Progress of the War.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 15335, 20 July 1915, Page 6

Progress of the War.

For a long time the public has not considered the possibility of Warsaw falling to tho enemy, and it will como as a shock that a messago from Petrograd should hint that the Russians may havo to abandon tho city. When the Germans made their first thrust at Warsaw last year they almost reached the city. Tho second -------ion of Poland was held up at Sochazew, thirty miles away. When yon Hindonburg mado his groat offensive from tho north in February ho was checked at Przasnysz. This time tho enemy has the advantage in munitions, which recently gained him such great success in Galicia, and ho has tho experience of that campaign to guido him in the great effort he is now making against Warsaw from all sides. He is showing remarkable activity all along the lino. In tho Russian province of Courland ho is driving the Russians back towards Riga and tho VilnaPctrograd railway. North of Warsaw ho has forced the Russians to retreat to tho south of Przasuysz. South of Warsaw ho has compelled them to retiro on the left bank of the Vistula. On tho Lublin front, cast of tho Vistula, the enemy claims important successes, and the Russians admit that lighting has been intense. Tho Germans aro reported to havo pierced tho enemy's lino south-west of Krasnostav, which is only ten miles from tho Lublin-Cholm railway, and yon Mackensen claims a success south of Piaski, which is only fivo miles from the line. According • to the correspondent of "Tho Times" with tho Russian troops, tho flower of tho Army is stationed hero to protect these highly important communications. As for Vvarsaw. a sign that tho pressure from tho north is bocoming very dangerous will be tho withdrawal of the troops irom, tho Bzura, wosfc •-' tho city. The operations of the next week or so should decide whether the Russians can hold on to Warsaw. Should tho worst happen, it will be a good opportunity for the optimist to show tho faith that _s in him. Tho ••'Spectator" is of this order. "Russia would not bo boaton if "tho incredible happened and tho Ger- " mans were to get to Moscow." In the West there is as yet no offensive 10 ease tho pressure on tho Russians. Mo doubt tho Germans feel certain of being able to hold their line there wink they cripple Russia. They know of Britain's difficulties in tho matter of munitions, and thoy havo calculated | how loni it will take before Sir John French is ready for a great effort. But their calculations may bo wrong. If an effort is mado it will be made suddenly. Mr Lloyd Georgo has told us that months must elapse before the maximum output is reached, but it may be found possible to strike before then. And of course wo hold only a small part of tho line. With reserves of shells from his own admirably organised factories, supplemented by oversea supplies, General Joffro may any day decide to attack in force. We regret to observe that the secretary of tho Volunteer Sisterhood, in appealing for funds, persists in the idea of sending untrained volunteers to Egypt, and intimates plainly that if the public will only sub-*-***''*'* tbe necessary money they will be sent, in defiance both of tho Imperial Government, which it is admitted has ordered that no women but trained nurses are to bo sent abroad, and of the New Zealand Government, which naturally declines to sanction any contravention of the rules laid down by the Imperial Government in this respect. "I cannot see any difficulty in the way of raising £2000 or £3000 immediately," writes the secretary. "As soon as ever we have that amount we shall select twenty women volunteers, equip them for abroad, and send thorn by direct mail steamer to look after our sick and wounded lads." Each group of ten volunteers is "to be in charge of a trained nurse who will ccach them m aseptic methods and bandaging on tho voyage." The suggestion that this constitutes sufficient. preparation to qualify any woman, however well-meaning, to look after difficult surgical cases in a military hospital is, of course, preposterous. It would be a crimo against, "our sick aud wounded lads" if such an arrangement were sanctioned by the military authorities. The latest advices are to tho effect that there is no lack of skilled nurse, in Egypt, but if any are required there are a number of fullyqualified nurses only too anxious to go, and they should certainly be given tho preference. In another part of the appeal the secretary says:—"Our women aro simply r-urses' orderlies,"' and refers to the work they are doing at Trentham. "sorting sheet* and clothes, washing floors*, mending, cleaning, cooking, tending the sick, and doing everything asked and needed willingly and cheerfully.'" That, as we have said on urevious occasions, is ad-

