BRITAIN'S WEIGHT

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 35, 9 August 1918, Page 3

BRITAIN'S WEIGHT

ACHIEVEMENTS BY LAND AND SEA DECISIVE EFFECT OF SEA POWER DOMINIONS' HELP IN FIELD AND COUNCIL. (UNITBD PRESS ASSOCIATION.—COPYRIGHT.) (AllSrlt.ll.lAN-NEW ZEALAND CAIILR ASSOCIATION.) LONDON, 7th August. In the House of Commons Mr. Lloyd C4eorge, reviewing the war situation, said that had the British Empire, at the start of the war, not decided to throw in her whole, weight because international rights had been outraged, the history of the world for generations would have taken a new course. Referring to the Navy's service, he said that until the Navy was beaten Germany could never triumph. Britain's naval tonnage, including her auxiliary fleet, totalled eight millions, as compared with two and a-half millions at the outbreak of war. At least 1,500,000 men were engaged in manning and maintaining the British naval and mercantile marine. Had the enemy's submarine campaign succeeded, the. war would have been ended by the threat of starvation of the Entente Powers. Unless the Allies had been completely triumphant at sea from the outset of the war, no effort on land could have saved them. Notwithstanding the enormous demands on the country's resources for sea-going purposes and essential Allied needs, six and a-quartcr million sailors and soldiers, including- the pre-war services, had been raised by Britain alone. A similar, proportion of the United States population called to the colours would mean nearly fifteen million men. The Dominions had contributed a million. India had raised 1,250,000 men since the war began. Mr. Lloyd George dwelt "on the. valuable aid the Dominions' representatives, especially the Prime Ministers, had given at the council boards. He recognised the Dominions' anxiety to see the return of their leaders for carrying-' on their affairs, but he trusted that it would be possible for them to remain some time longer, because their presence would be invaluable at gra.ve decisions in reference to the coming winter and next year. THE YEAR'S BATTLES., The Premier proceeded to describe the difficult conditions existing on the front on 21st March, when we were faced by the flower of the German Army. The early enemy successes had caused very anxious moments owing to the losses in men and material, while the second German blow might well have overwhelmed the British Army. The Premier showed that the losses had been most swiftly replaced. He mentioned that there was an unprecedently large number of guns and machine-guns, at present in France. A series of German miscalculations regarding the British Army had culminated in the British defeating them in two or three of the most sanguinary battles of the war, leaving them in unhealthy salients commanded by our gun~ fire. It was one of the finest things in the tenacious valour of the whole story of the British Empire. Referring to the lads of eighteen and a-half who, owing to the great emergency had been sent to, France with a few months' training, he said : "These lads were sent straight to the front, where they had to face veterans and victorious troops. No veterans ever fought more courageously than did these lads, who helped to save the cause of the Allies from disaster:" It was remarkable that the Germans had left the British Army alone for three or four months. They would probably come back, but the reason would be that they had failed elsewhere. TRIBUTES TO THE ALLIES. Mr. Lloyd George paid a warm tribute to the assistance rendered by the French. General Foch had not only forced the enemy to a standstil, but by one of the most brilliant counter-strokes of the war had driven the enemy back. The danger was not yet over, but he would be a sanguine man on the German General Staff who could now think that Ludendorff's plan of campaign would succeed in its objective—the obtaining of a military decision this year. Mr. Lloyd George emphasised the fact that the Allied success had been largely due to the rapidity with which the losses had been made good, and the rate at which American troops had been brought over. These were the essential parts in the German miscalculation. After paying a tribute to the bravgry of the American troops, he declared that' another element of success was the unity of the strategic command, and General Foch's masterly handling of his reserves. Jt was too early yet to predict that the German efforts had ..beeri exhausted, because the Germans still had powerful ■,reserve divisions, but their chances of 21st March could never recur. America's powerful and victorious army in France would continue to grow until it was nearly, if not quite, as large as the Germany Army itself. Germany could never, again maintain the same number of divisions she had previously had. She was now begging for Austrian support. Germany's allies had been disillusioned about Germany's Invincibility. The eco. nomic position of the Central Powers, added Mr. Lloyd George, was desperate. Their harvest is not good, 1 and they were short of many military essentialsi They had passed the height of' their endeavours. WHO GOVERNS RUSSIA ? Mr. Lloyd George denied that we were behaving in :i, hostile manner towards Russia. "It has always been our policy to deal with de facto Governments, but it is impossible to ascertain from day to dn.y what is the Government of asingle Russian -village. Recent events demonstrate that the Russians resent German authority. The Russians are increasingly seeking Allied assistance. We will not hesitate to render every help to enable the accomplishment of their selfemancipation. The Czecho-Slovak movement is a iiiost remarkable one. The Czechoslovaks only desired to leave Russia, and come west to fight for the Allies. They did not participate in Russian politics. We sent ships at their request to Vladivostock in order to bring them away, but the Bolsheviks under German duress, refused to allow the Czecho-Slovaks to reach Vladivostock." The 'Premier dwelt on this fact because President Wilson had been criticised for his decision, in conjunction with the Japanese, to send forces to Vladivostock for the rescue of the Caecho-Slovaks from the plight through the organisation of the German war prisoners for their interception and capture. THE PRUSSIAN SWORD AND THE COUNCIL TABLE. Dealing with the cjuestion of peace, Mr. Lloyd George said that there were people in every country who regarded any effort to make peace- as dishonourable and treasonable. That attitude must steadfastly be discouraged. He asked those who only wanted an honourable peace whether this was the moment when such peace was possible. He quoted ■well-known facts to show that the military caste was still predominant in Germany. Pencts wes unprocurable so long as they remained so. He believed in a league of nations, hut its success would depend on the conditions under -which it

was set up. Unless those conditions were favourable, the Germans might say that they had never been defeated in a military sense, and would have won but for the economic difficulties, for which they would henceforth profit. Every time that a decision came to be taken the Prussian sword would clank at the council table. What was the good of entering peace negotiations under those conditions? Peace would come when we had demonstrated to the enemy that a power lay behind tho justice which would enforce the league's decisions.