Northern Advocate Daily With which is incorporated the Northern Mail Daily. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1916. PROGRESS OF THE WAR.

Northern Advocate, 15 December 1916, Page 2

Northern Advocate Daily With which is incorporated the Northern Mail Daily.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1916. PROGRESS OF THE WAR.

Registered for transmission through the post as a newspaper.

Jt is not possible this week to deal with the war in the nature of our usual weekly review. We cannot trace the progress from front to front and record what has happened in east or west for the reason that the happenings of the last few days have been of a political more than a military nature There has been the reconstruction oi the British Cabinet under Mr Lloyd George, a somewhat similar change in France, sensational changes in the high commands and last, but by no means least, the meeting of the German Reichstag with the resultant offeri of peace.

It inny bo well, for the purpose ol jtiving a continuous though bre ; (story of the events of tho week to recapitulate t<olllo oi' the news received. In the first place the British Cabinet has been reconstructed. The members ami their portfolios are as follows:— i'riine Minister, Mr Lloyd George; Lord President of the Council, Lord Curzon; without Portfolio, Mr Henderson and Lord Milner; Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr lionar Law. The foregoing is the War Cabinet. Other members are Lα follows:—Lord Chancellor, Sir Robert Finlay; Home Secretary, Sir 'Jeorge Cave: Foreign Secretary, Mr Baifour; Colonial Secretary, Mr Long; [Secretary for War, Lord Derby; Secretary for India, Mr Chamberlain; President of the Local Government Board. Lord Kbonda; President of the Board of Trade, Sir Albert Stanley; Minister of. Labour, Mr Hodge; First Lord oi the Adiifralty, Sir Edward Carson; Minister oi' Munitions. Mr Adflison; Mii; ; ster "of the J'U)' k-ide, Lord Robert Cc ;', Minister in ('barge of Food Control. Lord IVvonport: Minister in Charge, of Shipping Control, Sir Joseph '..[acley. This reconstruction has been brought about as the result of the determination of the British public to infuse more vigor into the prosecution of the war. Tt has been realised that the time has arrived when it is necessary to meet a big crisis and good as our administration work has been in the past it has been decided to make it even better. The Cabinet has been reconstructed so that specialists may be employed i ,l I' l, - , war depa-r.tmeuts and everyone's energies will thus have ber-n «on* entrated upon the one -great purpose.

The same policy has been followed with the French Government in which there has also been a reconstruction. A War Committee within the Cabinet has been appointed. it will comprise M- Briiuid, Premier; M. Kibot, Minister for Finance: M. Lyantey, Minister for War; AT. h;n-nze, Minister for Marine; and M. Thomas, Minister for Munitions. General Joffre, as Generalissimo, will attend the committee meetings as technical military adviser. Technical directors will be appointed for mines and merchant shipping. Thus in Prance we see the same firm purpose to carry mil Iho li;;,lit to ;i sueend.

Not only has there been a political reconstruction, but the Allies have also set out upon the task of putting more vigor into, the military .»:»iitllict of the fight. The Paris w Matin H oil Decßnlber .10. Stated that there wduld be" a inodifiivati'dii Of one hundred commands and sjaid:—" Henceforthassuitaetf. Vhp of the War ivith two agents i'o,r the - execution or its general strategy. The generalissimo on the French front aiid the Com-uiandeir-in-Chief in Macedonia will also be new men whose talents will ensure them high positions." Since the publication of this message further news has been received announcing that General Nivelle has been appointed commander-in-chief of the armies of the north ami north-east in succession to General Joffre. Genofnl Nivelle was the hero of the Verdun offensive. The new Generalissimo wati a colonel at the outbreak of the war. He first made his reputation by capturing 24 cannon, which were the first trophies of the war. His most famous feat was on the Aisne on September 16, 1014. The Germans caught the Seventh French Army Corps crossing the fiver, and part' of the corps was forced to- recross. General Nivelle had the guns galloped up and a frightful massacre of the Germans followed. News regarding the other commands will be awaited with interest.

Then we have the GeThlaii peace proposals as a star feature of the week's news. A message frorii New Ybrk on December V,i outlined the terms which Germany was prepared to offer. They were: —The establishment of kihgdfiiiis of Poland and Luthuania, and the readjustment or' international boundaries In the Balkans. The later question was complicated, but it would liiofan at least the partial restoration df Seria and TJoumania. The terms would :i)so include the return of Germany's lost colonies. The Embassy official in Xew York adds that the factors ■which 'ed to the German, proposals aro the favourable military position of the Central Powers, the fact that tRe win■ter. necessitates the cessation of hard ■fighting:,;.and a desire to convince the word that Germany is not fighting for territorial conquest. On information received from the German Embassy, newspapers also state that the following specific terms are among those proposed by Germany: —Complete restoration of Belgium, evacuation of Northern Fry nee, retention of the greater iiortion of Servia by Austria, restoration to Bulgaria of territory lost in the second Balkan war, restoration to Austria of territory captured by Italy, Tur'cev's retention of Constantinople. Veedless to say those terms were treat(l with ridicule by neutrals and belligerents alike, and Germany has been forced to explain that she has only isked for what she wanted and not for what she expected to get.

The Roumanian retreat continues, but ■lews from that quarter is not enlightening. The capital (Bucharest) haa fallen and German intrigue aims at upsetting- the dynasty and causing interval strife in the countrp.. The limit of the retreat has not yet been defined but it is safe to take it that the Russian help has not yet been sufii"ient to permanently hold up the enemy. * * * ♦ The position in Greece still remains "ritical. King Constantine again professes friendliness, but his actions do lot encourage confidence. There have beeu no important •developments in Macedonia, but it is understood that "he progress made iv Roumania has enabled the enemy to send troops to the Macedonian front.