ECHOES OF THE WAR.

Otago Witness, Issue 3444, 16 March 1920, Page 21

ECHOES OF THE WAR.

(By Cable.)

PASSCHENDAELE RIDGE. MONTREAL, March 2. General Currie, addressing the Old Com rades’ Association of Princess Patricia’s Regiment, revealed the inner story of Passchendaele Ridge. He said that the politicians rudely interfered with Marshal Foch’s and Earl Haig’s plans for 1917. Owing to the submarine depredations there were sometimes only from) four to seven days’ supplies in France. The British army bad to fight, and their morale began to be affected when every effort to capture . Passchendaele tailed. The Governments were not willing to find what terms could be secured, and Earl -Haig decided for the sake of morale to take a position which had previously defied all assaults. CAPTAIN FRY ATT’S COURTMARTIAL. BERLIN, March 2. The. report of the commission 'investigating the violations of international law states' that the court-martial of Captain Fryatt was conducted without any infraction of the law, only it was unnecessarily speedy, and the execution was to be regretted. Captain Fryatt was a franctireur. German Government had never accepted the Anglo-American view regarding defence by and the arming of merchants’ ships. The charges regarding the Wittenburg camp were absolutely unjustifiable. ADMIRAL SIMS’ ALLEGATIONS. WASHINGTON, March 10. Admiral Sims states that the United States Navy Department’s conduct of the war prolonged the struggle unnecessarily by four months through America not cooperating with the Allies properly, and through petty jealousy and other friction in the first year, though afterwards there was an improvement. Testifying before the .Senate Naval Investigation Committee, Admiral Sims said the failure of the Navy Department to act quickly upon recommendations and to place the United States entire naval resources at the disposal of the Allies within six months after America entered the conflic;, had prolonged the war by at least four months. Admiral Sims declared that he was sorely embarrassed by the lack of confidence and of co-operation of the Navy Department during the most trying days of the war, and ihe hf£d repeatedly asked to be relieved of his command if it was the case that he had lost the Navy Department's .confidence. Admiral . Sims further stated* that the United States kept her main fleet in home waters, partly through fear of invasion and partly because she wished to possess a fleet intact after the war ended. Simultaneously the Navy Department kept assuring the Allies of their intention- to co-operate in European waters to the fullest extent. March 11. Admiral Sims stated that Britain askcu in August, 1917, for a squadron of American coal-burning warships, but the United States Navy Department did sot send the ships for several months. The department’s policy obviously was one of “safety first and that of the Allies next.” When the squadron was sent it was not homogeneous, consequently it was of small value as a fighting unit. Admiral Sims, in further testimony before the Committee of Congress, stated that the failure of the United States Navy Department to use its forces properly resulted in the unnecessary loss of 2,500,000 tons of Allied shipping by submarine attack. If this tonnage had not been lost the United States would have , been able to send a million men to France at the beginning of 1918. March 12, Admiral Sims stated that it was impossible at first to induce the .Navy Department to adopt the British and French convoy system. The Navy Department proposed to adopt a plan of its own manufacture, which the Allies had previously tried and abandoned as worthless. It was not until Lord Jellicoe wrote expressing the gravest apprehensions at the failure of the United States to participate that the Navy Department adopted the British system.

BRITISH NAVAL PROGRAMME. LONDON, March 3. In the House of Commons Mr Walter Long stated that one battle-cruiser, nine light cruisers, two flotilla leaders, eight torpedoers, and 13 submarines were being built in Britain. AMERICAN NAVAL PROPOSALS'. WASHINGTON, March 6. Mr Daniels (Secretary of the Navy) has put forward three naval proposals whicn are dependent on the Senates action regarding the treaty. Mr Daniels said that if the Seriate i ejected the treaty the United States must have incomparably the greatest navy in the world, including an additional 10 dreadnoughts and battlecruisers. If the Senate accepts the treaty only minor naval, additions will be neces sary.* If the Senate does not accept the treaty the United States must build 69 vessels costing 195,000,000d01. Whether the League of Nations existed or not the United States must have a navy equal to, if not bigger, than that of any country in the world. Britain was encouraging her colonies to build naval vessels. Mr Daniels (Secretary of the Navy) told the -Naval Affairs Committee that an extensive development of naval facilities on the Pacific Coast must be started immediately. He advocated making Guam (east of the Philippines and south of Japan) an iAmerican Heligoland, and urged the construction of a great submarine, aviation, and destroyer base at Hawaii.

