PROGRESS OF THE WAR

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9719, 23 July 1917, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

The speech of the new German Chancellor in the Reichstag is reminiscent of the mountain and the mouse. It was a mountain of peace, and it brought forth the small mouse with which the Kaiser has familiarised tho world on several occasions. Honourable peace, inability to negotiate with people who want Gorman territory, guarantees for commercial and oversea interests—all these wo have heard of often. When they were first presented, tho enemy had some right to swell his chest and hold up his head. Ho was then doing sufficiently well in tho war, though his original design had gone to pieces. Since then ho has not done so well in the war, and hopes have began to arise that he knows how far from well ho is doing, and might adopt an attitude of practical acknowledgment. Tho Chancellor’s speech breaks up those hopes by showing that tho War party is as much inclined to be high-handed as ever. The only possible answer has been suggested by Sir Edward Carson. It is th at Until the enemy abandons the countries ho is occupying, gets hack to the Rhine and gives some practical sign of contrition for the awful quantity of blood ho has caused to be shed, and of a desire to repair tbe mischief be has done in Belgium and elsewhere, there can be no hope of peace, either honourable or permanent. Mr Lloyd George is equally emphatic. ■• * •

Can; the crisis be said to be over? The Chancellor had to explain the disappointment with regard to the submarine campaign, and to renew the vague promises of constitutional reform given by the Kaiser. The first found scoffers and the second was openly derided by the Socialist leader. These are signs that the discontent that brought about the crisis is still rife. Another sign is the Chancellor’s apology for the scarcity of food about which he can manage to offer nothing better than a bare expression of hope. The adverse coalition in the Reichstag seems to have been broken up. That coalition promised well. It brought the Kaiser into danger, and broke down some, if not a good deal, of his prestige. Had it persevered, had it shown the courage it claimed to possess, had it been of one mind about constitutional reform, it would have prevailed. But Germany is still too hypno-

used by the war policy of world dominion, which the vast majority of public opinion has supported, and still adheres to* for anything like a successful revolutionary movement. Iho coalition therefore, failed to keep together. But it was not easily broken up. Tho War party had to hustle considerably The crisis is over (the war credit of 7.30 millions being voted, what else can wc think?), but wo have yet to learn the strength which it has given to the War party and the amount of power it has taken from the Kaiser.

The latest news reports a bad impression caused by the ‘•over-diplo-matic’’ speech of the Chaiicelloi, and convoys the idea that the passing of the resolution to which ho objected was virtually a vote of no confidence. It is considered that the definition of peace terms by ' tho Chancellor is , a si<'ii of a desire, to revive tho mediation proposals of Vienna. A sensational statement of an attempt on the_ Kaiser’s life seems to account lor ms absence from the proceedings that ostensibly ended the crisis. What truth there Is in this does not, of course, appear. But ou the whole things in Germany, though the crisis is over, do not appear very solid.

Tho crisis in Petrograd seems definitely over, so much may bo gathered from the flight of Lenin, the leader of the extremists, and tho collapse of the armed demonstrations. The Anarchists had begun, after their first hesitation, to murder people, and they had tried to murder M. Kerensky, the leader of the Government. But they wore taken in time, and the Anarchist orgy was nipped in the bud in spite of the assistance from Berlin.

I’his, we presume, ends the trouble, tho knowledge of the imminence of which prevented the Austrian appeal for mediation —to the Pope, tho King of Spain, and tho Queen of tho Netherlands —from being issued. Berlin had consented to the mediation, and Berlin had'fomented tho trouble in Petrograd—with characteristic duplicity. Perhaps, assuming there is any truth in tho story, the end of the trouble, in Petrograd will renew the mediation project. in that case it will ho interesting to know- how Berlin will trip it up.

The Russian front docs not make so good a showing as the capital. J.t gives us, in fact, a story unique in military annals. When the enemy made that attack at Zlovof the Russian troops stood firm and were repulsing tho enemy, when one regiment got up and marched out of the position entrusted to it. This forced units on both sides to retreat. Tho Russian command issued orders lor the supports to move up, but the detachments hold meetings to consider the orders, and many refused to obey in spite of the orders of their officers and the pleadings of tho Regimental Committees, of which wo have heard so much in connection with tho reorganisation of tho Russian Army. The attack which produced this mutiny—for it is nothing else, and the worst form of mutiny, being mutiny in presence of the enemy—was delivered on a twenty-mile front.