mirable, and for this the volunteers deservo every credit. We believe there is a good deal they can do as "nurses' orderlies'* outside T --*-*-t}*a**-i, as our wounded return to the Dominion. But Egypt is the land of cheap and welltraiued native labour, and it would never do to set white women to perform the tasks which can be better performed by Egyptian orderlies and servants. Some very pointed remarks on this subject by a lady who has had practical experience cf nursing in Egyptian hospitals appear in another column, and may be read with advantage. On tho other hand, to dump down in Egypt a number of New Zealand women with very little money in their pockets, in the hope that" tho hospital authorities will take them is nurses in preference to those who have spent years in qualifying themselves for the profession, does not strike us as the best method of serving the Empire in this crisis. As long, "therefore, as the appeal is for money to send unit ained women cut of the country, wo cannot give it any support in'oucolumns. _ There is at least one high authority m England who does not believe in the Coalition Government, although like everybody else, ho hopes for the'best' We refer to Sir John Gorst. who played a striking part in tho early history of New Zealand, and who came out again as British Commissioner to the International Exhibition held in Christchurch some years ago. It will bo remembered that he was one of tho famous Fourth Party—tho othe r members being Mr Balfour, Lord Randolph and Sir Henry Drumniond Wolff—who paved tho way for a drastic rearrangement of English parties in 1885. Although ho recently /celebrated his eightieth birthday, his intellect is evidently as clear as ever, while his political experience renders his opinion of great value. Interviewed by his daughter-in-law, Mrs Harold Gorst, fo r tho "Weekly Dispatch," in regard to the war, he appeared to be getting fatigued. When sho asked him, "What do you think of this project for a Coalition Government? ' tho effect was startling: "Sir John sat bolt upright in his chair, the colour flamed in hj s cheeks, his blue eyes flashed. "'Think?' he echoed. 'Why that it is not tho slightest good at all! Not that I believe for a moment that it will endure for long,' continued Sir John with energy; 'it is a mere transitory phase.' " 'But, Sir John ' " Ho waved mc aside. " 'If the Coalition had been intended to benefit the country, men who knew their job would havo been chosen. Not that 1 assume any right to express an opinion. I deprecate any such right. As I said beforo, 1 am merely a spectator.' " Referring to tho war. Sir John Gorst cannot bo said to err on tho side 0 f excessive optimism. "A nino months' failure," ho pronounced our past efforts. Ho is enthusiastic in regard to tho Navy, and has no doubt as to our ultimate success. But ho evidently considers it will be a long business. "It must bo remembered," ho said, "that our Allies' Armies fight against tremendous odds at very closo quarters, and with a barbarous enemy. Beforo w© can hopo to mako any real progress : our foes must bo expelled beyond tho Rhine, out of Belgium, and out of France. . . . And then, before peace can bo even contemplated, Germany must bo forced to make full and adequate compensation to Belgium for all sho has suffered physically and fiscally, though it can never wholly obliterate the sear of her moral hurt." Sir John Gorst, wo need hardly add, has still many friends in New Zealand who will rejoice to, hear of his physical and mental vigour, although somo of them may think that perhaps he has been a little too pessimistic both with regard to tho Coalition and the probable duration of the war. It is very interesting to learn from Mr J. AI. Robertson and the "Wall Street Journal" that Germany will soon be bankrupt; but British people .will do well to put this consideration to one side and concentrate their attention firmly on tho defeat of Germany by military means. Serious de- j lay has already been caused in tho marshalling of our strength by the erroneous belief that Germany was in serious need of certain things vital to tho making of war, and that economic forces would compel her to yield. It is so important that overybody shou'd realise the necessity of crushing Germany by forco of arms that we are not sure that a man is not doing his oountry a disservice who speaks of tho impending bankruptcy, of Germany without at tho samo time laying stress on tho fact that nothing less than the utmost effort will suffice. Estimates of Germany's financial rxisition are based on economics, and ignore moral factors. It is no doubt true from the economic point of view that Germany is approaching bankruptcy. Tho nation is, so to speaK, "living on its o*vn fat," and living with tho utmost prodigality. But it is confident of victory and of recouping from victory its enormous outlay, and so long as that spirit prevails, the growing mountain of unbacked paper currency will not deter it from going on with its tremendous expenditure. In the American Civil War the Confederacy, though it lacked the wealth and industrial resources of the North, and was cut off from tho outside world by the Union's fleet, held out for four years. In those four years not more than £5.400,000 in coin found its way into the Confederate Treasury. Tho Government accepted payments of taxes in kind, in hales of cotton, or in agricultural produce. Paper money was issued in such immense quantities, and so irregularly, that it is impossible to tell how much was afloat. It depreciated so much that in -March, 1565, a gold dollar was worth sixty-one dollars in Confederate paper. In spite of those financial difficulties, thc South did not acknowledge defeat until its military strength was exhausted. = I