Mr Daniels said in support of this: "Our friends of to-day may'be our. enemies of to-morrow." Mr Daniels, in emphasising the necessity for an adequate naval policy, said that unless the naval reserves were built up the United States would enter the next war equally unprepared as for the last war. The country had escaped disaster because it had time to prepare to meet Germany. THE CAILLAUX TRIAL. PARIS, March 4. During the Caillaux trial the Chief Prosecutor charged Caillaux with receiving a secret visit from a German spy in February, 1915, bearing peace proposals.. Caillaux admitted receiving the man, but said he turned him out as soon as ne ascertained the real object of his visit. The first witness in the Caillaux trial was William Martin, French Minister at Lisbon. He stated that, when returning to France in 1911, he was summoned to Madrid by King Alphonso of Spam, who said he had received an emissary from Caillaux, who threatened him (Alphonso) with death. Alphonso told him that he had written down this emissary's threats textually in order that if anything happened President Poincare would know who was responsible. Alphonso told Martin that he put this document in a sealed envelope into a safe, with instructions to open the same if his death occurred. Martin added that he had acquainted President Poincare with the whole incident. M. Paleologue, an ex-Minister, and formerly French Ambassador in Petrograd, gave evidence accusing Caillaux of undermining the Franco-Russian Alliance. The Russian Government was constantly at a loss to understand the French policy during the Caillaux regime. Addressing Caillaux, M. Paleologue exclaimed: ' You are the Sturmer of France." Caillaux rushed forward, attempting to reach M. Paleologue, but bystanders intervened. Charles Roux, giving evidence in the Caillaux trial, caused a sensation by stating that Caillaux, during a voyage to Italy, continually spoke in favour of a premature peace, and was constantly meeting suspicious people, such as Cavalini, who had since been arrested for. having intelligence with the enemy. Caillaux urged that France should separate from England, and that she should make an alliance with Germany, Spain, and Italy, France to give Germany a free hand in Russia. AUSTRALASIAN WAR CLAIMS. LONDON, March 13. n It is understood that the War Office is meeting all Australian and New Zealand military claims in a generous spirit. It has been decided to accept Senator Pearce's proposal to recoup Australia for the cost of maintaining thfe troops retained in Egypt owing tc the native riots. All expenditure traceable to. the riots will be recovered from the Egyptian Government, in accordance with the recent agreement. The full cost of grave spaces, crosses, and maintenance will also be considerable. A proportion of the burial expenses of the Australians and New Zealanders buried in the United Kingdom will be met out of the Imperial funds.

CASH ADVANCES TO ALLIES. LONDON, March 2. Mr Austen Chamberlain, Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced in the House of Commons that Britain's cash advances to the Allies since the armistice amounted to £169,500,000, the greater part being for war commitments. HONOURS FOR' NEW ZEALANDERS. .■"";.„ LONDON, March 11. Distinguished Conduct Medals .were awarded to 30 New Zealanders. , Many fine feats were recorded at Dar-es-Salaam (German East Africa). The message states that Chalmers and Mitchell, who were suffering from malaria", and who were removed to hospital, are recovering. WELLINGTON MEMORIAL CATHEDRAL. L ; LONDON, March 11. The Times, in a leading article, supports a letter written by the Rev. C: F. Askew, secretary of the fund appealing to the British people to subscribe for the erection of a military memorial chapel as an adjunct to the Wellington memorial cathedral, as a tribute of the affection >of the Mother Country for the New Zealanders who came 13,000 miles to help her. EMPLOYING RETURNED SOLDIERS. SYDJSjsY, March 11. In the first .case set down under the Returned Soldiers and Sailors' Employment Act Captain Cohen is proceeding against the Millions Club for recently appointing Frank Edwards, late secretary to Mr Holman, as secretary of the club, Ed wards not being a returned soldier.