The Star. Delivered every evening by 5 o'clock in Hawera, Manaia, Normanby, Okaiawa, Eltham, Mangatoki, Kaponga, Awa-, tuna, Opunake, Otakeho, Manutahi, Alton, Hurleyville, Patea, Waverley. SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 1915. THE WAR.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXIX, Issue LXIX, 27 March 1915, Page 4

The Star. Delivered every evening by 5 o'clock in Hawera, Manaia, Normanby, Okaiawa, Eltham, Mangatoki, Kaponga, Awa-, tuna, Opunake, Otakeho, Manutahi, Alton, Hurleyville, Patea, Waverley. SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 1915. THE WAR.

Things. of vital importance as factors in the great war in Europe have happened during the week. The most obviously picturesque and impressive, and certainly not the least important, is the fall of the fortress of Przemysl, the siege of which was begun by Russia on the 13th of September last year. The great importance of this event may be realised from the fact that Przemysl forms one of the trinity of f»rts—Lemberg, Przemysl, and Craoow —designed by the Austrians to guard the railways that pass through the Carpathians, so that its fall gives the Russians absolute possession of. the Valley of the San and the whole of Eastern Galicia, while it will enable the inarch upon Cracow to be prosecuted with greater vigor. Its reduction, too, in addition to liberating the forces which have been so1 long engaged in its investment, will clear the road from Poland to the Carpathians, and give Russia possession of the main line, of railway from Southern Poland to the Carpathians; in fact, as we have said, it places Russia in possession of the whole of Eastern Galicia. This means that Russia can now press on

into Hungary, without having any occasion to apprehend attacks on her rear, and that she will have the unhampered use of the Galician main line in her advance on Cracow, now the only obstacle between her and the frontier of Silesia. Hardly less important, though .important in another way, is the report that Lord Kitchener is dealing successfully with the obstructive conduct of British workers, whose action has had an endangering effect on the output of munitions, without which all the genius of generals and bravery and endurance of men in the field against the enemy may fail to achieve the results that are absolutely indispensable to the ultimate success of Britain and her Allies. Thus the situation with re- j spect to large numbers of .British]

workers lias latterly assumed a gravity of the utmost importance not only to the British Empire, but to the cause of civilisation throughout the vvorld. It is therefore most gratifying to know that Lord Kitchener, as Secretary of State for War, has in writing warned the Liverpool Dockers' Union that if the men continue to rtjfuse to work during week-ends, steps will be taken to ensure what is required; while in connection with the same trouble he stated personally to the men's official representatives that he had no wish to interfere with their affairs; he. wanted to see their organisation kept up, but work must not be delayed. The idleness at Liverpool had made matters more difficult elsewhere —namely, at the seat of war. At the same time he asked them to tell the British workmen that if they did their duty now they would be strongly protected against injustice by any employer. All this shows how serious the situation has been, and still is to some extent, but it also indicates an early escape from the difficulty. That escape, indeed, is imperative, and unless it comes to pass the workers of Britain will be disgraced for ever, through the shamefully unpatriotic selfishness of a minority; nay, everything they stand to gain, however slowly, under the British Constitution will be touched by the heavy hand of a deadly uncertainty, in so far as the lack of the material which they decline to supply with sufficient celerity will heavily handicap the stupendous. efforts which yet have to be made to frustrate our country's ferocious foo. We shall succeed in these efforts even though the success may be postponed, and e^en though the senselessly selfish workers persist in their selfishness, but in that case the disgrace which will be theirs will be multiplied a thousandfold. The announcement that Japan is ready to assist the Allies is especially encouraging in this connection, and indeed it gives hardly less distinction to the week's news than the fall of Przemysl, Lord Kitchener's treatment of the ugly labor difficulty in connection with the expeditious supply of war material, and Sir John French's assurance that, if that supply proves adequate, the Allies will, with hard fighting, achieve a definite victory in three months. Japan, we are told, must seriously consider whether she should not enter the field against Turkey, "as England's unfettered possession of ihe Suez Canal is a question of life and death to Japan. She has a Quarter of a million men

ready for service in the Canal zone, and the Japanese would be willing to follow British directions in the struggle in Egypt, and renounce the initiative in these operations. The Japanese are ready to play the same part in Egypt as the Indians in France." If trustworthy, this is really great news, and altogether(apart from minor reverses or misadventures) the events of the week have been such as to reinforce Britain and her Allies with new and abundant stores of heart and hope. To-day's news generally justifies this statement, while the intelligence from the eastern theatre shows that Russia has gained further important successes, and -that her progress is such that the authorities have advised all civilians to leave Cracow, the last important fortress between her and Prussia.