Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9th, 1918. THE WEEK.

Hokitika Guardian, 9 February 1918, Page 2

Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9th, 1918. THE WEEK.

The Minister o£ Finance has been expounding on the financial figures of the Dominion for the ten months of the financial year ended January. Covering the same period a. year previously the increase in revenue now is by comparison a gain of £555,541. Those who are disgruntled over the management of the railways will not be surprised to find despite the fact that the period covers the holiday traffic—that the railway revenue shows a comparative decrease ot £166,042, while on the ovoenditni*. side the increase by ieonipdrinon is £168,3931. This total means a comparative loss of £334',435 for the ten mouths, or over four hundred thousand pounds fop the year. There is no sign of economy about these figures and certainly efficiency is a wanting quality. Sir Joseph Ward reviews the figihjes of the Dominion as a whole in an optimistic strain—“An uncommonly strong position,” he avers, and no doubt it is, and in finance as in other matters New Zealand has much to be thankful for in these stressful times of prolonged warfare.” Speaking upon the financial position generally, Sir Joseph said that, as practically tile whole"of the income tax—that was, • in addition to that already paid—was payable tbis month, there would be a substantial surplus at March 31st next. Jt had to be remembered in connexion with the expenditure side, which had gone up considerably. that it was due largely to lh<f conditions brought about by the i The total amount of interest and sinking fund paid for (he ten months ended January 31st amounted to £3,367 730 which was an increase of £52,835 over the previous year, and considerable increases under tbis bead had to be looked for. This expenses of running practically all the departments of the .State owing to the war had materially increased, and in that respect, so far as the war affected them necessarily were abnormal, but looking at the whole matter impartially, it was clear that the financial position of the country was uncommonly strong, and it was very gratifying and reassuring to the country as a whole that it was so.

The American force on the Western front which in Tuesday’s cables was stated, on the authority of American ( Headquarters, to he in Lorraine, is now reported to be operating northwest of Toni, near St Milliel. In other words, it is not in Lorraine at all,, hut some 2{) fo 25 miles on the French side of the border, and probably on the south side of the famous S'tMihiel salient. It is especially interesting to know to within a few miles comments a military critic, the position of the Americans, —who were known for some time to have been placed in the southern portion of the Allied line—because the belief has been expressed by the American General Staff that the Germans may, select the sector held by the Americans as the point of contact in the coming offensive, thus bringing om latest Allies into the thick of fighting at the very outset, and is suppe-’ the* opinion of M. Marcel Hutin a prominent French war writer. JJe recently expressed the view that whilst the Germans will endeavour to exert pressure on the Franco-Biitish front generally their real offensh e will he launched on the two wings from ,St Mihiel to the Swiss frontier, and from Armentieres to the sea. The distance from St Millie] —the centie of the salient bearing that name—to the Shviss border is about 150 miles while the distance from ■ Armentieres to the sea is about 38 miles. Another French writer also pointed out that geographical and railroad conditions indicate that the German assault might tie expected somewhere east of the Argonno. where the enemy could most easily draw men and supplies from Metz and Strassburg. Possibly Vppdun itself might be once more 11 "' scone of a gigantic struggle. I be German railroads are nowhere beU***than in (bis sector, and the moral effect of our advance there, however limited would he greater than elsewhere is to the possibility of the Germans breaking through the Allied line rfl‘°ctivelv at either end of the line, I 1 '" 'mcrican General Staff scoff at the idea. The enemy who appear to I think, or at least hope, that they are going to Iveab through to Paris may bend the line in spots or perhaps )' wrest exposed positions from, the Al- j *

lies or even break through temporarily, but no American, nor, for that matter, any British or French officer expec-ts any crumbling up process on a large scale or any decisive gain regardless of German lives sacrificed.

St MniiEii, which came into prominence in the early news of the war, has given its name to a big German salient, which is said to have been regarded for many months by the enemy as a serious menace, in view of the possibility of an enveloping Allied attack at some future date. Richard Harding Davis, who visited St Mihiel nearly two years ago, wrote: “You expected to see an isolated hill, a promontory, some position of such strategic value as would explain why. for St. Mihiel, the lives of thousand of Germans had been thrown like dice upon a board. But except for the obstinacy of the German mind, or upon the part of tlie Crown Prince, the lack of it, I could find no explanation. Why the Germans want to hold St. Mihiel, why he ever tried to hold, why if it so pleases him lie should not continue to hold it until his whole line is is driven across the border, is difficult to understand. For him it is certainly aii expensive position. It lengthens his lines of communication, and increases his,need of transport, t eats men up cats up rations, eats up priceless communication, and leads to nowhere, enfilades no position, threatens no one. Speaking not as a military strategist, but merely as a partisan, if any German, commander wants that kind of position, I would certainly make him a present of it.” Prsumably, however. Hindenburg and Ludendorff see some value-in the position, or they would not have hung on to it.

The arrest in connexion with the recent disaster at Halifax, of Commander Wyatt, chief examining officer at the port, follows naturally on some very pertinent questions put by a Halifax paper, to which possibly force was given by evidence at the enquiry. Com mander Wyatt is charged with neglecting shipping movements in the harbour. On this point the Halifax “Morning Chronicle” remarked that the naval authorities were understood to control the movements of all ships inwards and outwards, and it urged that the public had a right to know by whose authority the Norwegian steamer Imo was ordered to leave her anchorage in Bedford Basin at a time when it must have been plain to the competent naval authority that the two ships would meet in or near the narrow channel which lends from the inner harbour to the basin. “It is also imperative,” added-, th- “ Chronicle,” “not only for the purposes of thi s investigation, but for the city’s security in future, to ascertain why a proper patrol wa s not maintained by naval craft to keep the course clear for the munition boat. The naval aiitliQritie s have a large number, of boats al their command in this harbour, but so far as we have learned, none of them were employed in escorting tlic Mold Blanc on her way to Bedford Basin. Tile public have a right to know why these and other precautions were not taken, and, above all. why the risk of allowing these two steamers to meet in this nn*row waterway was taken.”

The war news this week of actual conflicts is quite on the meagre side. Military and air raids, apart from the report, of the Italian two day’s battle are the only movements recorded. Aerial fighting is going forward constantly and must be having a harrassing effect. Vulnerable enemy posts adjacent to the western front are receiving special attention f no doubt with a view to disconcert the organised work for the spring offensive. Reinforcements are reported to be arriving continually for this greatest of stunts. We are promised that this (dash when it comes will be of a stupendous character, and for that special reason it is believed i' will have some determining effect on the duration of the war. The Russian chaos continues to provide subject for several messages daily, on the actual conditions prevailing. An Amsterdam message said that practically the whole of trit German newspapers arc gravely dissatisfied with the developments at Brest Litovsk peace conference, and reading between the lines o-f recent reports relating to the negotiations, it seems' suggested that the Central Powers will not waste much more lime in arguing, hut will translate their words into deeds with a view to forcing an aocep«ance of their pence offer. This remains to he seen. Inaction in the eastern theatre probably spits Germany at the moment when the west calls for really undivided attention. There is belated news this week about a brush off Heligoland last November. It looks as though the operation were a preliminary to some “digging out’’ operation, a process of naval development suggested as possible by Winston Churchill some time ago. The venture was attended with certain elements of success, and in any case it must have had a distur* ing effect on the enemy who'have been .waiting probably ever since in anxio*' not being quite sure what form the next attempt would take