BRITAIN'S ACHIEVEMENTS.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 January 1918, Page 3

BRITAIN'S ACHIEVEMENTS.

BRTT.K SCRYF.Y OF THE YEAR. Mr Tionar Law, addressing a crowded war aims demonstration in the Free Trade Hall, Manchester, recently, said a determined olt'orf was being made by a small section to frighten depositors, and particularly small investors, from lending to the State. Tli"y said it was not safe Nothing could he more absurd. It was also nonsense to say the debt would bo repudiated. He bad heard of conscription of wealth, hut lie bad never beard anyone talk of conscription of some kinds of wealth, leaving other kinds r.f wealth alone. Whatever Government might be in power, no Government would ever discriminate against the form of wealth which bad come to the aid of the country in the time of need, and in favor of a kind of wealth which bad not rendered that assistance.

In paying a handsome tribute to the Navy. Mr, Bonar Law said that in proportion to their numbers the losses woro. greater in the Xavy than in'lhe Army. We had overseas in arms a force of more than three million men, and a mightier fighting force had never existed, In i!)ll wo lost 1,1,(100 or 14.000 more prisoners than we took; in 1 !)].'> wc lost -2SOO more: in 1010 we took 'IO,OOO more than the enemy took from us- and this year already we had taken 40,000 more than they nad taken from us.

In the, first year or war we lost SO guns ana tool: '_■.:,: the noy.i, year tile position improved- and last year we took 160, and the Hermans took none. This year we bad taken. .'ISO, and had lost none. Now we had an artillery service far better than that ot any other belligerent.

Tn aeroplanes we bad made immense advances. The number of aeroplane enpines turned out last month was exactly three tiine=. more than in October last year. We had secured air supromacv on the Iront, and just as we bad obtained superiority in artillery, so the Hermans would find Ibat in that, game, too, wo should not he second.

We bad a considerable number of machines bombing Herman towns, and though it was only a beginning, more had already been clone than the public realised.

As for the submarine campaign, be could say with eeriainty that it was not. going to brins n* t.o nur knees. The enemy made great efforts in October, and their results in that month v-ere better tlmn in September, but titer had not fieeu able to keen no the cil'orls of' Octoher and so far in November the results had been more favorable for ns than in September.