PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2792, 9 June 1916, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

What the German losses were in the North Sea battle will not bo fully known until Admiral Jellicoe has submitted his detailed report. No one, howovor, except Admiral Jellicoe is better placed than tho First Lord of 'the. Admiralty to assess the practical importance of the British victory, and no one has rated its importanco so high. Mb. Balfour declares that tho German Fleet will notboablc for months to come to make an organised effort, either in tho North Sea or tho Baltic. To that ho adds that the dream of the invasion of Britain has been dissipated forever and that the blockadc is tighter than ever. This is the answer, if one were needed, to the bombastic ravings with which the Kaiser and his servants are seeking to-dissemble tho bitter mortification of defeat anrl bolster up a failing cause. Time may bo needed to definitely nail down tho lies of tho German Government about the battle, but we may bo quite certain that Mr. Balfour's statement is fully warranted bv facts already established, His reference to substantial fruits doubtless portends a longer list of German losses than has yet been detailed. It implies also that accounts given _ of tne heavy damage done to units in the German fleet which escaped destruction by flight havo not been overdrawn. It will be noticcd that in a message to the Russian Foreign Office, Sir Edward Grey says it is known that the 1 enemy has deliberately concealed losses and severe damage. Statements of this kind are not made by British Ministers unless they are sure of their ground. °*# # # '

New Zealanders will read with pleasure the account given of the distinguished part played in the great battle by the Dreadnought which bears the name of their country. Evidently the New Zealand was in the thick of the battle and was admirably handled. Thanks to the splendid work of her stokehold crow she was enabled to keep pace with consorts designed to reach a greater speed, and it is attested that her guns played havoc with tho enemy ships to which she was opposed.

From Verdun there is news of an event which may mark an important stage in the battle. It is now prac-

tically established that the site of Fort Vaux is in the hands of the enemy. The French, while stating that tho Germans reported the capture of tho fort prematurely, admit that communication with the garrison is now cut off by tho enemy bombardment. The Germans report the capture, though they seem, on this occasion, to have abstained from the stories about a powerful armoured fort which they circulated when they gained a footing in tho Douaumont position. It is possible, though not certain, that the loss of Fort Vaux may involve a material retirement of the French line. Fort Vaux stands on an eminence to the south of a valley which divides it from the Douaumont plateau to the north-west. Though the site of Fort Douaumont is in German hands tho French are still established on the plateau, and their occupation of this position may be threatened by the German success at Vaux. Meantime, however, Fort Vaux represents simply a small addition to the territory which the French have been gradually conceding in the course of their defensive battle. The main .trend of the battle is not affeoted, nor is it likely tb be. Some time ago the loss of wnafc has been regarded as a main-line position on the Verdun front might have been regarded as .. necessarily giving the signal for a powerful counterstroKe by the defending army. There is no present indication of such a move ,by tho French, and it is very possible that they are prepared to yield further ground if neccssary, at its price, for . tho sake ,of continuing the battlo on its present lines.

Progress in the Russian southern offensive must still be inferred in the main from t-hp accounts given of tho capture of prisoners and of guns and material. The first-mentioned total now stands at 41,000 men, which should mean at a very moderate computation that Austrian casualties undor all heads must exceed 200,000. The estimate could he regarded as excessive only on the assumption that the enemy is so demoralised that his troops aro being captured in droves. The fact that a number of enemy batteries have been captured intact has an obvious significance. Even a hard-pressed army might be expected to destroy guns which it is compelled to ab'andon. The Austriana to-day admit a retreat .in the vicinity of Lusk, about 30 miles north of the Galician frontior. One explanation of the extreme brevity of tho communiques which the Russians are issuing at present is that they hope to obtain some of the advantages of surprise. It is stated in tho latest commimique in hand that General Rrusiloff is so closely pressing the enemy that tho latter is unable to transfer troops from one point to another. This would indicate also that although they have already accomplished a great deal, the Russians are still at a comparatively early 'stage in their present enterprise. One report is rounded off with the sententious remark: "In the recent fighting proof has been given to the enemy of the increase in our war material." It is easy to imagine tns grim satisfaction with which the sentence was dictated.

Some successes are claimed by the Turks in Armenia, but the Russians report only of this front that they stopped a Turkish offensive in the direction of Erzingan, west of Erzerum. In this region the Russians are doubtless fighting a defensive campaign to cover the aggressive operations further south, and the Turks have perhaps expanded upon details of give-and-take-fighting. Particulars of tho lisssiaris success at Khanikin, on -the border, north-east of Bagdad, indicate, that it was of some importance.

