Rumours of US aid

If the government has not forgotten that there is such a law as the Defence of the Realm Act, an end will speedily be put to the acrid personal attacks on various ministers of which certain newspapers have been guilty.

This will allow the government and shall get on with the real business of the moment - the prosecution of war.

This newspaper vendetta is dealt with in our leading news columns and, though much more might be said, there is no space to further pursue the subject here.

We are still awaiting either a declaration of war on the part of Italy or an act of war which will see, or cause to be seen, our new ally’s actual participation in hostilities, now very plainly only a matter of time.

The Bill conferring plenary powers on the Government, which was passed by the chamber on Thursday, came before the Senate yesterday and the premier request for the appointment of a commission to report immediately was at once agreed to.

The Bill, as anticipated, was also adopted with practical unanimity - the voting being 262 to 2.

“God punish England” and the Huns’ “Natural” Anthem are now back in numbers in Germany. Italy has become the best hated of the Central Kingdoms’ opponents, and hate, after all, is synonymous with fear.

Berlin may well begin to lose its much-advertised confidence. There is talk now - and it is not altogether ill-informed chatter - that the United States may yet take a hand in the ghastly game, in these terrible antics before high Heaven which must make the Angels weep.

It has been suggested that while America is unlikely to venture upon a land campaign which, from the point of view of munitions manufacture, would be against our interests, the powerful fleet may be placed at the disposal of the Allies. Wouldn’t Tirpitz be pleased?

Another sign of the times is the statement that the sick King of Greece is again on hand shaking terms with M. Venizelos while Romanian intervention in the war is certainly not unexpected.

Meanwhile, the reports from the fighting fronts are of a hopeful character.

Albeit no clearly decisive result result has been reached but an official note issued in Petrograd shows the heavy sacrifice paid by the enemy, during their advance in Galicia. It is stated that their loss, including 60,000 prisoners, doubtless attained a fourth or even a third of their strength.

The German report says ‘the situation is unchanged’.

In spite of the bad weather in the western theatre, the British according to a communication received last evening from Sir John French, have made appreciable prices near Quinque Rue, the infantry again displaying great gallantry in capturing several strong points behind the enemy’s original lines.

British progress is also notified to the north at La Bassee.

The excellent work of the French is detailed in the official communique reproduced in full.

The India office, in a statement on operations in Mesopotamia, describes advance in order to secure the pipeline of Anglo- Persian Oil Company, and states the Turks have evacuated all Persian territory in Arabistan.

A number of local tribesmen were punished for assisting the Turks.