GENERAL CABLES.

Taihape Daily Times, 3 August 1918, Page 5

GENERAL CABLES.

IN THE BRITISH HOUSE OF COMMONS. IMPERIAL PREFERENCE. NECESSITY OF LEAGUE OF I NATIONS. j PUSHING THE WAR TO VICTORY. I GERMANY NOT IN THE MOOD FOR PEACE. Received 9.10 a.m. LONDON, August 2. In tbe House of Commons, Bonar Law, in replying to Mr. Runciman, said tbe United Kingdom and Dominions must settle their fiscal policies independently. He had pointed out tbe British Government itself was in line with the Dominions by deciding to give preference on articles now dutiable, or to be dutiable in the future. The Imperial Conference accepted the principle of preference in 1917, anc discussed the Empire’s general economic policy many times this year. Mr. Balfour said there -was a unanimous desire to create machinery to spare future generations the horrors of war. Germany fo-day was using economic weapons against the subject! nations in such a manner as to sow seeds for' future wars. He was propared vehemently to preach the doctrine of a League of Nations. The German people had not yet arrived at the attitude of abhorring the miseries? and brutalities of war ,and. was no* yet genuinely looking forward to the time when the armies would be disbanded and tire nations livin'g~lQ.' free-' dom. A repetition of the world catastrophe would leave civilisation bankrupt. Believers In the League of Nations must warmly advocate the pressing of the war to a victorious conclusion. Any weakening of our aims would he a crime against the nationa? pride and principles of general peace wherefor we were fighting. I FRANCE CALLING UP 1920 GLASS 1 OLDER men TO BE SENT HOME. EQUALITY OF ALT JED‘SACRIFICE DEMANDED. Received 10.10 a.m. PARIS, August 2. The Chamber of Deputies debaten the calling up of the 1920 class. Many Socialists demanded that before France made fresh sacrifices the Government should t obtain from all tbe allies’ effectives, class by class, corresponding to France’s effort. M. Abrami, Under-Secretary To? War, announced the elder classes were being sent home. When the 1920 class was serving no man of the 1891 class of earlier would be serving. BELGIAN VICTIMS OF HUN BARBARITY. 1 Received 9.5 a.m. ■ LONDON, August 2. ! The Belgian ‘Legation has announc- * ed that of 227,000 men reported from ’ Belgium to Germany at the beginning • of 1918, 200 have been allowed to rec turn, victims of typhus, and tuberculosis- owing to underfeeding and cruel treatment. the fourth year of war reviewed. NOT MUCH CAUSE FOR SATISFACTION. i 3 SOME UNPLEASANT HOME f TRUTHS. « Received 9.10 a.m. LONDON, August 2. 1 General Maurice says: Britain can--1 not look back with much satisfaction t to the fourth year of the war. It had 2 muddled through a. period of great 7 peril. We may say, with a thankful s heart, the prospects for the fifth year e are much brighter than there -was a reason to anticipate a few weeks ago. - We must admit that after four years e of bitter experience we have not e learned how to wage war. The Ger- ■- mans are nof our superiors in generalf ship. Our failures are mainly due to i the fact that statesmen had not realised that military advice to be efi foctive must be organised. Consulta- - lions by statesmen with individual .- commanders instead of discussions t v-'ith the staff had involved and delay-

vc- action. if this year's war was to

be the last the Government must Organise our machinery on scientific lines, and equip the General Staff to givg advice and take no other; also to ensure that the plans of action were prepared in due time. EDUCATING EX-SOLDIERS. IN FARMING PURSUITS. t i Received 10.10 a.m. ■LONDON, August 2. ( Mr Haig has asked the Agents-Gen- ( eral to supply particulars of . openings , particulars of o ETAOIS9O7 22STTTT for ex-soldiers in farming, stock rais- . ing And' dairying in connection with a scheme for educating the army in France. The British attache in Italy has made a similar request. ' MORE FIENDISH HUN TREACHERY. ABUSE OF RED CROSS DAY, AMERICANS TAKE AN OATH. I TO BE KILLED TO LAST MAN. Received 11.20 a.m. LONDON, August"^? The “Daily News’ ” Paris correspondent gi-es some remarkable details of the Americans* forty-eight hour battle for Sergy. No prisoners were taken. The Germans received orders to throw the Americans back to the left bank of the Ourcq. An American battalion took an oath to he killed to the last man rather than retreat. The Germans made fourteen attacks, but the Americans held firm. The G e t mans flew the Red Cross flag from a ruined church at Sergy, which was a nest of machine guns. The earliest American attackers, seeing the flag, advanced in the open, but were mown down by machine guns. The Germans paid heavily for their ruse, and their losses were terrible. Finally three hundred Germans defendj ing the Courlonnes Road were surrounded and exterminated by the bayonet. WAR EXPENDITURE. INDEBTEDNESS TO “UNCLE SAM* LONDON, August 1. In the House of Commons, Mr. Bonar Law, in moving a vote for a credit of seven hundred millions, said this large amount was not due to an increase in the rate of expenditure, but was simply dictated by the convenience of Parliament. The Allies j now owed the United States 1402 ml!j lions, compared with 1332 at the end jof the last financial 3 r ear, while the Dominions owed the United States ! 2085 millions compared with 194, and Russia owed her 568, France 402, Italy 313, and other' allies 119 millions. He emphasised the value of the assistance, which until America came into the war, was as vital as the British Navy. He dbuld not praise too highly what the Dominions had done in the war. The irrecoverable expenditure for 104 days had been 547 millions, or £331,000 daily, below the estimate. The recoverable expenditure for the same period was 1765 millions, exceeding' the estimate by £307,000 daily.