A MINISTERIAL PROPHESY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1771, 3 January 1918, Page 3

A MINISTERIAL PROPHESY.

'•LAST YEAR OF THE WAR.”

“I venture to prophesy that we are entering’upon the last year of the war,” said the Hon. Arthur Myers, at Auckland this yeek. “The event of 1917 has been the entrance into the arena of the United States, with its unlimited resources in wealth and man-power. The record of the British and French armies during the past year has been one of practically unbroken success. We are advancing steadily and surely on the Western front, in Pa! estine, and in Mesopotamia, also. The German Colonies are now in the hands of the Allies. The British Navy is absolutely intact, guarding the seaways and ensuring the safe transit of enormous numbers of troops, munitions, equipment, and fond supplies. More than any other factor, the Navy is a sure guarantee of ultimate victory.

“The Allies’ stocktaking for 1917 reveals that we have meanwhile to debit ourselves with the loss of the co-opera(ion of Russia and Roumania, with their populations of two hundred millions. We have, on the other hand, to enter on the credit: side the gain of new Allies in the United States, China, and the South American Republics, and with their populations, of four hundred and eighty millions and their reserves in wealth and man-power, so that the end of 1917 finds us with a larger balance than ever on the credit side. “We entered the war to vindicate the principles of liberty and honour, and until those principles have been absolutely secured for future generations we shall fight on with unbroken will. From all indications 1918 will see a victorious culmination of the Allies’ concerted efforts in the proclamation of an honourable and lasting peace on the terms for which we drew the sword.”