PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 74, 20 December 1917, Page 6

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Owing, perhaps, to a delay in she transmission of cablegrams, no change is disclosed to-day in any of the war theatres. Reports relating to the armistice between Russia and the Central Empires contain no very new feature. .They assert, it is true, that the armistice extends to the Russo-Turkish theatres, but in this matter tho Bolsheviki arc negotiating in respect of Russian forces over whom, as information stands, they exercise no control. It may, of course, be taken for that the enemy will ignore the stipulation that the present disposition of troops on tho Russian fronts shall not bo altered, and will continue to move reinforcements westward at every opportunity.

English files just received by mail cite somo examples of ithe propaganda carried on by the enemy among tho Italian troops prior to the olt'ensive in which- he contrived to break the Italian front on tho Isonzo. Tho most striking feature of the propaganda, it is observed by the London Times, is its antiBritish character. As in Russia and France, so in Italy, England has been held up by German and Austrian agents as tho ,Powcr who alono prevents peace and compels her Allies to sacrifice themselves to her perfidious designs. Leaflets, tho Times adds, wero disseminated among the Italian troops by means of special propaganda bombs, or dropped from aeroplanes. Some of them ran as follow: — Italian soldiers: At tho request of the Italian Government, English and French soldiers at Milan and at Turin havo, been firing for two days with machine-guns upon old Italian soldiers who, when called up, refused to go to tho front, as well as upon the people who took their part. Countless killed and wounded. There aro now in Italy 14,000 English troops, and their number grows tidily, because thoy are used as policemen. Tley occupy your ports and railways, they have seized your trade and swagger as masters in your cities, killing pitilessly those who ask for broad and ipcace. At Milap, Turin, San Remo, Chita, Vecchia, Florence, and Genoa, there havo been great demonstrations by tho people, who are tired of war and demand immediate peace. Consequently English and French troops, which were in readiness, wero called out, and with cannon and machine-guns, they, perpetrated a real and horrible massacre among tho demonstrators and among/ the Italian troops themselves. There were 500 killed, thousands of wounded, and among them aJso Italian officers, women, and children. Your Government has been bought by English gold. Therefore, it is deal! to the cries of the people; and instead of giving you peace, your Ministers place the independence of your fathedand little by little in the power of the English monster. Agreo with ns quickly, and know that, tliough wo will not yield an inch of shore or sea, wo are always ready honestly to divide with you the dominion of the Adriatic. Thus yon will be tho freo masters of a free sea. Ot.-serwise, good-bye to the Adriatic, good-bye to your navigation and commerce. \ou >viil inevitably disappear down the throat of tho insatiable linglish lion, liKo iho Russians. If you do not decide to stop tho scandalous British fury, you will shuro the sad end of your Russian allies, whom the unbreakable British yoko still prevents from concluding an honourable P eilcc - * * * *

It may seem extraordinary that such a clumsy propaganda earned any weight in the Italian ranks, but after-events made it-only too plain that a section of the troops were influenced'to their own undoing and that of tlieir more steadfast comrades by the enemy's extravagant falsehoods. That Italy offered some openings to the enemy's political offensive is as clearly established as that Bhe has since made a splendid recovery. The Austro-Gornuinß sclectcd th.eir hour with judgment. Some discontent liad been awakened in Italy;by the growing scarcity of food and fuel, and riots at Turin had been stringently repressed, though certainly not with the assistance of British troops, nor in the circumstanccs described by • iho enemy leaflets. A measure of discontent existed, however, and' in conjunction with the credulity uf a section of the troops did deadly work.

The disaster had hardly fallen, however, before the nation gave signal proof of its ability to rise to a great emergency. All parties save the fcxtreme Socialists drew together to support the Government. A winter of privation and rationing is being endured, but the course of events on the battlefront affords the best proof that this hard lot is now being accepted in a spirit of determination. Italy's main problem is that of food supply. The last grain harvest was from 20 to 23 per cent, below that of the previous year, and supply is hampered by the difficulties of railway and motor transport and the lack of shipjoin!*, though the Allies, and especially the United States, are striving to supply this need.' Apart from the food difficulty, Italy's economic position (according to the Economist) is very strong. The revenue from war taxes largely exceeds the estimates, and during the last two years savings banks deposits have risen by £100,000,000. There seems on the whole no reason to doubt that tho nation is capable of the effort needed to support and supplement tho heroic achievements and sacrifices of its troops in stemming tho enemy invasion, and that it is loyally concentrating to that end.