PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 203, 16 May 1918, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Sir Douglas Haig reports-to-day tho complete failure of an enemy attack in the Somrao region, but no decided change has yet appeared in the conditions which have obtained on the Western front since the enemy was heavily checked in Flanders more than ,a fortnight ago. The latest reports in hand speak of bad_ weather, which is seriously impeding the German preparations for attack.. Considerable interest is being manifested in the possibility that tho enemy may be enabled to reinforce his Western armies by drawing, upon tho Austrian forces concentrated in the Trcnfcino, or upon such troops as ho is still maintaining in Russia, but it would take many weeks to bring any large body of_ reinforcements even from Austria, and a. much loneer period to make a similar transfer from Russia,

Eeports from different quarters to-day declare that Aiistro-German hopes of obtaining great supplies of grain from tho Ukraine have been absolutely disappointed, and this_ is consistent with such information on the subject as was already available. Goncrally, this information goes to show that the impression at one time widespread that great stocks of grain had accumulated in Russia during the war period was erroneous, and thai; the amount in hand, in fact, diminished from year to year. A writer in the London Times observed on this subject recently that since no exports of any importance- had been possible from' Eupsia oince the outbreak of war, it might seem that the accumulated surplus would he a great and even burdenßorae orio. "This, however (ho added),

is very far from the truth, if the convergent testimony of facts and figures is to bo .accepted. According to the data published by the Central Statistical Committee, the stocks in traders' hands were 4,800,000 metric tons on December 14, '1915, while on the- same date in 1916 they were 1,750,000; on February 14, 1017, thoy - were _ 1,050,000 metric tons, and had again diminished by March 14, only one- month later, to 670,000 tons. The same committee makes an cstimato of the whole stock throughout Russia, including all holdings, of 24,500,000 metric tons on December 14, 1915, and of 16,960,000 on December 14, 1916. All these figures include wheat, rye, barley, oats, and maize, and tho returns aro collected from every part of European Russia not in enem yoecupation, as well as from Asiatic Russia, and refer entirely to dates previous to the Revolution, "

, 9 » A STATEMENT by Mr. J. I. MaCPHERjon (British Under-Socretary of War) on the subject of British air raids in Germany, of which a brief summary was cabled when it was made, is worth quoting in tho fuller detail in which it has been received by mail. It throws moat interesting light upon tho conditions in which tho raids were carried out, during tho winter months, and upon the results achieved. Mr. Macphkrson mado tho statement on March 19. "Since October," he said, ."we have mado 38 effective raids into Germany, and we- have dropped 48 tons of explosives, a remarkable achievement under the circumstances. The conditions under which these raids have been carried out during the winter have been oxtremely difficult. In tho Lorraine region throughout ;the-. winter it is only on rare occasions that flying can be successfully; carried out. Low clouds, high winds, rain, and snow ore the normal features of the weather in this area, whilst when the weather is otherwise fine heavy mists He over the valleys, and render the location of targets extremely difficult. This ij particularly so in thb case of the valleys in whioh the Gorman ironworks and factories aro situated. Intense cold has been experienced, machine-guns have been frozen, and there have been several cases of frostbite. Stress must te laid on the difficulty of finding tho way in an unknown country, more particularly where clearly defined landmarks are absent. Approximately 250 flights have been made in the course of these raids, during which only ten machines have been lost. There has been a steady increase in the number of raids carried out and the amount of explosive dropped, whilst the increased , distance to which raids have been carried into Germany is most satisfactory. This is particularly so in the case of recent raids during March, which have been so far eight in number. _ I must point' out that tho majority of the raids by British machines have been carried out in broad daylight, and photographs have been taken of tho bursting bombs, placing the accuracy of tho reports received of their effect beyond all 6hadow of doubt. Further, by attacking in daylight it has been possible to concentrate attack on objects of actual military importance—a striking contrast to tho promiscuous methods adopted by the eneray. During the night raids our machines have descended to low heights, and fired at searchlights, trains, and railway stations. A steady increase has been observed in the enemy's aircraft defence, the number of searchlights, guns, and aeroplanes. These latter have been defeated with loss whenever they have- attempted to intervene. On other occasions our pilots have attacked enemy machines drawn up on the aerodromes preparatory to making bombing raids into France.