CURRENT WAR TOPICS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 60, 15 June 1916, Page 5

CURRENT WAR TOPICS.

There is not much new about the great Russian advance, but in the particulars at latest to-day there is splendid confirmation of the success. Czernowitz is the chief centre of interest in the cables, and here there is fierce fighting in the precincts of the town itself, and its fall is imminent. The kustrians' loss for the week is mentioned as 232,000, which may be taken as a sure indication that the advance of the invaders is irresistible. It is evident that the enemy in Bukovina at least is quite unequal to the task so rapidly set before them, as their retreat along the whole of this front is reported to-day. In the sectors further north, General Brussiloff is< hopeful of the utter rout of the enemy being accomplished at no very distant date.

As the British Premier says in his inspiring address to his constituents when reviewing the war situation, the Italians are gallantly withstanding the Austrian onslaughts, and now there i« everv hope that with the withdrawal of forces to try and stem the Russians in. Galicia, the turning-point or the offensive has been reached, as claimed bv the army authorities in Italy. There is little likelihood of the lost ground being gained from the enemy for some time at least, but the Italians will be holding up their end of the yar burden if' they can keep the Austnans busy and prevent any further advance The statement that ten per cent, or the prisoners taken by the Russians are Germans, points to the fact that Beve ral of the Kaiser's regiments have been sent to the assistance of then Ally in distress.

The Balkan trouble has filled out and the Greek army in now almost completely demobilised. ship, from their new base a, Thasos have been bombarding the coast or Bulgaria east of Kavalla, but with what effect is not stated. We have only the word of the Bulgars, who claim, that their coast fortifications compelled the bomharders to return to lhasos. This may be, but naval guns with Frenchmen behind them would not be long doing great damage, and this, it may modestly be claimed, was satisfactorily accomplished by the attackers. Of how things are with General Sarrail and his men in fortified Salonika, nothing is being said, this theatre and Asia Minor being unusually silent.

It is inspiring to know that tlio forces of the Dominions are still doing good work for the Empire. In Flanders the Anzacs and the Canadians are lighting in adjoining trenches, where their particular torte is said to be raiding enemy trenches. One can imagine the fertile brain ot the dare-devil lads of the Overseas forces evolving a scheme to stir up the Bosehes. With what gusto, amounting almost to childish glee, would the details be worked out! And wnen the raid was put into operation, how would they dash at the trenches, fer* retting out the Germans, surprising, shooting, slashing, braining, and taking risks undreamt of in the interests of the Flag that stands for liberty and honor! The real thing is quite different from the foregoing, without doubt, but whatever danger beset them one could bet even the famous "last shilling" that the "the last man" would not disgrace the Dominions.

It was not until the authorities mentioned Hois Grenter last week that wc knew where the Anzacs were really entrenched. Bois Grenier is between Armentieres and La Bassee. seven or eight miles south-west of Lille, and i s just a little village where some thing happened. Lille is an important railway centre, of considerable use to the enemy, and if an attempt is made; upon Lilie it will probably ho based % upon a line running through Armentieres and Bois Grenier. It was thought that our men were not far from historical Ypres, and this has proved to be correct, for Bois Grenier is only about 15 miles. south of the Ypres salient. Then, again, something in the cables hinted that the Canadians, and the Anzacs were fighting together, and to-day a report ilsent by the High Commissioner referring to some fine deeds in this sector by the Overseas forces. The Cana- , dians are keeping up their reputation for gallantry. South-oast of Zillebek they raptured some old British position:., on a front of 1500 yards, and

are now holding them. On Monday night, south of Bois Greniev, a party of Australians raided an enemy trench and carried out some effective work, retiring safely. But they have not always been so fortunate, as the long lists of killed and wounded that are arriving daily from France only too truly prove. The names of several Stratford district hoys are included in the latest lists, and the sympathy of all will go out to the relatives in their loss.

The description of beautiful French countrysides, which the Anzacs have been sending out here by letter, musthave been written during their training behind the fighting-line. For the countryside across which this runs has been called one of the ugliest on earth, even apart from the way it has been scarred and ruined by trenches and high explosives. Bcis Grenier is right in the middle of the Black Country of France, the manufacturing area, whose seizure by the Germans did so much to handicap French efforts towards the beginning of the war, and still handicaps it, in spite of the wonderful manner in which industries, and particularly those connected with the war, have been built up again, with Britain's help, elsewhere. Fvery road in this Anzac section of the front will be lined with houses, or what once were houses, and heaps of bricks that used to be factory chimneys and tangled remains of the upper works of collieries, and 'the river Lys, which used, at any rate, to be-foul with industrial debris. This area is lined across with railways, and across and between the lines there bus a network of roads. There are also a few canals. Flat country, wet country, roads, ruined Milages everywhere—it would bo hard to find a countryside more different in every way from either Egypt or the GalHpoli Peninsula.

What means the British force in Persia? A cable to-day states that a column under General Sykes entered Ke'rman and were cordially welcome. Their presence in this unsettled country is no doubt very desirable, but where did they come from? Kermau, the chief town of the province of the same name, is 225 miles north by east of Bender Abbas on the Persian Gulf, and 250 miles west of Koh-i-Malik Siah, the nearest point on the Afghanistan frontier, where the Afghan, Perisan and British borders converge. The area of the province of Kerman is 60,000 square miles, and the population of the capital is about 80,000. Up to the present, there has been no mention of this force in any particular, and just what the game is must just now remain a mystery. At the same time, the probabilities are that German intrigue has been at work and that British subjects are in danger of their lives.

In a leaflet published in the United States, Mr George L. Fox, Principal of the University School, New Haven, Connecticut, makes the following comparison of crime in England and Germany:—"The population of Germany is to that of England as 5 to 3. As to crime, the proportion of bigamy is 1 to 2 nearly; in incest, about 13 to 1; in procuring it is 261 to 1 ; in procuring abortions it is 2d to 1; in unnatural offences it is 7to 1; in rape and other sexual crimes it is about 9 to 1 ; in murder, manslaughter, and other death-causing crimes, it is 5 to I; in arson it is about 4to 1. With regard to divorces it is 22 to 1. As to illegitimate births it is 5 to 1. The number of suicides is four times as great as in England.