PEACE PROSPECTS.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 276, 18 May 1917, Page 4 (Supplement)

PEACE PROSPECTS.

Writing early in February, a well-in-formed London correspondent of an Australian contemporary discusses in an interesting manner the prospects ol' peace. With several belligerents approaching exhaustion, and all armies tired of trench warfare, no one, he can speak definitely of peace. It is all in the shadows. Members of the same Cabinet, forming judgments on the same information, differ in the'r views. Generals of the same army liavo widely separated opinions, and diplomats speak with different voices from every capital. The position changes steadily, and may change violently and completely at any time. The general drift is easily interpreted. It is a drift towards a stalemate. But a change is bound to come. It may he a change which, with German armies retreating towards Berlin, and German civil life disintegrating into anarchy, will spell absolute victory for us. Or it may be a change which, through our inability this year to bring about these conditions, will turn the scale a little against us. According to the correspondent, our leaders expect the first-mentioned course of events. They are confident, especially at the British headquarters in France, of a smashing military victory this year. It will bo our crowning effort, with our fullest possible strength in men and guns. No doubt Great Britain ls strongest of the Allies, and will be far from exhaustion or tiredness when the serious call for peace is made. The pacifist section of the Empire is minute and negligible. In Great Britain the country is firmly behind the Parliament, and all shades of opinion in Parliament, except the Quaker and internationalist elements, are determined upon complete victory. Nor is the pacifist element strong in France. It has perhaps been growing there, and a vigorous propaganda is bearing a little fruit. But France knows, and has the knowledge brazed on her mind, that this is her last chance. She has the Germans half-done. ir she does not finish them this time, what chance will she have next? Such an alliance as now f'.glits the common enemy may not fight next time. And France's crop of male children steadily dwindles, and her prospects for strong defensive armies in ten or fifteen years time are poor indeed. France is burning to defeat her greatest enemies, and save herself as a nation. Should our armies fail this year in their almost impossible task, she will try hard to gird herself for another effort. But offers of peace are complicated, ami the offer of something a little better than a stalemate might prove too tempting to our smitten friends. In tho light of what has since happened, the correspondent's reference to Russia is significant and encouraging. In that country, he says, "there is little till It of peace, despite pro-German Ministers and a difficult internal situation. This situation i 6 becoming dangerous, for the army is on the. side of the Duma, and tho Duma is tired of intfficumt and unpatriotic bureaucrats. Russia is so solidly in favour of the war that if a changed Government got a chance it would pursue it with greater vigour and efficiency than ever." Summing up all the factors, the correspondent's opinion is that the war is racing to a decision, and peace is more likely this year or early next year than at any other time. He concludes: "Given success 011 the Western front, we shall name our own terms before Christmas. If another great battle proves inconclusive, we shall have to face a strong German ' peace offensive.' and may be forced by the general exhaustion of others to consent to an aimistice, which would never be followed by further lighting. The defensive in this war involves experiences as awful and deaths nearly as numerous as the offensive, provided the aggressors are fully supplied with guns and shells. AVe may therefore be confident that even if we do not secure a smashing victory, we shall weaken the enemy and so strengthen his craving for peace that we would get something like our terms. The German soldiers call the Somme "the grave." Though they did not suffer as severely as we did in the fighting, they found tuo experience most terrible. They will get a worse t'me this year, for we will be strongei than last, and strength means more casualties for the enemy and less for the strong. But the whole Empire surely understands that anything short of our full terms means a serious position for the British race. The peace question conies back to the military question. Are we going this year to smite our enemies hip and thigh? Certainly every fit man owes it as a duty to his race and to himself to see that our utmost armies are put 111 the field. Anything but complete victory would leave a stain upon us. Ratner than that, death is infinitely preferable. And after this year death may not be able to achieve such stainless victory."