The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-03-08

nature of which we have already
 dwelt, were secured by the Dardanelles
 expedition. Whether those advant-
 ages were worth the loss of life and
 treas1 re involved is and must always
 remaiL > matter of OpiniOn.'
 The report of the commission says
 that Lord Kitcheners premature death
 and the death of his secretary, Major
 Fitzgerald renders it impossible to
 state with the same confidence as in
 the case of living witnesses the opln-
 ions and aims of Lord Kitchener at
 different periods of the proceedings.
 The commission does not believe,
 however, that even deference to the
 memory of the illustrious dead would
 justify it in abstaining from complete revelations of his course. The report adds:
 Tt is necessary to do justice to the living as well as to the dead.' Col. Churchill testified that Loro Kitchener's personal qualities and pO- sition played a very great part in the decision of events, the report says. It continues:
 He was the sole mouthpiece of, war
 office opinion in the war council. When he gave a decision it was in vol 1dlOiy ctCIepLCu oS llHdl. I10 WcS never overruled by the war council or cabinet in any matter, great or small. Scarcely anyone ever ventured to ar
 que with him in the council
 Major General Charles E. Caldwell, who was director of military opera tions at the war office at the time of the Dardanelles Expedition, testified that the general staff virtually ceased 1 to exist because it was not consulted The principle of centralization, the report says, was pushed to the ex- treme point by Lord Kitchener It proved successful in the minor opera tions in the Sudan but in larger op- erations it threw on one man more work than any individual could cope with
 Andrew Fisher, Australian high commissioner in London, in a note is sued with the Dardanelles report, dis sents from the opinion of the ma- jority. He maintained that Lord
 Fisher was not justified in remaining silent. MT. Fisher said:
 ''I dissent in the strongest terms from any assertion that department 1 advisers should express any views at 1 all other than to the minister and l through him, unless specifically in- vited to do so. am of the opinion 1 that it would seal the fate of respon- | sible government if servants of the ] state were to share the responsibility ] of ministers to parliament and to the people on matters of public policy. l The minister has command of the l opinions and views of all the officers l of the department he administers on l matters of public policy. Good stew | ardship demands from ministers of l the crown frank, fair and full state | ments of all opinions of trusted and 1 experienced officials to their col | leagues when they have direct refer
 ence to matters of high policy Thomas Mckenzie high commis- l sioner of New Zealand in London, | takes similar objections to those of MT. Fisher to the conclusions of the Dardanel1es commission regarding Lord Fisher and the naval advisers. 1 He also expresses the opinion that the | commission is not yet justified in coming to a decision as to the results | of the enterprise. To do so, he says, it would be necessary to investigate 1 the conduct of the offensive on the Gallipoli Peninsula and of the sub- | sidiary operations.