MR. LLOYD GEORGE'S SPEECH.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 223, 3 November 1916, Page 8 (Supplement)

MR. LLOYD GEORGE'S SPEECH.

Mi - . Lloyd George was questioned 'n the House ot Commons yesterday about recruiting, says the London l'auy Mad "Are wo to take it,'' said Mr. King, "that there is no intent on to raioi) the age for military service to 45, and may wo take it mat there are no inquiries going tonvard on that point '?"

"1 am not going to give any sue.a assurance," protested Mr. Lloyd George. A long-drawn roll of ironical laughter came from the little group o* anti-conscnpuoiusis, and Mr. Lloyd George did not fail to note saicastically the satisfaction winch the announcement gave in that quartet. "It depends entirely on the exigencies of the wor," lie went on, completing h'-s answer to Mr. King's question. Then h»i swung round to the snowdon group. "I can assure you we mean to ■win this war," he declared with emphasis, and a loud cheer arose from tha House. " That is the only consideration which will dominate the Government in the decisions they may come to. Th 9 number of men who had been obtained under the Military Service Acts was ffl complete justification of tho Government's action." He proceeded to re view the situation. East and west, ha said, the initiatwa had been wrested from the enemy almost for the hist time—(cheers —with the one possible exception jf Mesopotamia, where, very largely owing io climatic reasons, our Army foe the moment was quiescent. There had been 3 good deal of criticism of our cffensi>'c, and some critics imagined that it would be justified only it we were to -break through. Not at all. The ei.cmy had two alternatives: Ho nrght have allowed us to break through, let Verdun go, and throw his forces on the eastern front to prevent the break-up of Austria. He might, on the other hand, have said, "No, rather than let you break through here and dri/e us back wo will take guns and divisions fro.n Verdun and we will concentrate our troops in front of you ratbev than let you have this territory." He chose the latter; that suited no It relieved the pressure on Verdun and prevented the enemy from withdrawing his forces for the support of Austrn. Not only had we done this but wo ha I also rescued a very considerable portion of Freneh territory from the grip of tli3 enemy (Cheers.) OUR LOSS RELATIVELY LOW.

The Gorman accounts have been ridiculously exaggerated. The value of our progress is not to be measured by yards, but by the important position! we have captured, and anjone wno looks at the contour of the map will see what it means. Our losses, althougn deplorable, as all these losses must be, are relatively 'ow, while the Germans, attacking over ground exposed to our artillery, have suffered heavily. But we must not treat this as if i'. were tho end. We were fighting a very groat military Power with g gantic resources. ("Hear,hear.") There was an enormous population to d'aw upon. Ho knew for the hrst time that his forces were held and that no was no v on tho defensive, That male a great difference in the whole character of the campaign. But there were many valleys to be crossed and ridges to be stormed before we could see the fin il victory. We shall need mere men, mere munitions, more ...ins, and more equipment. Wo slu.ll need all the courage and endurance of our race in every part of the world in order to convert the work which had been begun, more especially during the past '.wo mont;is, into a. /ictory which shall be a final and com•ileto victory. (-'Hear, hear.''')

TELL THE PEOPLE THE TRUTH. Instead of bem£ pushed back, as we were before, yard by yard, we we:<J pushing back the enemy on the Somme. The French were doing the same. .11stead of being driven back day by da/ they were now u gaming the ground which they had lost. (Cheers ; All tint was a change for the better. But in order to convert it into a real victory - a victory which would enable us to impose the terms that we had entered tb • war to establish—it was nuessary to get every possible support that tins country and our Dominions could gireus. It was upon that support that we relied, and also upon the epuipmeut of Uussia with heavy guns and plenty :;t ammunition, to which no one had attached greater importance th«in he hai. ("Hear, hear.") The enemy knew perfectly well that Russian progress m those directions had heen very mueh mote rapid in the la.-t few months. But it is on consideration of.that kind w'hicn invohe gre t. r saci ihces and still greater drafts upon our courage that depends the one great question: WHETHER WE SHALL SEE THE END OF THE WAR IN THE COMING YEAR.

We had captured t!:c and w? could now seo the coarse or the campaign. He thought m the di.n distanjc wo could see the end. I'lie enemy hai been driven off ins dominant positions. That in itself was a very great achicv.ment. ("Hoar, hear.") lhc Allies had hecn in a state of unpreparedress while the enemy had had time to prepare. France, not fully prepared, had been tho best prepared of all the Allies, but the most highly organised country was still i»i a sense unprepared. Russia ha I also been unprepared. Great Br.tam had practically no Army at all. We had an Army for policing tho Empire but not for a great Continental campaign. He had no doubt that when the history of the war was written it would bo seen that tho a .tion ot that gallant little force saved the situation ('"Heai, hear."). but we had now in the field one of the greatest armies any Jiinpirc could conmaud. (Choe-s.) Germany lad miss*] her chance, and she knew it. (Cheers ) But it would be a mi take to anticipat ■ an easy or an early victory. He lu-1 never cried out "Victory" when as p matter of tact we were sustaining defeat, but he had always thought it better to tell the people frankly and fairly what was happening—("Hoar, hear") —because iii people of th ; 3 country are not people to be terrified. ("Hear, hcar.'M He had always taken that view, but now, .surveying the whole s.t'iation in the light -if existing facts and upon the advice ot those tv more competent to express an opinion than he was, he had in hesitation in saying that all that this country and the Allies had to do was to nir.rch steadily and work together loyally as they had done in the past and ar, assured victory would he theirs. (Cheers.)