WAR NEWS.

Hokitika Guardian, 12 May 1917, Page 1

WAR NEWS.

Bavaria’s Shortage.

fPiSE Press Association.— Coptbight.] THE SECfIET SESSIOcI. Shipping Control. [REUTER’S SERVICE. —COPYRIGHT.} LONDON, May it>. In the House of Commons, Hon. Bonar Law. sated that of th© available tonnage ninety-two per cent had been allotted to the Food Cintroiler, the Admiralty and Minister of Munitions. Later the House bjegan a secret session.

An Official •LONDON, May 11. The Press Bureau announces, that at the Secret Session of tlie Commons Mr. Winston Churchill dealt with the general Naval and Military situation especiaJlyfcvs to Russia’s' position, the develop mdnt of the struggle on the West Front America's strength, submarine problems and the Bakuns and enquired as to marine lossess and food supplies.

Messrs Page-Cfoft and Wardle also spoke.

Mr. Lloyd George dealt in full with Mr. Churchill’s points and commented on lAiujtlia’s .internal situation and Germany’s military position relating to reserves and contrasting it - unfavourably with ours. He quoted the AngloFrench miitary Chief’s satisfaction at the results of recent operations in the West Front, explaining the proposed methods of satisfying the War Office demands for further reserves.

Mr. Lloyd George gave the figures of British tonnage sunk monthly sine© [August. He also gave an encouraging account of the methods adopted to meet the tonnage building for the next —r the attacks, and also the tonnage build ing for the next twelve months. He pointed out that with the productivety of home supplies there was no fear of starvation in Britain, and added we will be self-supporting in 1918.

He said it was unnecessary to restate the Allies’ war aims which are wellknown. ,

Mr. Asquith expressed himself in full agreement with the Prime Minister, but deprecated secrecy. Hardly anythin k had been s'aid which could not have been said openly. He invited Mr. Lloyd George to publish the bulk of his speech.

Mr uiilon Complains. Bonar Law’s Reply. [better’s SERVICE. —COPYRIGHT.! LONDON, May 10th. In the House of Commons, Mr. Dillon complained that the country was not being told the whole truth of the operations at Syria and Salonika. The position in Greece was going from bad to worse. Lo Temps newspaper bad accused tlie. British Government of standing behind King Constantin© and preventing adequate support being given to M. Venraelos. Mr. Bonar Law said that Sir. Dillon’s statement that we bullied Roumania into war at tlie instigation of pro-German Rus'sia was a cock and bull story. H© did not think that any intelligent man would repeated such an' utterly unfounded statement regarding King Constantine, which was equally untrue. The Allies _ could not add to the number of enemies by using troops to effect a revolution in Greece and put M. Venizelos in coni-.. hi and.

PJaVAL figures

By lord CiKzon [ICNBON TIMES SERVICE.—COPYRIGHT,] LONDON, May 10. Lord Curzon, speaking in the House of Lords, reminded the House that the lAdmiralty bad first call on shipbuilding. When the war was over, our navai tonnage would surpass all other na- ' tions. The figures for merchantmen are a,s follows: In June, 1914, the Eimpire’s shipping over 100 tons gross was 10,124. ships with a tonnage of 20,523,000; in De-

comber, 1916, we had 9757 merchant t ships with a tontnhge of 19,760,000. The | figures for all other countries before j the war were 14,320 ships with a ton- ! nage of 24,880,000 and in December ; 1916, 13,749. ships with a tonnage of 24,003,000. Thus the British proportion of the world’s tonnage respectively was 45.3 per cent in 1914, and 45.2 I per cent in 1916. I In regards to vessels over 1,600 tons, ]. British vessels before tire war numberI ed 3,900 with a tonnage of 16,900,000 f which was more than half the world’s tonnage whereas ait the end of March, 1917, there were 3,500 ships with it tonnage of almost 16,000,000. The loss of neutral tonnage was heavy, especially Norwegian, but Japan and America ““ are increasing their mercantile fleets. | Their success will depend on the dura- ' - tion of the war, and the submarine risks. The Shipping Minister’s programme envisaged an output of 3,000,000, tons annually. Our fleet will be in a better position than before the war.

LONDON, May 10. ■A Berne wireless reports that Hein the leader of the Agrarians in tho Bavarian Chamber in a speech at Neustadt said that seventy per cent of the male population of 2837 Bavarian villages above tho age of seventeen were serving in the army. Thirty-seven per cent, of the farms are without male labourers-

The harvest of 1916 was the worst on record owing primarily vo tho lack of A similar disaster in 1917 was threatened for the same reason. Serbian Report. LONDON, May 10. A Serbian communique reports that tho enemy bombed Monastir with asphyxiating shells. Thero was considerable eivilym casualties.