Speech by Bonar Law.

Taihape Daily Times, 9 March 1918, Page 5

Speech by Bonar Law.

BRITAIN'S WAR BURui^N. * '•'■■■ ■ LONDON, March 8

Mr. Bonar Law, in moving a credit of six hundred millions, pointed out it was the largest single credit. He anticipated an increase in the daily expenditure, but the required sum would last to the end of June. The daily average expenditure from December Ist to February 9th was £6,107,000. The expenditure oh army and navy munitions exceeded the Bud get estimate by £664,000 daily. Loans to the allies and Dominions exceeded the Budget estimate hy £339,000 daily, and miscellaneous expenditure by £242,000 dally. THE FINANCIAL POSITION. FOOD STOCKS IN RUSSIA. BARLEY ENOUGH FOR THE RUSSIANS, SCEPTICISM ABOUT GERMAN OFFENSIVE. Received 5.45. LONDON, March 8.

Mr. Bonar Law said the item £39,750,000 represented advances to the Dominions. It was not a loan, but meant the Dominion troops in Britain were largaly supplied by our arrangements at home. The increased expenditure was largely due to the extension of the Palestinean and Mesopotamian operations and the increased personnel of the army; but the principal cause was the increased quantity and cost of commodities. Loans to our Allies on 9th February stoqd at £1,264,000,000; loans to the Dominions £180,000,000, The estimated national debt at the end of the financial year would be about £5,900,000. Surveying the war situation., Mr. Bonar Law said: We have knowledge that the Germans promised Turkey they would expel the British from Mesopotamia, but they were forced to abandon their plans. /.Though ■• ho-ged j$ sost, much,-,fQodfifrpßi: Rnssia r v the .British'; Government's information showed that the food produced-in'Russia;-this year would barely /'supply-' Russia; herself. From every point of view, it was unlikely Germany would'- be able to exploit Russia. Wcprobabiy had a flightsuperiority in men and guns on theWestern Front. We were overwhelmingly superior in the air. Our forces in France had been, working to .the utmost to strengthen the defences, and the results were wonderful. We used more barbed wire in January and.-; February than in the whole of 1.917. He was somewhat sceptical about the German offensive. ■'■" • ''.••/. T'.",

, SALONIKA-EXPEDITION ;?;. -■>.' JUSTIFIED. - v

IMPORTANT BEARING ON

EGYPT

ENEMY'S MAN-POWER NOT INEXHAUSTIBLE.

Received 9.10.

LONDON, March S.

Continuing, Mr. Bonar Law, said: ■The general position in Salonika was unsatisfactory, but this was due to Russia's collapse. We did not expect a year ago to be purely on the defensive. The general commanding recognised that the position at Salonika might become The Central Powers, wflth better might send forces which it would be difficult, perhaps impossible, for us to meet, But Germany's man-power was not inexhaustible; she cannot do everything at once. She would pay dearly for every yard of advance. It was not difficult to justify the expedition. If it had not been sent Germany would have controlled the Greek harbours, which were vital for us. If the enemy had secured them and used them as submarine bases it would have been almost impossible for us to keep our communications with Egypt. The victories in Palestine and Mesopotamia were not only a great moral and material gain, but were an immense military accession of strength. Lord Kitchener had estimated that the troops necessary to save Egypt from invasion would be far larger than the total now operating in Mesopotamia and Palestine. THE PARIS CONFERENCE. LONDON, March 7. Mr. Bonar Law said he hoped to make a general statement of the Government's policy regarding the carrying out of resolutions of the Paris Economic Conference after Easter, in connection with the Imports and ExPorts Bill. J LORD JELLICOE'S DISMISSAL. LONDON, March 8. Replying to Mr. Chamberlain, Mr. Bonar Law announced that Premier would make a statement on Monday. on the Government's connection with the Press, when the matter could be, debated. The Premier would doubtless refer to Lord Jellicoe.

NEW ZEALAND EXPLOITS.

A SUCCESSSFUL RAID.

DARING RECONNAISSANCE.

(N.Z. War Correspondent’s Cable) MARCH Since the last message the >• New Zealanders have been enjoying a time of comparative quiet so far as fighting Is concerned. There has been ono raid by an Otago bataiion, carried out after a bombardment, by one officer uj g 30 men. A post in the German lines was surrounded and six Ger-i mans captured. At first the prisoners offered no resistance but later one man attempted to draw a revolver and he was promptly shot. Ihe going was very heavy, an ? oe'ore the party detailed to attach another post had gat within thirty yarls cf it the s'gnal to return was put ut.. Some members of the party, however, went forward and threv' bombs into the post before rath iug.

In another Otago battalion a plucky exploit was carried out by a non-cota-n.?tsioned officer and private. Having observed .some new work 50 yards in front of the enemy's line, they crawled out at nine o'clock in the morning to investigate. They found on getting close that it was an organised shellhole Pulling aside the shutter c£ a sniper's loop-hole, they saw a number of rifles at *the bottom of the cavity. They threw- in two bombs, and after these had exploded jumped over the rim the shell-hole and attacked five Germans found sheltering there. One of these was killed and two were wounded. The two New Zealanders then marched back across "No Man's Land" with their four prisoners, two wounded and two unhurt, to their,own lines. The daring nature of the adventure is exemplified by the fact that it was carried out in broad daylight, within 150 yards of the enemy's main position. For their bravery in the exploit Sergeant Basil Warner Crooker and Private Alex. MacDonald have since been awarded respectively the Military Medal and'the Distinguished Conduct Medal. Rec^nffy'bur patrols have been going} out % yaxhsrah&in v 6ne /locality, advanced s%:eral;'nundred;'yards, to obtain better observation." Various bafr .talibns have T3een ;j d6iiig excellent on defences during the last thir&e months. The. corps commander has; expressed his special appreciation of. this. Some, officers.', names, including: that of a general, 1 recently appeared nn thei-casualty lists. r These officers were, only . slightly gassed,-- : arid are; not 'at all Serious leases. Zfh® nm.jor|ty of: these.: officers- : will shortly-' *etujrß. to iduty; :The New Zealanders

are? still quiet 1 time,