BRITAIN'S STOUT HEART.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 April 1918, Page 2

BRITAIN'S STOUT HEART.

———-«• _ RACE (IF KEIXFOIiCEMENTS. London. April 15. In these, the darkest days of tlie war, Great liritiiin is intensely slhral. There is a cull throughout, tlie country for a atom, heart and a clear head. It. has been unquestionable for a, week (hat the German design hi tn erush the llritish urmicK with ovcrwlielmiiisr forces, whilst, holding the Fre>ieh froiit with a thin lino of (mops deeply embedded in concrete and iron, behind wire entanglemerits. Ff (he deaths of. tens of tlioiis--1 nnds of Britishers can prevent it it will be prevented. The Germans are strik- , ing with about fifteen divisions across the Lys. They were unable to secretly concentrate these divisions in Lille and Roubaix. The fury of the attack and the depth I of the shelling exceeded even those at : St. Quentin. The guns were fired until they were white hot. REINFORCEMENTS RACE; UP. Tt is now a race between AngloFrench reinforcements and the Germans. Their capture of Hill 03. ■ has compelled the widening of the salient, giving them the southern' section of' the ridges. Any considerable further advance from Merville will make the , gravest decisions necessary regarding withdrawals from the Flemish ridges north and from the Arras positions ' south. Britain and France have set their teeth, and arc resolved to see the thing through. . -According to the statement of the "Pall Mall Gazette,." if the Government wishes to conscript women there are large numbers available not yet employed in national service. The Manchester "Guardian'' states: "When the present attack sticks the Germans will probably try a coastal offensive, hammering the . object being _to destroy the British army, but short of that objective the enemy can gain nothing commensurate with his losses, for the British army will grow again with increasing rein- ■' forcemeiits.." That represents the decision of the nation —to rebuild what- ' ever is destroyed. , Vancouver, April 21. A message from Washington states that both French and British reinforcements are reaching Sir Douglas Haig's army in Flanders, which now is a strong position to meet the German attacks. General James McLauchlan, British, military attache at Washington, i said in reviewing the situation on . the northern part of the long western battle line, that while the Germans have scored they have not done so well as they hoped. Each hour their advance was delayed made victory for them less likely/ By failing to break through the Germans find themselves in an awkward narrow salient, and for that reason the battle was bound to continue with great ferocity.