HUMANITY'S BEST HOPES.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume III, Issue 835, 13 October 1916, Page 9

HUMANITY'S BEST HOPES.

THE ALLIES' EFFORTS

SPEECH BY MR ASQUITH

By Cable. — Press Association. — Copyright Australian and ,V.Z. Cable Association.

LONDON, October 11. In the House of Commons, Mr Asquith, in moving the granting of the war credit, said that the expenditure since April 1 had been £949,500,000. There was still £100,500,000 in hand, which was sufficient to last till October 27, which confirmed the forecast made on Julv 24, that the last credit would last till the end of October. At the present rale of expenditure, which there was no reason for assuming would decrease in the immediate future, the new vote would suffice till Christmas.

In dealing with the progress of the war, Mr Asquith mentioned that though the weather in Syria and Arabia did not allow of extended operalions, much progress had been made with the railway lo Katia. The Scnussi had been reduced to impotence, and the German and Turkish intrigue in Western Egypt and the Soudan effectively cheeked. The most noticeable features on the western front were the steady progress which was being made, and the enemy's inability in every case to recover the lost ground. Our artillery had won a great superiority over that of the enemy, and our aircraft had established a complete mastery of the air. The enemy's heavy losses had drained his resources, and the continuous retirement had destroyed his army's moral. Mr Asquith paid tributes to the achievements of Russia and Italy. There was now complete intimacy and mutual confidence between the general staffs of the. four Powers, and this was resulting in co-ordina-tion of purpose in the efforts thai were being made. Gratitude was equally due to the smaller Slates for their work.

"On the Allies' achievements," said Mr Asquith, "the best hopes of humanity depend. They have given withoul stint or regret what they can leasl afford. They have done so only as the price by which the world may purchase and hold dear ever afterwards the protection of the weak, the supremacy of right over force, and the free development on equal conditions of each State, great or small." Mr G. J. Wardie, on behalf of the majority of the Labour Party, supported the Government to the utmost. They had the most complete sympathy with every object enumerated by Mr Asquith.

A BIG CREDIT

THE VOTE PASSED. LONDON, October 12. The House of Commons passed the credit vote of £300,000,000.