ANOTHER HUGE CREDIT VOTE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3081, 11 May 1917, Page 5

ANOTHER HUGE CREDIT VOTE

. MR. BONAR LAW REVIEWS THE SITUATION OUR PROVED SUPERIORITY OVER THE . ENEMY (Rec. May 10, 8.5 p.m.) London, May 9. In'the Houso of Commons, Mr. Bonar Law (Chancellor of the Exchequer), in introducing tbo vote of credit for live hundred million, said that tho expenditure had recently exceeded the estimate. The average daily expenditure at present was £7.'400,000, of which sum two millions went to {he Allies and Dominions, exceeding the Budget estimates for suqh advances by a million daily, but the Government hoped the Budget estimate would still bo realisable owing to tho promptitude of American financial assistance. Explaining tho apparent increase in the cost of the war, the Chancellor said that there was a sum of thirty millions sterling during the period under review which could not bo regarded as real expenditure. The expenses of tho Dominion Governments wero paid here and leimbursed by'the Dominion Governments. "In April we paid out, but did not receive. There was therefore no reason to suppose that the Budget estimates of expenditure for the year would not be approximately correct." i Forestalling the Enemy. : Mr. Bonar Law said: "The rapidity of the attack forestalled tho enemy, who had to fight in tho open with heavy losses before; their trenches, which they had not had time to prepare. Since April 1 we have taken 20,000 prisoners, 257 guns, and 227 trench, mortars. While in the first twenty-four days on the Somme we advanced 3£ miles on a six-mile front, we have now advanced from two to five miles on a twenty-mile front. There are twice as many German divisions against us as were opposed to lis on tho Somme, and half of these had to be withdrawn. Our casualties in the present offensive are from SO to 75 per cent, less than on the Somme. Our succoss has largely been due to our distinct artillery superiority. It we wish to realise how much has been done on the Western front, let us picture our feelings if, in tho same period as during the Battle of Arras, we had lost twenty thousand prisoners, and the number of guns that the Germans have lost." The Chancellor wont on to say that the Rochdale strikers had returned to work. He admitted that tliero was still considerable unrest in certain sections of the engineering trade. The Government was satisfied that the trouble was mainly due to the activities of a number of men who desired to upset the. authority of the trade unions. The great majority of\the strikers did hot know why they were striking. Any action against thoso who were responsible for this interference in the output of, munitions' that were so urgently needed must be taken without delay. The Advance In Mesopotamia. Dealing with the operations in Mesopotamia, the speaker said that tho British s.uccoss was in no small part due to the work of' the General Staff at Home,which had made the arrangements. Part of the credit .was also duo to the "splendid courage and ardour of tho troops, but much of the credit was due to General Maude, who bad shown military ability of' the highest order. . - Reverting to the operations on tho Western front, Sir. Bonar Law said that it was inevitable that our progress should bo slow. One of the, most encouraging featurds of the battle, however, was the_ almost hysterical German communiques about imaginary victories, issued in order to. keep up tho courage of the people. Tho desire of the enemy, indeed tho feeling of necessity on his part, to prevent our advance was shown in the extreme violence of his counter-attacks', one of which, last night, resulted in our losing a position' we had taken, but regrettable as that was. it was only an incident in the kind of fighting that' was now_ going on. "When we consider what tho enemy's original artillery superiority was, and how absolutely destitute wo were of munitions, we have a right to bo proud of our present distinct superiority over the enemy in these respects. That superiority is also shown' by our. airmen, who are the eyes of'our long-range guns." Mr. Dillon Raises Some Questions. Mr. J. Dillon (Nationalist) complained that the country was not being told the whole truth about tho operations in Svria and Salonika. Tho position in Greece was going from bad to worse. Tlio Paris "Temps" had accused the British Government of standing behind, King Constantino and preventing adequate support being given m M. Vcnizelos. Mr. Bonar Law said that Mr. Dillon's statement, that we had bullied Rumania into the war at the instigation of Pro-German R,nssia was a cock-and-bull story: He did r.ot, think any intelligent man would havo repeated it. ;It was utterly unfounded. Tho statement regarding King Constantino was equally untrue. Tho Allies could not add to the number of their enemies by using troops to effect a revolution in Greece and put M. Venizelos in command.—Reuter.