The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE WEDNESDAY, JULY, 18, 1917. WAR IN THE WEST.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 18 July 1917, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

WEDNESDAY, JULY, 18, 1917. WAR IN THE WEST.

(With which is incorporated The Taihape Post and Waimarino News).

In extenuation of his actions in the conduct of the war the German Chancellor has wittingly or unwittingly blurted out the condition in which the Kaiser and his military party now find themselves. Germany, he said, cannot win the war, the most she can do is to make a draw. In other words Germany is to relinquish all ideas of further conquest and . devote all her energies to merely spoiling the plans of her enemies. Therefore, from now on we may base our opinion and conclusions on war. evidence from this new, admitted standpoint. This makes much more intelligible to us the two recent German offensives on the West front, one at ,our extreme left and the other at almost the extreme right. That on our left shows that the German Command is still well-informed of our army movements. British regiments had just replaced the worn-out Belgians in the sarfd dunes on the Belgian Coast; the men were not advised of danger; ,our airmen had not noticed the cleverly concealed artillery of the enemy. Before the British soldiers had taken up defensive positions, and with no artillery to help them they were submitted to an artillery hurricane and almost wiped out; they fought to the last man, so the cable runs. Then southward, in the Champagne, a German prepared attack on a similarly large scale was made on the French, both came as a surprise because neither had even a remote chance of getting through the Allie'd lines, and, no doubt, owing to this, such attacks were not looked for. The real object sought may be well known to our command, but ordinary people were left to wonder. Viewed in the light which Bethmann Hollweg's statement throws on the subject, with that news of intense artillery work that came through on Monday, it seems apparent that these attacks were intended to seriously unhinge British and French plans, involving the German centre which is s.o pressed at the present time that disaster may overtake it any day. It is, perhaps, significant that not a single word came to us from the British front yesterday. The latest news left -us to expect some great combined Franco-British move from Bullecourt towards St. Quentin, but the Germans have since reported heavy artillery work around Lens and along the valley of the Scarpe. At the same time it is evident that British patrol feelers are out in the Bullecourt region as the Germans claim to have repulsed British advances eastward of Croixelles. With this heavy artillery work, one of the greatest air battles of the war has been concurrently proceeding, all leading to the belief that Sir Douglas Haig has some more important business on hand than writing despatches. Germany fears for the safety of her centre on the West front and her armies are put to hammering all they know how on our flanks with the hope of diverting attention. The Kaiser has lost heart and some German newspapers seem lisgusted at his having turned the

management of affairs over to his illustrious son. Hollweg has been abandoned by his master, and his parting shot is that Germany cannot win the war, her efforts must be centred on a draw that will secure freedom,. independence and possession of coloniesw.f. The British silence of yesterday may be followed by news of history making events to-day.