BRITAIN AND THE WAR.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 May 1918, Page 7

BRITAIN AND THE WAR.

REPORT FOR 1917. THE EMPIRES WONDERFUL REWORD. The British War Caibinet recently issued a unique document—an official report of its work in the year 1!)17. The following consists of extracts which have special reference to the Empire's share in the war:— "In 1911," the raport states, "the British Empire took up the challenge thrown down to Europe by the Governments of tlv Central Empires, and entered the lit-... in defence of national liberty and international right. When war was declared, neither Government nor people had any idea of the magnitude of the struggle to which they were then committed. For modern war, except in the naval sphere, they were almost wholly unprepated. Their military forces were designed not for use on the Continent o* Europe, but to defend the outlying frontiers of a world-wide commonwealth. There was no effective organisation for bringing t'ho oversea portions of tlie Empire into close and continuous touch with the realities of the international situation. The external policy of the Empire was rather concerned to preserve the peace by the maintenance of the balance of power than l»v promoting the active co-operation of all free nations for the defence of freedom and justice in international affairs. The ensuing years witnessed a period of activity unparalleled in" British history. A vast army, mainly of volunteers, was enrolled and organised into a force fit to engage in battle with tne most formidable and most highly organised military power in tho world, anjl private industries throughout the length and breadth of the land were gradually converted to the production of munitions of war—a transformation which entailed far-reach-ing alterations in the status and methods both of management and labor. The Oversea Dominions raised national armies wliidi at an early date took their placo in the battle-line. India, fired by the cause for which, the Empire sitood, flung its army at a vital moment into the war, and thereafter set steadily to work to expand it.

DEVELOPMENTS IN 1917. "The year 1917 saw two marked developments- On the one hand there was a profound change in tie character of the war itself. The inauguration of \ n general attack i\pon the sea communications of the Allies through the'unrestricted use of the submarine greatly widened the soope of warlike operations and forced the peoplo of the British Isles to expend an immense amount of time and energy on counter-preparations of all kinds. The Russian Revolution completely upset the Allied plan for a concerted offensive against the Central Powers 011 all fronts during the spring and summer of 1917, and eventually led to such a disintegration of the Russian | army as enabled the German Government to transfer the greater part of it 3 military resources from the Eastern to the Western theatre of war. Kira-lly, the overthrow of the Russian autocracy, coupled with the entry of the United States into the war, and the adhesion of Greece, Brazil, China, and other neutrals to the Allied cause, widened the war itself from a battle for the liberty of small nations and tbe defence of public right in Europe, into a world-wide struggle for the triumph of a freo civilisation and lcmocraitic government. "Corresponding with the development of the inter-Allied siphere was the creation of the Imperial War Cabinet. It had become increasingly apparent that some method had to be found of informing the Oversea Governments of the political and military situation, and 6f enabling nations which were making such sacrifices for the common cause to take their part in the councils of the Empire. Accordingly, at the beginning of 1917, the Prime "Ministers of the Overseas Dominions were invited to attend a series of special meebingß at the War CoJbinet in order to discuss the problems of the war and the possible conditions of peace. India, for the first time, was also asked to send representatives to take part in this council of the Empire. The sessions of the Cabinet, thus enlarged, came to >be known as the Imperial War Cabinet. The necessities of the war have thus brought into being a body representative of all parts of the Empire, aible to deliberate and to come to decisions on questions affecting the day-to-day conduct of the war, as well as on the larger issues of Imperial policy, without impairing the autonomy of the units of which the Empire is composed. This development and the sessions of the Imperial War Conference were the natural outcome of the wonderful spirit of unity and selfsacrifice which has enabled the people of the British Commonwealth to produce no less than ".■"OO.OOO men to fight for freedom, in addition to vast quantities of munitions and supplies of all kinds. So. successful was this experiment in the opinion of its members, that it was decided unanimously that there ought to I be an annual meeting of the Imperial Cabinet, and that the Prime Ministers of the Empire, or their specially-delegated representatives, together with the Ministers in charge of the great Imperial offices, should be its ex-oflicio members.

"The British Array is now probably the best provided of all the armies in the field, not only in technical equipment, but ill clothing, food and similar provision. Tremendous reorganisation of the industrial life of the country has been necessary in order to produce these supplies, a reorganisation which includes not only manufacturing industries, railways, mines and shipping, but an immense variety of lesser enterprises, and amounts to a reconstruction of our economic life for the purposes of the war. The achievement, which Has been essential to the final victory of the Allied cause, could never have been accomplished but for the zeal and energy of all classes, both at home and in the Empire overseas. SHIPPING PROBLEMS. "The most difficult problems which confronted the Administration in the early part of 1017 were those which arose from the growing inadequacy of the oversea communications of the Allies—problems which were aggravated by the introduction of the unlimited submarine campaign on February 1. The counter measures which were adopted by the Navy, however, were successful in reducing the attack to manageable proportions, though they involved a drain upon the national resources, both in man-power and material, which is often not fully recognised, and which is by no means the least important of the contributions of the British Empire to the war. The number »f

men engaged either in tlie Navy or in supplying naval needs now exceeds a million. Unfortunately, it is not possible to set forth in detail the immense scope of the Admiralty operations. "In addition to improvements in the methods of using shipping, a large programme of ship-building was put into operation, not only in British yards, but in all the available yards in neutral countries as well. To ensure greater speed in building, a large number of the new ships were ordered to a standard design. In spite of the difficulties of nil kinds which have confronted the production of ships, notably the shortage in the supply of steel plates and of labor, the output has steadily increased. During 1017 1,103,500 tons of new ships were built, as against .542,000 tons in 1010, and by the end of 11)18 the rate of output of all ships, war and merchant, ought to be double that of any previous year in British history. In order to make possible this increase, 45 new berths have been provided in private shipyards, and the construction of three ne*v national shipyards, containing 34 'berths, has beei begun.

"Another step in dealing with the shipping problem was a drastic reduction o? imports. In 1910 imports were cut down by 1,000,000 tons. Early in 1017 a committee was appointed, which recommended a preliminary programme of reductions amounting to 0,000,000 tons. This was approved, and came into operation on March 1. The programme was shortly afterwards increased by the further severe restrictions of the imports of timber. The outcome of this policy has been that practically all cargo space is now reserved for goods carried directly or indirectly on Government account, and consists almost entirely of essential foodstuffs, raw materials required for the manufacture of national necessities, and military needs, or of munitions of war. The chief reductions were in timber, paper, feeding stuffs and brewing materials. Still another step was to secure a large increase in the production of food and raw materials at home. "Large economy was effected' early in the year by a reduction of the manufacture of beer from the 1914 total of about 30,000,000 barrels and the 1910 total of 26,000,000 barrels to a total of some 14,000,000 standard barrels. The manufacture of spirits for human consumption has been stopped. Strong measures have also been taken to restrict the consumption of coal, oils, timber, cotton and other articles."

THE NAVY'S WORK. Referring to the work of the Navy in 1917, the report says: "It has been doing the old work in the old way. But it is l not the old Navy with which we were long content. It is something much more expressive of the life of the many nations which make up the British Empire. The toil and the credit have been shared, not only by the dominions and colonies i overseas, but by the whole seafaring life of the people —merchant service, fishermen, and many others who have felt the call of the sea. Han din hand all have worked together to make a great organisation which has embraced the whole sea-power of the Empire. For every State and member of our world-wide Commonwealth there has been but one sea and one concern—to serve wherever duty called or the common good had need of them."