CURRENT WAR TOPICS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 32, 13 January 1916, Page 5

CURRENT WAR TOPICS.

The progress of the column under General Aylmer in Mesopotamia in his march to Kut-el-Amara to the succor of General Townshend's force will be watched with some anxiety throughout the Empire and- in the countries of our Allies. On the 6th, as reported yesterday, General Aylmer and General Kemball were at Sheikhshad, about fifty miles south of the beseiged garrison, and hoiws are still high that ere this the sqund of their guns has reached Townshcnd. To-day there is nothing further to report of the advance, except that particulars are given of the fighting which took place at Sheikhshad. It is described as being very severe, the Britishers being met with stubborn resistance. The fact that the British casualties, were heavy bears this out, and the manner of the enemy's concealment emphasises the Turk in the light of a natural fighter. However, the defeat of a battalion, in which the gallantry of our men is stated never to have been exceeded, appears to have been sufficiently decisive to merit, further optimism. Indeed, we read that latest reports show that our forces are still advancing. The Germans place much importance upon the success of these operations as the pivot of their designs upon India, and every day additional assistance is being sent to the Turks, who are fighting their battles almost on the very site, it is alleged, of the Garden of Eden. In the plain words of the cables, enormous quantities of artillery are being despatched " via Constantinople to Mesopotamia.

The loyalty and patriotism of Sir Rider Haggard is beyond question, and his latest sense oPduty is a selfimposed task of evolving a scheme for settling soldiers, ex-service men } and their dependents upon the land after the war. While Sir Rider would very probably deprecate anything in the nature of laudation for his efforts in this direction, the opportunity should not be lost to show appreciation of such magnanimous services as these, especially in view of the fact that they are undertaken in an honorary capacity. His visit to Australia and New Zealand in pursuance of the duties attached tb the scheme will be peculiarly interesting, opening up, as it docs great possibilities in the* settlement of our young country. . Population, more population, and still more population is the hunger-cry of the land, and it is certain that the authorities will assist our distinguished visitor in every possible way in having at his disposal the information necessary to arrive at his recommendations. As to the scheme itself, it will possibly provide assisted fares for the emigrants and help in the financing of the purchase of the land, besides, no doubt, going further, if necessary, in the direction of guiding counsel to the newly-settled.

Sir Rider Haggard is. an authority of no mean value in a scheme of this extent, as he has been deeply interested in agricultural subjects for years, having written many very able articles. His "Back to the Land" excited mjteh attention at the time of publication. Sir Rider, who is sixty years of age, spent several years in South Africa in official positions in the "seventies," and it was on returning to England that he commenced to write novels, and he leaped to fame in 1886 With the issue of "King Solomon's Mines." Other of the best-read books from his pen are "She" and "**7css."

Sir Rider Haggard visited New Zealand with members of the British Association for the Advancement of Science a few years ago, and made many friends in this Dominion.

Much satisfaction will l>e felt at the news of the brilliant victory of fchet French in the Champagne district, where the fighting is stated to be of the most violent nature. The presence' of picked men, Imperial Guards, among the 6U,00() enemy attackers, shows that the Germans meant business in earn-1 est, and these successive failures musti surely have already convinced Germany | ■of th<* hopelessness of their task on this front. j

I The Allies, and particularly Britain, have three great holds over (Greece, The first, of which King iConstantine expressed his fear the other day,, is a' strangle-hold ; it is the threat of a blockade which, owing to the country's geographical [position, might produce something J approaching starvation. Even its temporary and partial application the other day i s said to have sent prices up with a jump and caused distress.

The second hold is the threat of a bombardment of Greek ports from the sea. The third is also very important;' it would hit the G reeks both in their pockets and in their pride. It consists in a threat against the Greek mercantile marine. This includes over 500 vessels, which represent altogether nearly a million tons. A large proportion arn highly efficient cargo sto-'mers which have been able to fcnke fhll advantage of the huge freights to be earned since the war started, and especially during 1015, carrying cargoes of grain from North and South America to Europe. nn f l loading coal at British ports. Greek shipping has made immense profits lately, and any development wlu'fh tended to restrict its activities would be a heavy blow to Greece.

WAR DICTIONARY. D Division. —A smaller body of troops than an army corps, usually containing infantry and artillery, with a strength of about 18,000 men. Dug-out.—A shelter in the trenches below the level of the earth., out of which it is dug. Men take refuge in it during a bombardment, and live in it when not required for the defence of the trenches. Dug-out is also used in the Army and Navy of retired officers who have been taken or "dug-out". of retirement and employed on active duty. E Echelon.—Bodies of troops are said to be en echelon when they occupy positions behind or in advance of the other flank, just a s the black or white squares follow each other diagonally across a chess-board.

Emplacement.—A position, usually in the trenches, or separately entrenched, for a gun or machine gun. Enfilade.—ls to scour with fire the whole length of a work or line of men. To' prevent trenches from being enfiladed by an enemy who has reached one or other end they are usually made of curved form, with obstacles to enfilading lire in the shape of Traverses. F Fascines.—Faggots or bundles of sticks bound together and used for. constructing earthworks, building saps, and filling ditches or obstacles. Flank.—The extremity of a line of troops or of. positions. Flare.—A form of rocket, usually fired from a patent type of pistol, which gives a very bright light and enables men in tbo trenches to see at night what the enemy is doing. Fuse. The mechanism by which shells are exploded. A Percussion Fuse detonates the shell when the I nose strikes the ground, the shock firing the cap in the fuse, and the flame 'travelling to the charge in the shell. I A Time Fuse detonates the shell a 'certain number of seconds or fractions of a second after the shell has left the 1 gun. The shock of firing is made to ignite a slow-bursting composition in the fuse; after a certain time, which ' can b 0 varied according as a screw in {the nose of the shell is sot by the gunners, the flame in the composition readies the charge in the shell and explodes it. Many shells and shrapnel have both a time and percussion cap.