DISCUSSION ON THE WAR COUNCIL AND ITS TASKS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16408, 9 December 1916, Page 9

DISCUSSION ON THE WAR COUNCIL AND ITS TASKS.

PRESSING NEEDS OF THE PRESENT SITUATION. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. LONDON Dei' 7 In an interview Lord Sydenham, an ex-Governor of Victoria, said it was imperative that the War Council should consist of not more than five men, who would be spared the preoccupations of managing large departments. At least two ought to have made a study of war on land and sea, and one man with a large practical business experience was essentia], while the Prime Minister should be chairman, otherwise conflict between the War Council and Cabinet was certain. The fifth member ought to be a man of great political experience and of statesmanlike character. Britain had been attempting to pit amateurs against professionals, with the inevitable result. If she repeated the grave mistakes of the past the remaining chance of success would be lost. Lord Xunburnholme, who served in the South African war, in a letter to the newspapers, says: "The country requires an executive consisting of the best soldiers, sailors, and business men, as, for example, Admiral Jcllicoe, General Sir William Robertson, Lord Devonport (Chairman of the Port of London Authority, and formerly Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade), and two good Labour men, who would see, firstly, that there were sufficient heavy batteries to utterly destroy all the German artillery and save the present heavy losses in infantry ; secondly, to blockade the whole of Europe, including neutrals, and thus cause an effective blockade ; thirdly, to secure that sufficient heavy guns would be immediately produced, so that merchantmen might be able to sink submarines fourthly, to compel the immediate construction of at least 1000 standardised merchant ships in addition to those already being built, and to secure adequate food supply and raw materials for munitions for Britain and her allies."