MOTHER COUNTRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 January 1917, Page 5

MOTHER COUNTRY.

ANOTHER CORNWALLIS-WEST CASE. GENERAL THOMAS' RETIREMENT. London, Jan. 4. Besides Lieutenant Barrett's ease the court also inquired into the question of the retirement of Brigadier-General Owen Thomas, wiiosc valuable work in connection with recruiting in Wales the court considered should he publicly acknowledged. The court declared that General Thomas' allegation that he was removed from his command in order to meet Mrs. Cornwallis-West's wishes was quite unfounded, but General Thomas had good reasons for thinking his military reputation was disparaged by Mrs. West's intervention. The court regretted that the letter sent by Lord French to the War Office regarding the adverse report upon General Owen Thomas was -■•o ambiguously worded and capable of misconstruction. It was also unfortunate that Lord French concurred in th. War Office leitei to General Owen Thomas, which must have confirmed the latter's suspicion of sinister influence. The newspapers are devoting many columns to the War Office scandal, far beyond its intrinsic merits, because so many well-known people are implicated and through Mrs. Cornwallis-West's connection. [Mrs. C'ornwallis-West was formerly Lady Randolph Churchill.]

ISSUE OF TREASURY BILLS SUSPENDED. London, Jan. 4. The Bank of England announces that the issue of Treasury Bills is suspended. THE IRISH QUESTION. London, Hoe. 4. The Belfast Telegraph denies the rumors that Sir Edward Carson is negotiating a settlement of the Irish question. The Ulster Unionist Council is not aw:'" of any pourparlers, nor are Ulster I ionists prepared to let their position i the Empire be decided by a Dominion War Conference, Lord Wimborne's oflice precludes his interference, -and be is not responsible for the report that Ife is submitting a scheme to the Conference. ENEMY BANKS IN LONDON. WINDING THP.M IT. Received Jan. s', 0.-23 p.m. London, Jan. 3. A report recording the winding up of five German and Austrian banks in London shows tii.it , the liabilities discharged to the end of -September were £27.000.000. The securities were worth .17,800,000, which were delivered to their British, Allied and neutral owners The assets realised amounted to £23,400,0(H). The debt to the Hank of England was reduced from £11,833,01)0 to £4,811,009. Securities, estimated to be worth £20.000,(MO, still remain in the banks' custody.

WESTERN ATTACK. THE BRITISH FRONT. DENSITY, NOT MILEAGE COUNTS. London, Jan. 4. A correspondent at Headquarters emphasises that it is an illusion to suppose that because the British hold a fourth of the West front their share of the struggle is expressed by that ratio. The question is one of density, not 01' mileage. In oilier words it is a question of the number of enemy divisions heift j in a particular area by the concentration in thai area. It is quite conceivablo that the war may be won on a fortymile front.

SUCCESSFUL BRITISH RAID. London, Jan. 5. Field-Marshal Sii Douglas Haig re,ports:—We successfully raided trenches north-east of Arras, and twice entered the, positions in the neighborhood of Wi tsehaete. NIGHT RAID BY AXZACS. London, Jan. 4. Mr. j'hillip Gibbs writes that the Australians and New Zealaudcrs were recently active in a night-raiding adventure These test the nerves more than most incidents of trench warfare. It is no joke to crawl out 011 a dark night, holding one's heart in one's mouth, while bright glares go overhead, then rush into trenches., where Germans may be waiting with bombs and aves. At other times the Germans scuttle to their dug-outs, where we bomb them. The Germans are also active, but we make ourselves more disagreeable than they.