MOTHER COUNTRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 May 1918, Page 5

MOTHER COUNTRY.

WASTEFUL EXPENDITURE. REPORT OF SELECT COMMITTEE. London, May 10. The report of the select committee on national expenditure shows that after half a million had been expended on preparatory work for establishing instructional schools in aerial gunnery at Loeh Dooh, Ayrshire, the project was abandoned Localise the climatic conditions of the locality were unfavorable to flying, also because it was necessary to drain a large bog to make an aerodrome.

The committee reports that the bread subsidy costs £40,000,000 annually, and also expresses dissatisfaction at the overstaffing of the War Office, the staff of which increased from 218 at the outset of the war to 1516 last month.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc.

EXCHANGE OF WAR PRISONERS A DIFFICULT (PROBLEM. London, May 19. Lord Newton, interviewed, replied to criticisms of the Government's attitude on the exchange of war prisoners. He sttid that Britain was doing more for prisoners than any other Government, find mentioned that, in addition to their ordinary allowances, the War Office is spending .-£50,000 monthly for the relief Of British prisoners In Turkey alone. He Condemned the agitation for retaliation, which should not be adopted except to secure improvement in the treatment of prisoners. The Government, he Said, was most anxious to adopt action on similar lines to France, but the exchange of War prisoners was most difficult. It would take fifteen months to carry out the FrancoGerman agreement, which was comparatively simple compared with what would be necessary concerning British prison' ers.—Reuter.

GENERAL SMUTS CONFIDENT. EJffilf? WILL NOT SUCCEED. OCT AND OUT VICTORY NOT POSSIBLE. London, May 18. General Smuts had an enthusiastic reception when visiting the Clyde shipyards. Addressing the workers at Fairfield he said that the Germans had achieved & success tvhich few had thought possible. We used to talk a lot of nonsense about defeating the Boche, but brother Boche had knocked this damflable nonsense out of us.

If we strained every nerve lie did not feel a moment's doubt about the result. We had suffered in men in the great battle on the West front, but the results had coffipensated the losses.

The Government had asked him a year ago to Visit France, and he reported that the most Accessary thing was a big army of manoeuvre, an army of strategic reserve for contingencies. The Americans were now coming in hundreds and thousands monthly. Submarines wero powerless against the transports. The enemy would come within an ace of viotory, but would not secure it. The situation would be a most anxious one for many days to come. If the last British soldier was driven out of France the Germans still would not have won, because they must win both on sea and land.

General Smuts did not believe that an out-and-out victory was possible for any group of nations. He considered they had fought to a stage where the enemy was now ready to consider and concede terms.

It would be a most dangerous tiling to go to a peace conference before they knew the principal terms to be considered. The Government would do its duty, knowing what they were fighting for, and the conference ultimately to be called would settle the details after the principal combatants had agreed on the main issues.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. and Renter.

WAR NEWS. OFFICIAL WEEKLY SUMMARY. Wellington", Cast Night. The following telegraphic summary of war news has been received by the Gov-ernor-General from the Secretary of State for the Colonies:— LINK EST IN AUSTRIA. The growing unrest among the subject nations of tho Austrian Empire is becoming too strong for tho Government at Vienna, and the Emperor, impelled by tho instinct of self-preservation, has taken a further step on the road to subjection to Germany. Though tlie terms of the new alliance have not been made public, a Vienna telegram refers to its extension and its deepening. Even if the Austrian Emperor at one time desired to escape from German control, he is powerless to do so, since the interests of the Hapsftiurgg are bound up with ths predominance of the German and Magyar landowning classes, and the emancipation of the subject races can only be achieved with help from without. All the Allies will work in co-operation to satisfy their just claims. GERMAN METHODS. In German itself reactionary forces are still rampant. The Prussian Lower House rejected equal franchise. In a byelection in Saxony, the Independent Socialists lost a scat, and twelve members of the minority group have been sentenced at Leipzig to penal servitude. Further suggestions of Germany in Rnssia led to friction between the German mission at Moscow and the Russian Government, and the aggressions of Turkey ifi tho long-coveted Persian province of Azsrhainan are causiug alarm and resentment to the Persian Government, Germany is now employing against Switzerland tactics recently used against Holland. The British mission which recently arrived at Rio Janeiro wae much gratified

by its reception and the warm welcome received.

