New-York tribune., 1917-07-02
Battle Line Five Times That
Over Which the Somme
Struggle Ragged
Plenty of Munitions
To Feed Big Guns
Amy of Veterans Ready
for Final Drive Against
Weakening Foe
By ARTHUR S. DRAPER
rRt C.hls 20 The Tribunel

rBt Cshls % The Tnbunel
,ondon. Jolly IA year ago yester-
,.v will remain memorable in British
go Early that July morning the
eI,,sb troops attacked on twenty
n. front along the Somme, and began
,,npaign which was The most pre-
..r,;ous and successful feat Of arms
.,,r attempted ~ the soldiers Of
Britain.
The artillery preparation, the size OF
IL. forces engaged and the number OF
,urs and men captured were considered
',rn.pdous, and hopes ran high
r,.rvh there was much blood shed,
...n veteran soldiers believed that
-.d,s would be driven clear through
N, German lines and that Douai and
Cambria soon would be in British
bands.
That day marked the turning point
=, the war, when the great Prussian
military machine was thrown on the
s.1.r,;vs in the West, and it is there
,.-d,v a year later. Hopes were never
Srr ,saIized on the Somme, but 1t
,,cvsd a valuable training ground Tor
y. British amateurs. who since have
r,dusted into professional ranks and
-. shown themselves during 1917 TO
h. more than the equals Of the PICK OF
A. V,;sor's army
British Position Stronger
Compared with the feats OF 1910 'he
p,;+isb achievements Of 1917 look large,
,,d still the year is only half gone.
ro.dav there is hardly mile of front
from the Belgian coast to st. Quentin
where the British guns are not hurting
high explosives into the German
trenches and where British soldiers are
not prepared TO advance when the word
comes.
The fighting front has grown from
twenty miles to a hundred. A year
AGO most Tommies went into their first
battle. To-day there ere three hundred
thousand veterans to a mere hundred
A., year ago. A year ago the length OF
the attacking front was limited by the
supplies Of big guns and shells. To-day,
IN evidence Of the Minister Of NUM-
tions. the supply is so nearly unlimited
that it has made possible generous con-
tributions 70 Italy and Russia.
A year ago Germany could mass big
forces against Russia and stem the
British advance. To-day hers are the
best concentrated cf all forces in the
West. and still she is unable TO halt
the British attack. A year ago she
counter attacked with great violence.
TODAY be- reply is feeble and disor-
ganized 4 year ago Haig's army was
INFESTED and untried. To-day he knows
exactly what 20 expect. A year ago the
British suffered from the disastrous
failure i'm Nesopotamia. To-day Brit
ain holds Bagdad.
A wear ago the British Foreign Ofhce.
was trying 20 square the olockaoe OF
the Central Powers with the protests
q the worlds greatest neutral. Today
the advance guard Of the great Amerl-
can ARM is training in France pre-
paratory 20 taking its place IN the
line.
Tremendous Cost TO Britain
Esuma-i~c the daily war expenditure
az 10000 600 the total expenditures
last yca~ approximate S1l,OOO,OOO,OOO.
Ths, is what 10 cost Britain in money
alone Britain views with Just pride
her military progress in the last year.
At Dundee Lloyd George said: Tine
German submarine cannot deprive US
Of Necessary munitions for the prose-
cution of the war 20 a successful ter
minatI0n'
It would he folly 90 take this over
optimistically. Though Britain is now
capable ~ manufacturing all tho muni-
tions She needs she Is far from sell
sustaining in the matter OF food. While
complete German submarine success
might not win tho war for the Kaiser
Il would certainly prevent the Allies
from getting anything better than
ttslemate
Evidently the Premier feared the
dangers both OF over-Optimlsm ana
eyer-eau,iousness. Behind him discus
tlon Of the morale Of the nation was
Increasing. some quarters viewing with
concern the unrest and labor dissaatls-
faction, with the high prices, long
hours of work beer cost. heavy taxa
;ion, the hfrdehips Of conscription and
counties other domestic pcrpleXlties
foreign % nation in times Of peace.
After threc wears at Armageddon
people are inclined % become not more
iainthearted. but more careless. Lloyd
GEORGE has shown that he is anxious 70
follow the lead ~ the people, but he
also is anxious they should know the
full facts before expressing an opinion
which, a. 'hcir leader. must be his.
The Prcrnier's distinction between
goysrnmerts and people, distinction
trst emphasized by President wilson,
tn sroused some Tory newspapers, but
heir criticism is comparatively mild,
With t,o exception cf "The Morning
Po,t." WI 'cn remains as bitter as ever.
ne ssrs paper fails 20 accept his
policy regarding thc German colonies.
GCnn 0n0