The Daily News. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1917. THE WAR POSITION.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 November 1917, Page 4

The Daily News. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1917. THE WAR POSITION.

We were warned by the British Prime Minister some months ago that before we reached the top of the mountain and looked down upon the fair fields of peace we would have to traverse some dark valleys. It would seem we have now reached that stage in the awful journey, At the critical moment, when, by concerted action on all the fronts, we probably had an opportunity of bringing the "War to a successful conclusion, Russia failed us. Since then that disrupted and enigmatical country has been in a state of ferment, factions fighting more for tlie benefit of their own causes than for the good of the nation. Where ordered government has been impossible it is hardly to be expected that the military and naval forces would act unitedly and patriotically in expelling the invaders, who are, as Kerensky stated in a recent speech, becoming mare insolent and more triumphant, not owing to their own strength, but because of Russian impotence. Now Kerensky is reported to have said that "Russia entered the war early and is now worn out by the strain. Russia claims that the other Allies ought to shoulder the burden of the war." We were told in the cables of yesterday that this statement is not regarded as tremendously important, because it merely sets down w'hat everyone knew was the condition, and that there was no ground for believing that the Russians were deserting the Entente, but were rather trying manfully to solve their own problems. The most we can hope for from Russia meanwhile, therefore, is that she will hold her lines against tlie enemy, which will prove of no mean advantage to t'he enemy, who will consequently be able to release even more of his men for the western and southwestern theatres. It would be idle to expect much more than this from Russia. Even when she secures Stability of government, which seems as far off as ever, it will not be an easy task to infuse life and patriotic zeal into an army that takes every opportunity of fraternising with t'lio enemy. The only way to stiffen the resistance on this front and carry the war into the enemy's camp is to send in Japanese or American troops. But before that can be done the Allies will need to be absolutely satisTied as to the co-operation of not only *he Russian army but of the Russian people. Without this, army supplies might be held up and the safety of the troops imperilled.. With chaos ruling, as it. i« in Russia to-day. what assurance

is there of thin co-operation being forthcoming? Still, the Russians have shown themselves capable of quick recuperation and transformation, and it is possible the unexpected may happen. The other dark valley is the Italian reverse. Nothing is to be gained by minimising its seriousness. In a lttlo over u week the

gains of two years and a half of incessant, sanguinary fighting, under conditions of unprecedented difficulty, have been lost, together with tens of thousands of seasoned troops, and a valuable and important strip of Italian soil has been invaded and ravaged. The Italian troops are at bay, endeavoring to stem invasion with the help of AngloFrench troops that have hurriedly gone to the rescue. The enemy, anxious as he is to revive the spirit and confidence of his own people, and to snatch a victory which he vainly thinks will compel the Allies to accept a peace of his own making, is pressing relentlessly with all the .power he can command, under tho generalship of probably his most formidable fighting leader, Mackensen. The result is still in doubt. We all hope the Italians will be equal to the emergency, and not only resist the onslaught, but turn the tables on the foe; but his Josses in men, material, and moral are an enormous handicap, just as their success is an advantage to the Teutons in tfie decisive effort. Joffre saved France and civilisation at the Marne. Can Cadorna save Italy at the Tagliamento? Joffre had the jpick of the, nation and the "contemptibles" to

help him in his momentous task. Cadorna has a depleted army, buttressed, however, by .seasoned Anglo-French troops. The next few days will tell. In France, however, the .position ia brighter and more satisfactory. The French have achieved one success after another, until now the enemy has been expelled from the Chemin des Dames, to which he has been clinging for sixmonths. The Germans are being punished unmercifully by both the French and British. Our men, despite the awful weather, are biting deeper into the Germans' strongest positions, and harrying them at all points. And this i s not confined to field operations. The aviators are giving them no respite, bombing all their important depots, railI way stations, etc., and accounting daily

'or large numbers of hostile machines.

In Palestine we have gained the important point of Bcersheba and are attacking Gaza. The road to victory is beset with hardships and difficulty and the price we are paying is heavy and oppressive, but the Allies are as determined as ever to rid the world of Teutonic militarism and all the devilishness for which it stands, and are ready to make still further sacrifices until the end is attained.