THE WESTJSRHT FRONT.

Operations on the Western front for tile week passed Willi only minor operations. There were two points specially to notice in these. The first is that the local o-bjcctivo in each case is to seize observation points- The second point is that in each case of enemy initiative, the operation ended in complete and costly failure, even where, as on the Voormezeele-La Clytte front, he employed and sacrificed considerable boditi of fresh troops, but each operation initt» ated by the Allies—namely, at Locre Malancourt, and Grivesnes—has been a complete success. This is a sweeping statement which the German propagandists spare no words to prove the exact opposite, but the map proves that at no single point did tTTe enemy gain his objective, or succeed in holding any local gain. More than a few of the enemy's protestations of Allied failures characterise every local gain by the French in the Locre sector as an attempt to retake Keinmel Hill—an objective which, as the ■ enemy knows to his cost, would call for an operation on a very considerable scale, and could hot possibly be aimed at by a local effort. The length to which enemy publicists have gone ill this perversion of the truth is powerful evidence of the necessity felt for concealing from the German people anyj thing which may detract from their confidence in the army, which they are told is invincible, but which they are beginning to suspect were better described as "Cannon fodder."

Though minor operations have only a local or tactical value, they have a strategical significance, indicating that where the enemy is prepared to incur considerable sacrifice, thereby to gain observation posts, from his persistence we may draw the conclusion regarding the positions to which, the enemy attached special falue for future purposes. AVhile minor manoeuvres for positions have been taking place along the front lines, it must not be forgot en that intense activity is continuous in the rear services, on both sides.

j ALT,TBS' AIR SUPREMACY. | In the air service the Allies claim to a j supremacy that rests on more than mere ' protection* A comparative statement for the month of April, 1918, of the number of bombs dropped by British airmen in France behind, enemy lines and those dropped by the enemy in the area occupied by British troops, shows that by day the British dropped 17,867, the enemy 657; while by night the British propped 6033 and the enemy 1340. The total by the British was 23,900 and the i enemy 2033. Evidence is provided by memorialised complaints of German prisoners that even when the enemy has withdrawn for rest, British aijmen allow thetn no peace. One man described, feelingly, how 24 comrades were killed by a single British bombing attacik on April 30.

DISCORD AMONG GERMANY'S ALLIES.

The fundamental cause which is gradually disintegrating the Central European Alliance is lack of food. Little be extorted from Germany's allies, some of whom are already experiencing actual starvation. To obtain grain elsewhere wifl* necessitate using force and making further demands on the troops. She cannot spare this, and the shameless exploitation of her Allies by Germany foT her own ends, to their detriment, sows the seeds of discord among them.

WHY GERMANY IS FORCING A DECISION.

For two years Germany has been forced to seek a decision in the field as early as possible. Delay would involve tho risk of a break-up of the Alliance, which she cannot afford. Her victory in the coming summer campaign must be absolute, or it will be worse than valueless, for Germany will have exhausted lier reserves, whilst even should the French and British find themselves similarly reduced, the American Army will just be approachiag its zenith. By 1 commencing preparations Germany thinks she will be able to achieve a decisive victory within the time limit. ALLIES' CONFIDENCE. The Allies are already confident that, with the infusion of American troops, whose first drafts are already incorporated in the French and British divisions, they can withstand the full force of the enemy assault until the American Army in the field has grown to the same proportions as those of the French or British. It is a question of time. Every day's delay increases the strength of the American Army in France, bringing Germany nearer to the end of her time limit. MESOPOTAMIA. General Marshall is advancing apace. After occupying Kirkuk, he pursued the Turks over the Lessgad, and patrols are now within 70 miles of Mosul. The flank column which is moving up the Tigris from Tekrit. is co-operating with the main advance along the caravan road. The roads into Persia on this side are now blocked for the Turks, wherein lies the main result of General Marshall's strategy. INCREASED MEAT RATION. London, May 18. The Food Ministry announces that, owing to larger arrivals of frozen meat, eightpence worth may be purchased in respect of each of two weekly coupons, which each person is allowed, instead of sixpence worth. —Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. and Beuter.