Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENINGS. GISBORNE, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30. 1917. ITALY'S SET BACK.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14441, 30 October 1917, Page 2

Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENINGS. GISBORNE, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30. 1917. ITALY'S SET BACK.

The,,news from Italy during, the p!ast: few da.ys'l-ias beeiij ;xnost disappointing. \ The splendid triumphs achieved on the Julian front and on the Carso two*, months ago r when -, formidable. , .bastionsof the Austrian deifehce^ jverje : [stoiiiied,' r ,and c^tur^ v :tog|et|pi iyotk sqxne i^jOOO^ .prisonei's - v^nd much^ar /material, wouldj 4iaye led) us to expect' (that .;thV"ltali_n} armies "Were fully capable^, of •j^e^ingl , and sucoessf ully ' resisting the shock! tacticsof 'the Austro-Germans, but ap-; pUrently .there has been some grave failure calling for 'the 's&veregt con-v damnation of the high command, and the surprising thing is that it is the; 'Kecpi-tH-. Army -jwliieE-^omes m for casti-* gation m the. extraordinary communiijue--5 that is published^to-day! It was the Second Army Avhich was responsible for! the capture oj* Bainsizza .Plateau m August iltlst. - Crossing ! the' Jsohidjn the 1 face Of great' opposition, that' ai-my car-' ried the Austrian position between 1 Jelcnik and.Kobelik.by a cpipbjjied flanld and iiontal attack. 'The' *pos^io^,'lt__lf| liesori the western eBgV of the'-Bainsizza Pslatcau, .and ontflanks Monte ;_anio from* . U« north.-- .ySo,;, on ;Saturj^ay, Angnst 25th,, lite great guardian amount was; subjected to frontal and flaijk . attac-s.' The -. Italian brigades M-eiot' streaiming ; ; up it, ;-an offiCter wth the ti^colo're in_his: h,and, as ip.the brave, days of old. "Kie bi'eathless ijrmies - below ■ watched until' the flag Avas phantei'^inj.d the ruins of the <>ld monastery; an^ the cheers '.Which gKeetedf its appearance -there r^ii like wildfire down the 'line fto where the conl-l-adcs of the .attackers, dauntless as t' 10 ")". were '*, cjuiging to the western slopes of Mohhfc.vHermada. The army reponsibl© for thjs .great feat, . worthy of the best traditions of the legionaries Of, 'Rome, as to-day accused, ,bv its gen,^r.4l '^tffff -.-bf "retiring m _owli*"_ice without fighting." It js^altogether, inexplicable. aiid' -thd Itrtlians have hitherto shown such dauntless bravery m every encounter with 'the'' enemy Ithat one cannot understand the reversal of form- now attributed to them. "More- wdnd*erf lili than all their perfection of technical appliances,*' writes one correspondent, "the greatest and' most; inspiring feature,; of the Italian advance lias been 'the "heroism of the infantryman. North ainj. South, inspired with one ;holy flame 41 patriotic pui-pose, have viedi with -each other m great deeds and great sacrifice. That the Italian soldier .could display flaming courage; that A lov,o of country and love of freedom was : a passion 1 With" him no "* one haa over doubted. But this army is a revelation to (the Svorld! m. the sum of soldierlike qualities through evei-y unit of it. The war has -shown French troops ■■• possessed! -of \the doggedness of the British, m addition to their Own dash, and British troops 'displaying the dash of the Frehdh m -addition to their own doggedness. v The Italians have proved the possession of both qualities, as well as a -patience m labor whiph is, perhaps, .unmatched m any other ai-my. One has only to consider the ground they are fighting over, the heights they have scaled,: bringing up heavy guns and ammunition; the rocks through which;' they haye tunnelled thejr way j the waterless , desert on which they have lain for days; and 1 .nights, where trenching was impossible and their only protection a small sangar qf stones, to . appreciate and! do homage to the perfect , discipline and patience to"" whicli > their liot natures have been, schooled?' ' It is extremely disappointing to know that these labors, as well as' the tremendous sacrifices that have been valiantly made m the winning of strohg positions from the, enemy have gone for' , nought, and. that for the moment the Italian . Second and) Third Armies aire represented'j. as ' fugitive. The position," however, may not be so bad as it Hs made to appear- in 'thelGiernian commu--niques, and -General Caidorna, Who has been m tight corners before, may possibly have prepai-ed -for the contingency and be able to opunter .the enemy's move, or at anyrate to select a line from '.'