WAR REVIEW.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17663, 15 December 1917, Page 7

WAR REVIEW.

THE ALLIED POSITION. LONDON, December IS. In the House of Commons. Mr Bonar Law replying to criticism, said thai, one oi : the moat gratifying stories of the war was our recovery from the initial mistakes in Mesopotamia and tho brilliant operations which led to the capture of Jerusalem. If an attack were made upon Salonika, he assured the House that wo had tho situation well in hand. ' Continuing, Mr Bonar Law said the reports of the setback at Cambrai were exaggerated, because exaggerated hopes were lirst entertained from our advance. The German surprise was one or the inevitable accidents of war. The Government would make inquiries and act accordingly. The Cabinet would not favour any officer's retention if circumstances showed that he should to retained. Mr Bonar Law saioL that the first thing Cabinet did on learning of the Cambrai set-back was to instruct Sir Douglas Haig to send a full report of what had happened and tho causo thereof. He did not wish the House to suppose that the Government had prejudged the question. The Government ami tho military authorities were determined to find tho whole truth about it. _ Mr Bonar Law deprecated the talk about "classing" as between soldiers and politicians. If anything went wrong it was the Government, not those whom they appointed, who would bo held responsible. There must be good feeling on the one- side and com-mon-sense on the other. Router'n Teiegrami. LONDON, December 13. In the House of Commons, Mr Bonar Law declared that but for our force at Salonika it was absolutely certain that the Germans would have been in complete possession of Greece and the whole of the Balkan Peninsula. If the Germans attackod Salonika we had united Greece on our side. Greek troops wero training to co-operate with our forces, and he ventured to prophesy that if an attack were made the result would not be a return of Constantine in triumph to the throne of Greece. Mr John Dillon, criticising tho reverse at Cambrai, declared that incompetent generals were being retained in commands. Mr J. H. Thomas declared that a feeling was growing up that people at the top were not treated in the same way as privates.

END OF THE WAR. SYDNEY, December 14. Sir Eric Geddes, in a leter to a Sydney resident, says that Germany is not beaten, but knows that she cannot win. "Mv own view," ho writes, "is that it will' be the end of 1918, or well into 1919, before we got anywhere near a peace that will not p'ermit tho Central Powers to boffin planning the next aggressive move." .