These is a suggestion of momentous developments impending in .the news concerning Greece. Russia, at all events,_ is evidently inclined to force tho issue, and if there is any truth in the accompanying reports of German ascendancy in Greeco the remaining members of the Entente. would-seem to have no other alternative than to vigorously co-operate with Russia in that course: In a London message yesterday it was stated that M. Venizelos had openly accused the Greek General Staff of preparing for "an alliance with Germany, and, further, that unrest in the populace is being kept in check by a military dictatorship, reinforced by an elaborate systom of espionage. If these are facts the need for firm and powerful intervention by tho Allies is imperative. At its face value tho news means that the present rulers of Greece are doing their best to sacrifice their country in the interests of ■ tho Powers whose victory would annihilate its hopes of continued independence.

The immediate gravity of the problem by which the Allies are iaced in their dealings with Greece arises from the fact, that the Greok Army is apparently dominated by! pro-German influences, and that the general population has shown itself singularly inert under the tyranny which is driving the country to ruin. The two paths which opened for Greece in this war have been shown to tho people in a fashion which admits of no misunderstanding. M. Venizelos, from tho outset, lias expounded and advocated a policy under which Greece would have made a bold bid for national expansion. Looking to Britain and Franco as tho national protectors of Grecce, he proposed that she should make common cause with tho Entente, looking for tho regard of her exertions to the acquisition of portion of the territory in Asia Minor which is largely populated by Greeks. That a certain risk attended this policy M. Venizelos never attempted to deny— ho was in fact prepared to stake the fato of his country upon the fate of the Entente in tho war—but he maintained that it would be much more dangerous to abstain from action./ By the latter course, he pointed out, Grcece at best would forfeit- the friendship of ner natural protcctors, while, if the Germans should win the war, she would find herself hopelessly overshadowed by hostile neighbours.

Neither Kino Constantine nor the stop-gap Ministries which have thinly cloaked his usurpation of power have enunciated any positive policy in opposition to that laid down by M. Venizelos. But short of actually making war on the Allies, the King of Grecce has served Germany at tho expense of his own country in a fashion he could not well have bettered if he had been himself a Hohenzollern instead of being only linked to that house by marriage. Besides doing his best to prevent a realisation of the aspirations which are identified with the future, security and welfare of his country ho has given free scope to German intrigue, and finally, he has

allowed Greece to be invaded by its hereditary enemies without lifting a hand or moving a soldier lo avert the calamity. It the King of Greece is intent upon destroying, Greece ho is going the right way about it. liven the mobilisation of the army tends to t|io samo end. Maintained now for about eight months, it haß imposed a serious drain upon the limited resources of the people, and at the same time it opposes a formidable obstacle to any popular movement towards upsetting tbo ruinous policy to which the Iling is committed.

The merits of the case are not open | to dispute. The course he has taken and tho present and prospective fruits of his policy show very clearly that King Constantine is the enemy of Greece as well as of the Entente, and the interests of Greece and tho Entente would equally'bs served by his removal from power.' This is recognised in some of tho Russian newspaper comments, appearing today, which possibly reflect tho mind of the Entente on the subject. There is also a report, allegedly originating in Athens, ta the effect that tho King is likely to abdicate. Its authority, however, is uncertain. At the moment it is a matter of conjecture whether the Entente cau take any purposeful step towards 1 displacing King Constantine withput precipitating a state of affairs in Greece which would in part meet Austro-German desires. Tho problem would be simplified if the Greek people were likely to strike an effective blow for their own liberation, but it must be admitted that hopes of a popular uprising are not particularly bright. The Greek people, to say the least, have been strangely tolerant of tho ruinous policy adopted by the King. Though M. Venizelos .was at the head: of a large majority in Parliament when tho war began, and was elected with a similar, backing during the war, no effective protest was made against his dismissal. The King has had an asset of strength also in his personal popularity with the army. During the last _ few months M. Venizelos and his party have resumed an active propaganda, but at the present moment the personal safety of the ex-Prime Minister appears to be endangered, and the facts of _ tho situation are difficult to estimate.

v A t k es k ''he Allies aro faced by a difficult and troublesome task in their dealings with Greece, but it is absolutely necessary that the difficulty should be overcome as a preliminary to an effective prosecution of the campaign in the Balkans. The importance of this theatre may seem to have waned in view of the great events _ astir in tho main theatres, but it has. in fact an essential importance that nothing can u^ r i_ m ain objects with which the Central Empires entered the war was that of opening a road to tho East, and the Allies will not be m a satisfactory position from which to dictate peace until the road has been definitely closed. The Met that the _ prosecution of the campaign involves a certain dispersion of force is only one side of the picture. It is equally true that a vigorous and successful policy in the Balkans would tend to powerfully influonco events in tho main theatres.