THE MILITARY POSITION

Hokitika Guardian, 19 February 1917, Page 3

THE MILITARY POSITION

Opening of 1917 Campaign

Washington, Feb 18

A high British military authority, with the approval of the War Office, has prepared a statement for the New York Times regarding the military position on the eva of the opening of the 1917 campaign.

He reviews the Germans repeated failures to break the Allies’ lines and adds that the ruthless submarine threat is a confession of Germany’s failures and the growing military strength of the Allies in the face of the declining strength of the Central Powers.

For two years the Germans have steadily dropped behind in material and resources, despite the gross illegality of their employment of ecores of thousands of war prisoners and deported civilians as munitions producers.

The co-ordinated Allies’ pressure on all fronts ha 3 forced Germany and Austria to draw on inferior materials.

Germany is feeling .severely the straio of bolstering up their steadily weakening Allies, eucb as the Austrian Army on the Russian front, and the Bulgarian Army in Macedonia, which would collapse but for Germany's stiffening.

The date of the end of the war cannot be fixed, but it will inevitably extinguish the Central Powers menace of the world'a peace.