In tho absence of any Russian allusion to tho great success claimed by the enemy’s report, wo dismissed the report as one of the usual spurts of hot air. But tho Russian report confirms it absolutely. It does more: it gives colour to the further enemy report which describes the Russian retreat as disorderly and as having lost a few thousand prisoners, because the circumstances detailed aro the very circumstances which would produce these results. In fact, wo must wondor, not that these things took place, but that there was not much worse. As tho Russian admission stands, there were all tho elements of a grave disaster. How, indeed, was .it that there was not a very grave disaster? That must be the first thought in every mind that understands the terrible character of the conduct of these Russian troops. And the fact that even the enemy T s. bulletins do not report anything like a grave disaster —the ordinary capture of throe trench linos, and a few thousand prisoners—encourages the belief that this mutinous spirit is confined to a few units of the Russian armies. With that conjecture we might fairly congratulate ourselves that the matter is no worse. Had. the spirit been general, it requires little imagination to realise the awful consequences; but as wo write the conjecture falls to the ground. & • • *

The enemy takes the opportunity to declare that this attack is the first of a great offensive. And as he attacked on so wide a front as twenty miles it looks as if ho were giving the correct version. There is every reason for frankness, because the Russian offensive still looks formidable. Moreover, tho bombastic statement that tho attack was the proper punishment for the treachery which, while professing peace, launched a thunderbolt of war, la the very sort of thing that would accompany the announcement of a great offensive, or what is intended to look like a great offensive. Tho German High Command having been surprised by Bmsiloff’s attack cannot restore public confidence better than by arranging a counterstroke.

Before concluding the reference .to this extraordinary mutiny, it is impossible to avoid noting certain signs that the Russian offensive has yielded. Every attack has been describe! as remarkable for the self-sacrifice df the officers, and in every one the army committees, and tho men who were prominent in tho proceedings at Petrograd—delegates from the front—which brought the army to consent to the great offensive —were described as leading the attack every time. This sort of thing culminated in the personal leading of M. Kerensky himself, the War Minister, who in the uniform of a private soldier, and wearing a conspicuous decoration, marched at the head of a great assault, and exposed himself so freely that men said it waa a miracle that he came safe out of action. These things point to the necessity of very special exertions and examples for raising the fighting sport of tho soldiery. The mutiny in actual action at Zlovof; with detachments actually discussing their orders to restore the battle, and in cases refusing, throws a startling light on that necessity. It makes one doubt the moral of the Russian troops. Hie enemy will, of course, do his utmost to take advantage of the incident, trusting to find more such evidences of weakness in the moral of the Russian troops. The situation is certainly disquieting, . hope as we may for the best, and will be watched by the Allies or Russia with prave anxiety. To them the collapse of Lenin and" the Anarchists in Petrograd ought to be reassuring.

Nevertheless, it must, all things considered, he admitted that the Russian offensive has got under a dark cloud. Any other view just now would be deceptive.

The resignation of Prince Lvot' ot the Premiership is a surprise, but the assumption of the position by Kerensky prevents the surprise from being disquieting. Tho fact, however, that this assumption is described as temporary limits it s reassuring effect. Here is another Russian mystery requiring explanation. That the Prime Minister should resign immediately after the suppression of the Leninist outbreak—that is the mystery.

Tho latest account comes in as we write. It shows that the Russian retreat, which was accompanied by continued disobedience (mutiny, in tact, again), has been pushed back bv the enemy's enorgotic pursuit, nearly. u not quite, as far as Tavnopol. That being the case, there is far more danger of a grave disaster than appeared at tho first account of the capture of the, Zlovof trendies. If this pursuit is not stemmed, the Russian Ime will be irretrievably broken. i ‘ U! whole Russian offensive as far as the Lomnica is now in danger.

.) Tho news from the French front this morning is tremendous. The first part of it describes the final victory of tho French on the western hank of tho Meuse, after a scries of spirited attacks magnificently delivered, in which tho enemy was taken by surprise as he was reorganising his front, with the consequence that he only delivered feeble counters which were foredoomed to failure at the very start. The French report that the victory has demonstrated considerable disorganisation of tho enemy’s forces.

