The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957)(about) |
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Friday 18 December 1914
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FIGHTING FOR EXISTENCE.
MORE MEN NEEDED.
LORD KITCHENER'S SPEECH.
MINISTERS CONITDENT.
Confidence in Hie ultimate nucccss of the allied nrms was the keynote of the speeches it the Guildhall, London, on November 0 The principal speaker, Euri .Kitchener, pointed out the great issue at stake, the adv-mlagcs posseifced by the Allies m men and malenal and in "thal wonderful spirit which has never understood the menning of
defeat "
Lord Kitchener (snjs the london corre spondent of the "New York AVoild") was speiking at the inaugural banquet of the new Lord Mayor of London, Sir Charles Johnston, who succeeds Sir Thomas Aran
sitlarl Bowater
Lord Kitchener praised the territorials, particularly the London Scottish and the Weat Indians spoke of the admiration of the British troops for "the glorious French armj," and said-"Under the direction of General Joffre, who is not only n great milit-irj lender, but n great man, wo may confidently rely on the ultimate success of the allied forces in the weatcrn theatre
of the vv ir "
FIGHTING FOR EXISTENCE.
Ho praised the brilliant leadership of Grand Duke Nicholas und also "the splcn did deeds of the gallant Belgian army" and Hie gallantry of the Japanese forces Con tinuinf,. Lord Kitchener Bnid -
'The British Tinpire is now fighting for its existence I want every citn-cn to understand this cardinal fact, for onlj-from a clear concept-ion of the vast importance of the issue al stake can come the great national moral impulse without which the Govnnmcnt's War Ministers or even their navies, can do but little AVe have cror mons advantages in our -resouiccs of mon ami matenal and in thnt wonderful spuit of ours which has never under stood the menning of defeat AU thee arc great assets but they must be used judiciously and effectively
"I have no complaint to make whatever ¡bout the response to my appeals for mon The progress m the military training of those who alreadj have enlisted is most icmni kable and the country mnv well be proud of them, but I shall want mole men and still more, until the enemy 19
crushed
"Armies cannot be called together ns with the magician's wand, and in the pro cess of formntion there mny have been discomforts and inconveniences in some cases-even dow nright suffering I cannot promise tint these conditions will wholly cease, but I can give j-ou every assurance that they hive already grcatlj diminished, and everything that administrative energy can do to bring them to on end assuredly
will be done
MUST ENDURE FOR NATION
"Tile men who have como forward must lcmcmber that they are enduring for their countiv's sake, just ns their comradeB are m the shell torn tienches The introduc tion of elaborate destructive machinery, with which our enemies had so amply and carefuilj supplied themselves has been the subject of much culogj on the part of null liuj critics but it must be remembored that m the matter of preparation those who fix befotchand the date of a war have a eonsideiablc advantage over their neigh
hours
*»n far ns we arc concerned we are clctirlj open to no similar suspicion This dciclopmrnt of armaments lins modified the application of old principals of strategy and tactic and reduced the present war- fare to something approaching siege opera
dons
'Our losses m the tronches have boen severe but Mich casualties are far from do terring the British nation from seeing the matter through Thcj will act rather as an incentive to British mnnhood to prepare themselves to tal e the places of those
ivho have fallon "
In pajing a tribute to the leadership of
Su lohn 1 rench Commnndei of the Bntmh 1 xpcditionaij Force, and his gpnerals and to the high efficiency and courage of the aimv the AVar Minister said -
' I think it has now been conceded that the British armj lins proved itself to be not so contemptible an engine of war ns »onie were disposed to consider it " He concludes -
1,250,000 MEN TRAINING
' Mtliongh our thoughts are constantlj directed toward the troops at the fionl nnd the great tasks they have m hand, it is well to remember that the enenij will have to leclton with the foiees of the gi eat Dominion, the vanguard of which we alrendv have welcomed in this tountrv in the ven fine body of men form mg the conting! nts from Canada and New foundland while from Australia and New /onlnnd and other parts are coming in quid procession soldiers to fight for the iinpcri il t ause \nd besides all these there f.?T ÜE!"11"" '" lh!s countiy more than
250 000 men nagel h waiting for a call to bear then patt m the gieat stiugglc
r MU «eli, "ilrficr tal cs l"s p*aco m t|lc held ho w ill stand forward to do his dub ind m doing thnt duty will mnintain the' ucdit of the Bnlihh nrtm, which I submit, lins never stood higher than it docs
