MOTHER COUNTRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 December 1917, Page 5

MOTHER COUNTRY.

PARLIAMENT AND THE WAR. CAMBRAI iSETBACK CRITICISED London, Dec. IS. Mr. Dillon, criticising the reverse at Cambrai, declared that incompetent generals wore being retained in their comma nds. Mr. Thomas declared tiiat a feeling was growing up that the people at the top were not treated in the same way as privates. MR. BOXAR LAW'S REPLY. •Mr. Bonnr Law, in reply to criticism, said that one of the most gratifying stories of the war was our recovery from our initial mistakes in Mesopotamia and the brilliant operations which led the capture of Jerusalem. If an attack were made upon Salonika he assured the House that .they had tho situation in ihand. Reparts of the set-back at Cambrai were exaggerated because exaggerated hopes were first entertained from our advance and the German surprise. It was one of the inevitable accidents of the war. The Government would make inquiries and act accordingly. The Cabinet would jjiot favor any officer's retention if cirj cumstances showed that he should not be retained. But for our force at Salonika it was absolutely certain that the Germans i'would have been in complete possession of Greece anil the whole of the Balkan peninsula. If the Germans attacked Salonika we had a united Greece on ouf side. Greek troops were training to cooperate with our forces and he ventured to prophesy that if an attack was made the result would not be the return of | Constantine in triumph to the throne of Greece. FULL REPORT CALLED .FOR. The first thing Cabinet did on learning 61 the Cambrai set-back was to instruct Sir Douglas Haig to send a full report of what toad happened and the cause thereof. .He did not wish the House to suppose that the Government was pre-judging the question. The Government and the military authorities had determined to find the whole truth about it. Mr, Bonar Law deprecated talk about clashing .between soldiers and politicians. If anything went wrong it was the GoI vernuient, not those whom they appointed, whom the world held responsible. There must be good feeling on the on« side and common sense on the other. PACIFIST CRANKS, I LEAFLETS TO BE DEALT WITH. London, Dec. 13. Sir George Cave, in the Souse of Cnmmonß, admitted tiiat the police raids on pacifist organisations had failed to produce direct evidence of German influence or money. Wealthy peace cranks supplied the money. The Government was determined to deal with pacifist leaflets which adopted the German view of the origin of the war and recklessly exaggerated the present position and casualties. HOLLAND'S INTEGRITY.

NO INTERFERENCE CONTEMPLATED Reuler Service Received Dec. 14, 5.5 p.m. London, Dec. 13. In the House of Commons, Mr. King called attention to the renewed discussion in Holland concerning the possible intentions of the Allies regarding the future rights of the outer Scheldt" navigation and Dutch territorv. Lord Robert Cecil replied that there had never been any intention to interfere with the independence or the integrity of Holland or her possessions. DISCOUNTING U BOAT CAMPAIGN. London,, Dee. 13. At the meeting of shareholders of the I P. and 0. Company, Lord Inchcape, the ] chairman, said he was convinced that the submarining would not effect the I purpose the Germans had in view. Frightfulness had no effect on the moral of merchantmen, who were going to sea just .as before. War cadets and apprentices were offering in excess of anything known previously. A- STEEL COMBINE. London, Doc. i;. Five British iron and steel companies with a weekly output of 20,000 tons of steel, are amalgamating. DEALING WITH THE FOOD PROBLEM London, Dec. 13. The Press Bureau reports that Mr. Lloyd George, replying to a Trades Union Congress ..„>p:itation,. ..id fhat one of the greatest post-—u difficulties for both neu.idl3 andbclligc: would be the obtaining of raw material, but as at present there iwas no free movement of goods it was a question for v.ie future fiscal jpolicy. ' Regarding food he to-day had met American representatives with the view of arranging credits in America to purchase food there. He hoped the meat supply would be normal in a few weeks, and that by summer the production of margarine Would be fourfold that of 1516. The prices of 'bread had been reduced 25 per cent., home-grown meat 7 per cent., and potatoes 40 per cent. BUTTER PROFITEERING IMPOSSIBLE. Received Dec. 14,10.40 p.m. London, Dec. 13. In the House of Commons, Mr. J. R. Clynes, replying to a question, declared that profiteering in butter was impossable.