AMERICA'S MISSION.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 January 1918, Page 5

AMERICA'S MISSION.

COLONEL HOUSE'S NEWEST ROLE. London, Nov. 16. Colonel House, President Wilson's Fidus"""Achates > has come and gone. He was in our midst, on his way with a bevy —to be precise, they are seven—of distinguished colleagues, to take part in the Inter-Allied War Conference. (Admiral W. 'Ssepherd Benson, Chief of Operations of the United States Navy; General Tasker Howard Blisa. Mr. Oscar Terry Crosby, representing the Treasury; Mr. Vaneo C. •M'Oormiek, Chairman of the War Trade Board: Mr. Bainbridge Colby, a member of the United States Shipping Board; Dr. Alonzo E. Taylor, representing Mr. Herbert C. Hoover, the United States Food Controller; and Mr. Thomas .Nelso, Perkins, a representative of the United States War Industries and Priority 'Board, corresponding to the English Ministry of Munitions). The Press was summoned forthwith to hear the distinguished American, who has so ilosely the confidence of President Wilson. Colonel House deserves that confidence, for 'his affinities are with the oyster kind.. Frankly, Colonel House is an excellent agent to send into a belligerent country. He. can reveal nothing with an air of taking one into his con° fidenee. That woold. of course, be the right and proper thing to do in other circumstances and in other environments, but it did savor of supererogation to summon important and over-worked Press correspondents to hear practically nothing. The meeting, nowovor, had its compensation. It was held in most impressive surroundings, wit, in the library of Chesterfield House, South Audlev Street, ' the famous house of the still more famous Earl to whom Johnson, the lexico- < grapher, addressed his letters, not less I i famous than those of the great Earl 'himself. j Colonel House sat at ease on the end ' 'of a Chesterfield couch, by a big English '

lire .1111] the. beautiful chimney pice? unill by J/a.u- Waif I'nr (In- laiuu'u, Karl. 1: is oiii! of (lie Hii'-'l heanlil'iil rooms in J-.iii'ii-mi vvitli a. covcic.l ■.•filing, round v.'h'.cl :ni panel-- oJ. iin> (i.iuu-, ol tiic (:i»litec!ii!,li fuiuo tin.- ttuik hi fanioii» painter.--. Tile house, now belonging to Lady Barton in at present let 10 the Duke ol Roxln.il"!.. mid lie it is who has put it at tho service of the American Governmerit., ivit.li all its Gainsborough and Reynolds [jiet.ire-. unci pieeioas old china mill books, ami even stinim, with ,0e,«.ado.-. ll was a nicer sctl'.ng- lor the representatives of the ni'v.wt Ureal Power—this house wherein tin- picture gallery, a!, read;, passcs.'-.ed examples of every old ouster, when Walpole was at the zcnilli of-his power: still i|iievrer that it should lie the setii:;.' of his meeting- the newsgatherers of the world, lli liritish. J)uhiin'ioii and Ainericaii Press. A well informed account of the mission and it sper&onncl d,^,. £l „ r , the lattei thus:— "Colonel House, is a Texan, who. since making ii fortune i,. ',, ■. in tin South-west, has Ihed nnith in New Sfork. Unknown to fame or polities, lie appeared in l!)li as an adwuicat.- of Mr. \\ilson's nomination for President, and a leading adviser 111 thol year's political campaign, t-inee then he has risen ti; the dignity of ino.-t intimate agent, spokesman, and mterpretei of purposes for the President, Jaild-ly and particularly ir, international matters. In America lie is thought rather a man of mystery Xobody knows his precise qualllicatioiis or attributes, but his intimacy and iiibuenec- with the President are unquestioned 'General Bliss ami Admiral Benson are officers who have won distinction in the respective services. Mr. Oscar Crosby, w'lio is -likely to beeomi a very .important figure in the economic relations among tho Allied countries, is AssistantSecretary of the United States Treasury, lie made a fortune in rapid trnaist management, and is credited with possessing one of; the widest visions and understandings of the war to.be found among American public men lie has especially been a student of its economic side, and it has been hi* office to deal out to the difi'erent Allied nations the immense amount* the American Treasury has loaned to them, determining the appointments almost without interference by any other authority.'' There can be little doubt then as to the capacity of this Mission. It is undoubted that, their labors in the InterAllied Conference cannot but materially help in the co-ordinatior. of eli'ort necessary to break into the compact body of Central Powers defence. This Tnter-Al-lied Conference should indeed be added to the new tactical military committee of Allied belligerents. These two measures, one securing complete military eo-operation, the other complete economic co-operation and better distribution of munitions of war and food supplies of Allied nationalities, should, effectively carried out. go a Ion" way towards remedying the biggest, lack in Allied policy, the want of united pull whWh in world force, as in tug-of-war, is essential for victorv.