■ which he will .make a firm resistance and hold the forces of the enemy at bay. r The battle, now raging is a life and death struggle for Italy, and the rei., . verse sustained should have the effect of stirring the patriotism of the people to tho greatest .depths and inspiring them to make a determined resistance. So ' longas-Italy hold's out and) keeps the [ A ustro-Gcrmans busily occupied, the present victory, will not count for much. It may certainly put some heart into the German armies and-, people, and be utilised te- befool' them* ---;_„&> thinking thab'thei'o' 'is J yet,: We of 'beatiifg the EAtente, but the' actual military result will.'notj.serve „tp< avert th.e^eni^sis that, awaits 1 Germany v <ni' the fielafe' of France and Flanders . early . , iiext spring, Avhep . with tho assistance of A. the American ai-mies. and? ''aeroplanes-' aifew drives will be commenced. But" for Russia's regrettable failure .Italy,, would not have been subjected to this/humiliation. The Gormaiis lia,vo '.withdrawn diyisiohs from th.c Russian ani<s !. Jtnmaniaai ; f ropts to attack! Italy. Fortune" hasi; favored them for, thei ipomerit; but if Italy,' with such aspiajbance we are abl« to lend her isunableto repay ., the affront, only a few months will elapse before the Allies will bring about a terrible retribution., Mekhtime the Central Empires are stilt; subject to the relentless pressure of the; naval and military blockade, and theif prospects' -for 1 ' the winter,'- iti no ~ay re r ; , lieved by the;,present viotoi-y,. aro any-' thing mut comfortaible. ;• ' Nothing* but; syippat,hy,.will be felt-for Italy m her grim, ordeal. "In .the midst of our owp preoccupations,'' writes Mr J. L. Gar,- V yin, "there is m every British heait thfe sa*m© sympathy 'ii oil Italy? to-day as therja was m the middle of last century, but warmed' and quickened by ' comradeship inarms. The: cause of Italy is our iiause. v Her claim -for. justice .stands on the'- same: v foutiaation- as the claims of, . "*Fraiice; : V'of '^Belgium, o,f .Serbia,: or of Poland. The courage^" of : the "Italian King „• and people m freeing themselves from, the shackles, political, .and economic,! whiahbbund themaand joining with the defenders of 'liberty and right, when understood, should warm the heart of the British people towards .them -as rt

-*~ i/— ' - m - >-^ ■*-* ' Jt-mJL. v I u>v j t-,4.1 liiis;.rai-ely been warmed btifora. Ot all nations, the Italians took the greatest ( risk m joining tlie cause of the Allies ' at Iho time they did. And m the course of' events, the risks have proved even . greater, than they threatened to. be .when, '. tho choice was made. For the present' elimination of , Russia from the war has brought them face to face -with practically the whole remaining power. of,. Aus-. j tria-Hungary. : Agaipst that they are 1 successfully striving; and the service < they are- rendering to the .whole Alliance '■ thereby # cannot be fevfei-stated. Were Austria free to ; pour. her divisions, into i the Balkans, tlio^position of tlie* Salonika' . force would be precarious indeed. ] .•though Italy may ,; aim at enlargement , for. herself— legitimate. enlargement, and \ one fully m tune with the ideals for which -the- Allies -are 'fighting; yet her services to the common cause are none the less great and worthy of all recognU tion by the other members of the* Alliance." y•- • . ■■,