ALLIES' WAR PROBLEMS.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 November 1917, Page 5

ALLIES' WAR PROBLEMS.

INSUFFICIENT RESERVES. IMPORTANCE OF THE FRONTS. , London, Nov. 2. Tiio Italian calamity has made the differences between the eastern and western strategic schools acute. The Manchester Guardian says: ''We dare not be silent about the profoundly unsatisfactory military conduct of the war. We have more men and greater resources than the enemy, yet the fourth year allows a relatively worse position tlinn the fourth month, because the generals who are bound '.n the west front dominate the general staff, which dominates, the statesmen." The newspaper asks why the Flanders battle was delayed until the time wlicn the weather threatened its ruin. It urges the Government to strengthen the general staff, making it paramount over the commanders of the various theatres. It foretells the retirement of Sir William Robertson, chief of the general «ta(T.

On the other hand, Colonel ißcpington (The Times) claims that the Italian sector must remain subordinate and secondary. We must not relax our deadly grip on Flanders nor the determination to pursue our plans in the west to a logical conclusion at the right moment.

T:ie question of man-power has again sprung to the forefront. The Times says: "Ton long we have been fighting with inadequate forces, and too scanty strategic reserves to meet such a crisis «<s that which has now arisen. The situation must be altered if the war 'i to Tap won." Tut 'Westminster Gazette says: "Tho •uithnritie-R bare been swayed by a tooeasy optimism. They hr.vc not-appraised the enns?quences of Russian events, and 'hare nseumod an unwarrantable rate of attrition of the :.-rman forces. The country must he roused to new effort-* of mnn- power. jiV. new sacrifices in economies, especially in th<> way of saving tonnage for bringing the United States armv to Europe, ft is understood that tlie plans before the Cabinet include tip utmost combing out of men from the industries, and filling their places with women."