The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1918. THE WAR COUNCIL CRISIS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 41, 16 February 1918, Page 4

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1918. THE WAR COUNCIL CRISIS.

For the oause that looks assistant*, For the wrong that need* resistance, For the future in the distance, And the good thmt we can do.

Yesterday the arise at Heme, which has developed out of the establishment of the Allied War Council, seemed likely to culminate in a political catastrophe. Mr. Lloyd George, in hie reply to Mr. Aequith, referred more than once to a possible change of administration, and later Mr. Bonar Law, who is evidently getting very tired of the rather captious "heckling" to which the Government is being subjected, told the House bluntly that if it is diseatifified with the present Government its duty is to get another in which it can Tepoee confidence without further delay. This sounds ominous enough, and there is no doubt that party I feeling has reached a painful pitch of exasperation on this unfortunate question. The trouble is twofold: Parliament and the people are afraid that the political heads of the various governments may make use of the War Council to usurp the proper functions of the High Command, and at the same time the generals and admirals who have been directing the active operations of the ■war suspect the politicians of desiring to encroach upon their prerogatives, and at the same time resent their own subordination to any military or naval representative, however distinguished, who may happen to be chosen to hold a seat in the War Council at Versailles. This is, in itself, a sufficiently difficult situation, but it hae been rendered far more complicated and dangerous by the bitterness of political prejudices and the vehemence of party strife which has broken out round this question with a fury happily unparalleled since the war began.

Clearly the best way to get over the difficulties would be to conciliate at once the people, Parliament and the High Command; and this Mr, Lloyd George, with characteristic ingenuity and courage, hae attempted to do. In the first place he has endeavoured to convince the general public and the House of Commons that the War Council is an essential factor in that close co-operation which is indispensable for " the organisation of victory." This task the Prime Minister performed with much success in his great speech-■ last November. But quite recently rumours-and''Buepl ; ' cions in regard to the powers and duties of the Council have been renewed in an aggravated form. There eeeme to be no doubt—for Mr. Lloyd George has admitted it—that the Wax Council has just decided to enlarge its functions and extend its activities, and the nation and Parliament are naturally anxious to know precisely what changes have been made, and why. As regards the cause for this modification of policy, Mr. Lloyd George contends that the coilapee of Russia and the consequent sudden increase of Germany's strength on the Western front, have necessitated more detailed and careful co-ordination of the resources of the Allies, and. have thrown upon the War Council correspondingly heavier xesponeibilfties. To the demand that he Should state definitely what the Council is doing or means to do, the Prime Minister replies that he cannot disclose this without revealing "military secrets -jf the first magnitude." This seems to us quite a convincing argument, and it would probably appeal much more strongly to Mr. Asquith and his friends if they had not allowed party feeling to get out of hand so completely. In the early stages of the controversy when the powers of the War Council were first diecussed, it was made quite clear that though the Council "has for its mission to watch over the general conduct of the war," it would have no executive power, and would leave the technical and strategical business of the war untouched. The only question at issue now is whether there is not a danger that the Council, in view of the greatness of the emergency, might not be inclined to transgress the limitations which it has already laid down for its own guidance. But the suspicion that it may act in thie way is hardly an adequate excuse for the charges of aggression and usurpation which have been levelled at Mr. Lloyd George and his colleagues by their political opponents-

But the general question as to the powers and duties of the War Council naturally merges into the secondary issue ac to. the relative rights of the members of the High Command. It is certainly most unfortunate that the recent revival of political controversy has been attended by a renewal of the depreciatory criticism of several of our most distinguished military and naval leaders. It has been alleged that Sir Pouglas Haig and Sir William Robertson have lost the confidence of the Government, and that their resignation has been seriously suggested. At the same time it is fairly certain that both Haig and Robertson disapprove of any attempt to subordinate themselves in a military eensc to Sir Henry Wilson, Britain's military representative on the War Council, and it is evident that public sympathy, so far as it is engaged on this side of the controversy, is entirely •with the soldiers and against the politicians. When the "Morning- Post" warns Mr. Lloyd George that if he etiU persists in interfering in military matters serious consequences will ensue. ■we recognise at once the sinister traces of partisan political feeling. But come

of the protests against the alleged subordination of the High Command to the War Council emanate from a very different source, and the rumour that the Commander-in-CShief and the Chief of Staff have expressed a desire to resign rather than tolerate any limitation of their powers is at least significant even if it is not authentic. According to the "Daily Mail," the Government has endeavoured to induce Sir William Robertson to Tβsign; according to the "Daily Chronicle" Sir Wililam Robertson has agreed to remain Chief of the Staff, with the full confidence of Government and the loyal support of Sir Henry Wileon on the War Council. In view of these incoherent reports, Mr. Lloyd George (according to the " Daily Telegraph") has taken a bold and decisive step, well calculated to restore the confidence of the general public and the army; he has offered a seat on the War, Council to Sir WRobertson, and agreed that he shall rank as " Generalissimo" of the British armies. This would mean that Sir Henry Wileon, whose position has been dubious and ill-defined throughout, would become Chief of the Staff, and that the actual Commander-in-Chief of our forces would represent the military factor in the situation, with due authority and weight in the councils of the Allies. Subsequent reports throw doubt on this project, but the suggestion, which seems to have been put forward by Mr. Lloyd George, should conciliate soldiers and politicians alike, and is at least a practicable solution of the difficulty that has arisen. In any case, it demonstrates once more the vigour and courage which Mr- Lloyd George generally displays in face of any great emergency.