The Daily News. MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1917. THE RUSSIAN SITUATION.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 October 1917, Page 4

The Daily News. MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1917. THE RUSSIAN SITUATION.

The war has produced no more puzzling problem than that which Russia, has evolved. It was recenly remarked that the changes in the Russian Ministry find military staff were kaieidoscopic, and the same statement applies to the general situation in the country. Possibly it was inevitable that following on a sudden revolutionary change a more or less chaotic state of affairs should exist, and German agents', assisted fry the ignorance and superstition which i 3 rampant in Eussia, have not failed to make matters far worse than would have otherwise been the case. With the exception of the extremist section—always a source of danger and trouble—it may be claimed that the Russian people are quite alive to the necessity for carrying On the war to a victorious conclusion; but in the face of so many policies and rival leaders it is not to 'be wondered at that they are like sheep without a shepherd. . This is the more probably when it is remembered that they have been ruled with a rod of iron—frequently sharpened—and cowed into obeying authority, so that now that rule has given way to freedom of action the people have, so to speak, been swept off their balance, with the usual result of such an upheaval. It may be said that the most amazing feature of the after effects of the revolution from a war point of view' has been the sensational clashing between M. Kerensky and Genera] Korniloff, culminating in the latter's arrest as a rebel. In the, light of subsequent events it>would seem to be difficult to judj' as to who is really to blame for this rupture, though there can be no question that Korniloff was very ill advised in attempting to gain supremacy by force instead of proving his patriotism by doing his utmost to assist the Government in restoring internal order as the prelude to resuming the offensive against the Germans. It would seem that after Korhiloff's arrest there were some important revelations which tended to show that Korniloff's action had been influenced by the machinations of Prince Lvoff, and that in the light of these and other circumstances a reconciliation has taken place between Kerensky, and Korniloff. The genuineness of this statement is supported by a later cable message from New York, stating that Petrograd newspapers are accusing M, Kerensky of conspiring with General Korniloff to crush the Petrograd proletariat, and they demand that M. Kerensky should explain. If this reconciliation has taken place as cabled, and there seems to be no reason to doubt the news, the Russian outlook will ibe very considerably improved, for it should mean that not only will General Alexieff withdraw his resignation, but that there is an, understanding between the military and political leaders to arrive at a common policy in regard to internal reorganisation and the prosecution of the war. It is evident that until there is something akin to a full agreement between the leaders no satisfactory improvement can be expected, so it is important to note that strenuous efforts are now being made to place Russia's internal affairs on a firmer basis. The sooner this is done the better it will be hoth for Russia and the Allies. A reorganised and revitalised Russia could do much to listen the end of the world conflict and to prepare for the great future which awaits thfct vast and populous country.

125, so that it wauld appear that the steps taken to restrict the operations of the submarines must have met with considerable success, added to which the constant bombing of the U-boats base at Zcebrugge has done good execution. Still, the menace is serious, and will be more so as time goes on, for already there is a great shortage in shipping, and the position is accentuated 'by the additional needs of the United States in transporting men and supplies to Europe. From the statement made on behalf of the British Ministry of Munitions we the losses since last February approximately equal the total losses for the war period prior to that date, and it is further- asserted that the Germans may be expected to destroy another two hundred ships by next spring, by which time the present food supplies will be exhausted. These is ample reason,' even assuming that the forecast is pessimistic, for anxiety over the position, and great stress is laid on the enormous number of vessels that America will require, hut her resources are so vast that the task of coping with the emergency is comparatively light if only the urgency is recognised and provided for. Considering that America's present output of steel exceeds forty million tons; that the Germans are not sinking more than live million tons, and that most of the labor required is unskilled, it will be seeij that the supply of sufficient vessels for all purposes would not stretch the ability of the United States to any appreciable extent, added to which Britain is doing her best to expedite the production of new ships. We have also to bear in mind that new devices for dealing with U-boats are being evolved, so that though the menace may cause anxiety, there are gooi grounds for hoping that the worst of the danger is already over.