tO tldj
MR CHURCHILL URGES PATIENCE
Repljmg to the tonst of the navy, Mr Winston Cbuiclull, Tirst Lord of the Admiralty, stud -
Eighty miles nwaj the greatest battle m the world is going on Oin conn try men with oin nlhes are striving to break the cruel tide of Gorman devastation, and here we sit, 111 this old hall, na we have done be fore Tint ia due to tile navy
'While we do not shrink from the full rigoiira of the war, we, thanks to the navy, lnppilv arc fice from most of them "
There wa8 a natural impatience on the part of the navy " said the First Lord "to sinke a blow, but the people must be piticnt the conditions of naval warfare arc eiuious Great Britain was endeavour mg to maintain nil the seas and secure all the lnghwnja across the ocean ngiunst methods novel before adopted The navy vins piotecting the transport of forces to the theatie of wnr Phis great bmk com polled it to oller n target incomparably ercitcr than thnt the enemy offered to
the Billilli aailois "
"BUSINESS AS USUAL"
'Business ns usual, pending alterations in the map of Europe, was England's motto and on the w hole she vv aa achieving that object The economic pressure brought about bv the naval blockade, he declared, would ultimntelv spell the doom of Ger niniiv as certain na winter struck the leaves from the trees
'In spite of the losses of ships, not of the highest importance and of men, irre parable," said Air Churchill, "the navy is strongei at every point of service than it was on the dnv war broke out It is stronger most partieulnrlv 111 those branches of naval service which modern experience has shown to exercise the most pou el ful
influence "
TURKEY'S SUICIDE
The Prime Minister (Mr -Vsquith) said that nevei had any Government moro needed the whole - hearted confidence of the community than during the lum tired dnjs since the outbreak of the wai, and never had confidence been more ungiudginglj expressed
Ihe Pi une Almister reviewed European politics of the last siven yeara, touching on the annexation of Bosnia and tile emergence of the "Young Tinks ' party m the Otto man Empire their rule for six veins and 1 uluru to the vices of their predecessors Of the participation of Turkey m the pie
sent wai he aaid -
Hie Turkish Government had been tempted, undei German threats German BIIIJIB and Gcrninn gold to commit a saeries of lawless acts England had been com polled to admit the logic of fncls and re cognise 'linkej as an open enemy It was
the Turkish Government and not the people who had drawn the sword, and they would perish by the sword. _ '_ ,
"England had no quarrel'with the Mussul- man subjects, of Turkey, saul the Prime Minister, and nothing was _ further from England s thoughts than to initiate or en- courage n crusade ngainst their faith. Eng- land, in fact, was prepared, if necessary, to defend their holy places against all at-
tacks.
The Turkish Kmpire, however, he de- clared, had dug "its grave, and committed
suicide. '
The Prime Minister dealt with the finan- cial situation,und the measures taken by thp Government, he said, were , satisfactory. Foreign exchanges with most countries were working well, nnd the gold ' al the Bank of England stood at the unpreceden- ted amount of £00,500,000.
Mr. Asquith paid a tribute to the go- vernor of the Bank of England, Mr, Walter Cunliffe, who had shown the utmost cour- age and resource. In recognition of tlie governor's services, the King had conferred a peerage upon him. ,
LONG WAR, HE SAYS.
"This is going to be n long war," Bald the Primo "Minister, "but there is nothing in a long struggle to depress us, or in what has happened. Our enemy lins tried three objectives-Paris, Warsaw, and Calais-and lias been baffled in all. That is not enough, We shall not sheath the swot ti, which we have no1 lightly drawn, until Belgium lins recovered moie than Bhe has sacrificed ; until France is adequately secured against menace; until the rights of the smaller na- tionalities have been placed upon an un- assailable foundation, mid until the military domination of Prussia is finally destroyed.
"This ifl a great task, worthy of a great nation. It needs for its iireomphshmunt that ever)' man amongst tia, old and young, shall give what he liaB and do what hu
can."
BOUND AS FIVE NATIONS.
Mr. A. J. Balfour, in proposing the toast "Tlie Allies," emphasised that it was without precedent, but, as he added, "we are living in times that are also with- out precedent, when the whole world ¡3 either in anna or in anxious expecta- tion. After praising Japan, Belgium, Russin. France, and Servia, Mr. Balfour concluded with the remarks:
"We are five nations, and vye fight not for ourselves alone, but for civilisation and for all small States who seek to follow their* own ideals, without interference from any unauthorised and insolent aggressor."