The second part of the French bulletins shows another series of huge enemy attacks all along the Aisno plateau, from Vauclcrc and Craonno to Corny, Bravo, and even further west. Those attacks, all preceded by very severe artillery preparation, which in some oases pounded tho advanced trenches to pieces, were delivered by grout forces with most stubborn determination, and in every instance were repelled handsomely, thanks to the splendid vigilance and admirable fighting power of the French troops. The end of these assaults has left the French front littered for many miles with the enemy’s dead. His anxiety about the French hold of this plateau is still farther shown by these desperate and most expensive assaults. Their repulse is an astonishing proof of tho continued vigour of the troops of our most gallant Ally. The upshot of these months of fierce, and sustained battle is the enemy possession of 600 yards of trench now isolated as a pocket quite untenable and certain to be wiped out at any moment.

There is no further reference to the enemy’s attempted advance at fit. Quentin. But without any fighting there, the tremendous character of the struggle along tho greater part of the French front is very evident, as is • the substantial character of the French victories. The enemy is evidently trying desperately hard to deprive tho French of the ability to take part in a great offensive which ho sees must bo delivered before very long.

Whether Sir Douglas Haig is about to deliver tho first strokes of such an offensive it is, of course, difficult to say. Wo can only perceive that his reports to-day indicate some effective raids at various places from La Basseo to thc.Soarpo, which appear to he operations more substantial in character than mere raids.

The submarine problem ha-s some light thrown on it to-day. The Gorman Chancellor has virtually, to begin with, admitted that it is dilatory. Then Mr Lloyd George has announced that there is ample toed in Britain to the end of 1918, so that starvation is impossible- Lord Nort.hrl.iiio sounds a note of something like alarm, in urging the speeding up of construction as the only effective remedy for tho piracy, making us think of the possibility of the pirates preventing tho adequate supply of the armies by lack of tonnage. The New York Chamber of Commerce touches the same note with a table of speeds, showing that wooden ships will never have speed enough to escape submarine attack. This points to the need for using the convoy system, the success of which was demonstrated the other day by the safe passage of the American troops for the French front.

Tho Dutch Government has answered tho German whip hy mildly remonstrating with tho British Government about the destruction of the German ships the other day off the Dutch coast, declaring that Dutch water has been violated. With German pressure behind this demand, it is impossible to avoid the idea- of tho gravest danger to Holland. With tho smallest opening, find this is n °t a small opening if the neutrality of Dutch water has been violated, the War Party will infallibly force Holland into the war. The prospect of getting the Dutch hailbours into the power of Germany is likely to proyo an irresistible temptation at tho present juncture. If over Britain required a mixture of tact and firmness and the readiest preparedness for serious emergency, it is now that the Dutch remonstrance has been presented.

A novel means of raising money, but one which has been tried with much success in Southern Canterbury, was mentioned at the meeting of the Christchurch Red Cross executive. One of the proposals for raising money on "Our Day” was that the farmers should hold a ‘‘sheep drive." Starting with one or two sheep, the "drive" commenced at a given point and passed along certain previously-defined roads, each farmer who desired to contribute adding his sheep to the flock as it passed his land. When all the sheep have thus been collected, they are then driven to the nearest saleyard and sold, the proceeds going to some patriotic object. The proposal was referred to the "Our Day" Committee for consideration. At 12.30 p.m. yesterday the corpse of a man was observed floating in the harbour at the Railway Wharf. Sergeant M. Murphy, Constables A. Cleverley, and James O’Connor, with the aid of a hulkman's boat, recovered the body, which was in an advanced state of decomposition, and it was transferred to the morgue. From a certificate of enrolment, under the Military Service Act, which was found in a pocket of the deceased, the body was identified as that of John McGahan, a wharf labourer, aged fifty years. It appears' from inquiries made that McGahan, who was residing at Young’s Boardinghouse, was last seen alive near the Post Office square on the night of the 6th instant. He was to have drawn a substantial sum of money on the following day, but the money had not been lifted. In the pockets of the dead man was found one pound’s worth of silver coin.