an unmistakable way, firstly, that the Home authorities feel confident that there is no danger of tho United Kingdom being invaded and, secondly, it provides further evidence of the mightiness of the Grand Fleet in that Germany remains, as incapable as she was at tho commencement of tho struggle of preventing the passage of unlimited numbers of.,British troops

to Franco or, indeed, -anywhere overseas. As a sequel to the strengthening of the Allied forces in Belgium and France by the addition of so many more British troops it will now, ol course, be possible for our forces to very considerably extend the lino which they are holding and this will, in turn, enable the French to concentrate their to rocs and the general result must he that in the immediate future the Allied armies will be in a position to develop an offensive, campaign which will be ever so much superior to any offensive that could hitherto have been attempted against the •Inns along the Western Front.