Progress of the War.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 15916, 1 June 1917, Page 6

Progress of the War.

Ilio Admiralty's announcement of the week's shipping losses justifies tho assumption that the British Government has overcome tho German machination, as it has overcomo others equally formidable. It is reasonable to assume that tho campaign has been applied at its maximum, and if this is tho case it has failed, and failed badly. "Undoubtedly the position would have been serious if the rate of sinkings in tho first week of the unlimited warfaro had occn maintained, but that lias not proved to be tho case, with the' result that tho campaign has failed nob only to destroy Britain's sen-service, but has not even really seriously interfered with it. Nearly 34,000 vessels have arrived in British ports during the past three months, and 34,670 have sailed. Tho total number of vessels sunk during that period, excluding fishing craft, was 408, and of this number 123 were vessels of less than 1600 tons. The figures for tho past week are the most reassuring since tho campaign began. The arrivals, 2719, constitute tho largest number yet reported since the Admiralty made its first announcement of tho shipping figures, and the sailings, i 2768, also constitute a record for tho same period. The sinkings are the J lowest yet recorded, totalling only 19. These figures should assure tho public that tho menace has been beaten, and that the Admiralty's oft-repeated statements to this effect have been founded on fact. It is announced that Germany Intends to abandon the campaign after tho summer owing to her heavy losses, which aro duo to the Admiralty's effective measures. There is no news of importanco from the theatres of war. The lull continues on tho "Western front, and on tho Italian front thcro lias been a slackening of the offensive, due probably to the unfavourable weather mentioned in one of yesterday's cable messages.