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Timaru Herald, Volume CI, Issue 15456, 19 September 1914, Page 8

.The battle oil the Aisne River, I which began on the 13th, still j continues. It is here that the i left wing of the i'rench Army and the British Expeditionary j h'orce are operating. The Germans have apparently made their position very strong, and, as both sides must be feeling the effects of the continuous fight-' ing, it is probable that the issue j will be largely governed by the question of who gets the earliest, freshest, or most numerous yein- _ forcements. The French are in | a g'ood position for strengthening their line at strenuously disputed points, since they have the railways working now behind them. We can only conjecture what forces the Allies have in Belgium who might become a factor in the straggle on French soil. The censor has closed down severely on the latest fighting, which means that a decisive issue one way or the other can be expected soon. The Allies have : had a slight advantage so far, but the Crown Prince is said'l3 be entrenching his position at Montfaucon, on the JTeuse liiver, between Yerdun and the Belgian frontier. - The correspondent of the ''Daily jSTews" states that , the German right is already retreating from the Aisne before n new army. " secretly organised " to strengthen the Allies. We caii only hope that he is well informed. If the report from Borne is true that (jermany is even now hurrying troops across her Empire to meet tHe advancing Russians, the task of the, i'rench and British in clearing France of Germans may soon become much easier. A message- published yesterday stated that the German forces in Prussia were estimated to amount to 800,000. Such an estimate would imply that the Germans had denuded their invading army to a danggerous extent to meet the attack 011 their own territory, and bear out Russia's claim that the Battle of the Marne was very' largely won by her in Prussia. Another message speaks of German troops hurrying through Liege towards France.

I Whichever way the troops are j going- at the moment, it is easy j to understand a the tremendous : strain that must- be-put on soli diers who are hurried by train | across huge ' countries to meet j enemies oil each side in turn. I Germany is in the position of a i man who has to run constantly j up and down a seesaw to fight i enemies, with their .feet upon the ' ground, at both ends of it. As soon as ihe defender's weight 's . transferred to one end the balance is upset at the other. Such a fight may be protracted by the ; exercise of almost superhuman i dexterity and effort, but it can : only have one finish. I The Prime Minister has made it clear that the Bill passed to. regulate, prices .of the- necessaries of life will not be treated as a dead letter if attempts are made to practise extortion on the public in the unusual circumstances of the war. The Pood Commission appointed to take eA-id-ence ..in regard to stocks and prices has already recommended rates at which it thinks wheat and flour should be sold in New Zealand, to do justice to all parties. The Government will consider the recommendation without delay, and Mr Massey states that it will probably come I into force immediately. "If there was any exploitation going on the people responsible for it would have to take the consequences, as tlie law would be nut into operation." The knowledge which the Commission has obtained in regard to supplies, as' well as prices. should ensure that the rate, decided upon will be fair to all.