THE BIG VIEW

Taranaki Daily News, 18 March 1916, Page 5

THE BIG VIEW

OF THE WAR SITUATION. London, February i. It is interesting to know how the general situation i 9 now regarded by the men who are in charge of our war policies. They may not know everything themselves, but at any rate they have a better general idea than most people. The big view of the situation is that the possibility of defeat, decisive and conclusive defeat followed by unconditional surrender, is no longer one that the Allies havtf to fear. So long as they make no ridiculous mistakes, remain staunch and true to each other and themselves, they cannot be beaten iu this war. But ean they hope to beat Germany and avoid a patthed-up peace with all its disastrous potentialities? The confident belief is that they ean. We are in the fortunate position of having two strings to our bow. , We can hold the enemy on the land if'we cannot beat them, but the enemy is already beaten on the sea. And. this entail's eventual victory for the Allies, if only they can hold out long enough, by the slow exhaustion of Germany's economic resources. This would mean a long war. Even 80 it would he better and cheaper ilian an inconclusive peace. And there is always the hope that we may succeed in inflicting such reverses on the enemy on the hind that the day of victory may he hastened. Because there is no mistaking the fact that the general paralysis of Germany and Austria produced by our command of the seas has taken the heart out of those peoples. A neutral traveller, who has just returned from a tour of the Central Empires, states that the Germans have no longed any enthusiasm whatever for their military victories. The effect may be imagined if, in addition to the creeping sea paralysis, the German people heard and knew that their armies were being rolled back on the land. It is stated on good authority tha? the Germans arc no longer" building battleships. This is taken as a sign that they now realise the hopelessness of endeavoring to secure a sea victory. The report that they have constructed a 17in naval srjiianron has caused some excitement in thin country, but no perturbation in the Navy. I understand that the British Navy is perfectly content with its present guns. You eannot fire at sea at a moving target by means of a map. The target must be visible before it ean be hit. And the lain gun exhausts the range of visibility. As a matter of fact, our best naval opinion is inclined to pin its faith in nur 13in guns as beim; the most effective for all purposes. They are much more rapid, much more durable, much more handy, and perfectly effective when they get home.