GENERAL SITUATION.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXII, Issue LXXII, 12 October 1916, Page 7

GENERAL SITUATION.

OUTLINED BY BRITISH PRIME MINISTER. IMPROVED OUTLOOK ON ALL } FRONTS. _OT A MOMENT FOR WAVERING '...,.. . COUNSELS, *~SO COMPROMISE MASQUERADING AS PEACE PERMISSIBLE. MS CABLE—PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT. f (Renter Service.) (Received Oct. 12, 12.35 p.m.) LONDON, Oct. 11. In the House of Commons, Mr Asquith introduced a credit vote for three hundred millions. He, stated that .since April T loans to the dominions and Allies had amounted to 253 millions. We exceeding the estimate regarding such loans, but dm Ap°t regret them, because no part of war expenditure was more important: The war continued to cost five millionsvxlaily, for while army expenditure had slightly decreased that for munitions had increased. The amount hitherto voted for war was equivalent to v the previous twenty years' expenditure, including the South African war. The Allies, the Premier continued, had advanced seven miles on a front of nine miles on the Somme, and all gains "had b£en held. The enemy's losses had been of the heaviest, and they *had practically abandoned the attack on Verdun. The total Allied cajvt«t.."es on the Somme were 60,474 prisoners, 304 guns, arid 1030 machine - Jv gnhs. i } Real headway was being made in Mesopotamia despite difficulties, and the health of the troops was good. The Allies' offensive from Salonika had met with considerable success, and they , were within eight miles of Monastir. The Anglo-Belgians had occupied ' the whole coastline of German East Africa, the complete conquest of which was only a matter of time. Mr Asquith paid warm tributes to General Smuts and the Belgians. The defeat of the Turks at Katia, he said, had gone far to remove the danger of an attack -on the Suez Canal, and had impaired Turkish prestige in Arabia and Syria. The Allies had reserved Italian and Russian reinforcements at Salonika with the object of combining operations with tlie Russo-Roumanians" in , the Dobrudja and Transylvania. The \ ' Macedonian operations had not only entailed heavy losses on the enemy, but had prevented the latter - from transferring troops to the Dobrudja. Referring to Greece, the Premier said that even now, if wisely guided and governed, she might take a worthy post at the Allies' side and inherit the great and glorious tradition committed to her. This, Mr Asquith added, was not',a moment for faint hearts or wavering and all the suffering undergone ■ cpuld not be allowed to end with a patched-up,, precarious and dishonoring compromise masquerading under the nam e'^orI', peace. The Allies were not vindij^S^ut they required ,ade- t quatei,repi£_itjoh. for the past and security* for' the future. ' j