MOTHER COUNTRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 April 1917, Page 5

MOTHER COUNTRY.

•V THE BARROW STRIKE. ) )MES DECIDE TO REMAIN OUT. . MMSmOM SUPPLY DELAYED. X. 4»3 ft% Cable Asso. and Reuter. Beceived April 2, 6 p.m. '" ■'l London, April 1. The Barrow strike now affects prac>fe»Uy all the engineering shops in that area, but not the shipyards. The Btrikere to-day determined, by a large majority, to continue the strike, jfh'eteby the production of munitions, Maieh is of vital national importance, l« being greatly delayed. The Government is considering the Steps to ibe taken to deal with the situation,.

INCOME AND EXPENDITURE. j •■■ «*, PEFigT OF .£1,624,500,000. "* !~'.' -London, April I. The MTOBns" for the year was £673,60D,OfJO, an . increase of £230,500,000. The expenditure was £2,198,000,000, as compared with last year. Features of the nuances are the income tax £903,000.000, as compared with ,'£128,280,000; excess profits. £140.000.000 as compared with £140,000, the total revenue being £70,000,000 in excess of , the. estimate, the total deficit being £1,614^00,000.

GERMANY'S DESPERATION.

54NGUOINDIAN GENERAL'S ALARM.

©VABION, RAIDS, ETC., PROBABDE.

(United Service.)

London, April 1, . General Sir O'Mobre Creagh, late Commander-in-Chief in India, writing in tile Weekly Dispatch; gays that there is • serious possibility of invasion or a great raid in order to assist the submarine canjpatgn by destroying shipping in the ports, burning foodstuffs, and devastating the country. He argues thai before Germany is defeated she will exhaust her resources, including her navy, which cannot hopo to defeat the Grand Fleet even with luck, but might, during a feint of battle, rush a number of raiders into the Atlantic. The. navy might secure a stretch of British waters long enough to permit the landing of raiding parties trained to devastate country. The general states that Hindenbur? 'bits a strategic reserve of a million men With Which hj» may strike for Calais, Verdun, Pctrograd, or the Venetian Plain, or, under cover of a great naval battle, send a fleet of transports to England Tn the hope that a large number Jf ill make a landing.

Qeneral Creagh adds that tire Hindentrarg desperadoes would play devilish tricks, but considering our resources in (nen and railways and the plans of our defences, the invader should sot be at liberty after four hours. A desperate aeries of such raiding invasions is to be expected, endeavoring to create panic, disorganise the railways, and destroy shipping and food. These are certain to fail, after which Germany Trill be hopelessly bankrupt of resources {put beg for peace.

THE WAR OFFICE.DEPART- , MENT.

A MUOH-NEEDED REFORM.

'JL '& N.Z. Cable Association and Reuter. Received April 3, 1.30 a.m. London, April 2.

The new department that the War Office created is to take over the functions of various departments relating to the commercial side of the business of supplying the army, except as- to muni-

#BW MUNITIONS DEPARTMENT,

i London, Aprl 1. A new branch of the Ministry of Munitions haa been established, with Sir Ljonel Phillips, the South African mining magnate, as controller, to deal with 'the examination and development of mineral properties in the United Kingdom, with the exception of coal and iron, •SJtely to have specially valuable purVses. A war advisory committee of gjgg .wWgyfo-tflfl ctrntooJlar, ,