Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-25
BLOW AWAITED
BY LLOYD GEORGE
Premier Tells Commons
Allied Man-Power Soon
Will Be Superior
PRAISES U. S. SP EE D
Voices Confidence in Outcome
of Approaching Big
Struggle
Special Gable to Evening Public Ledger

Special Gable to Evening Public Ledger
I eopyrioht, 1918, By Ncto York Times Co.
London, June %.
Premier Lloyd George in the House
Of Commons this afternoon paid trib-
ute to the speed with which American
troops had been dispatched to France
and made an important statement on
the relative strength of the Allied
n and German armies. He said he eX-
pected that in a comparatively short
time the Allies would be stronger than
the Germans. and he voiced the conf !
dence of the Allied commanders in the
outcome of the approaching struggle.
Referring to the American troops,
he said:
There is no doubt that the num-
bers that have come in since March
21 Nave been satisfactory. / could go
beyond that. It is an amazing piece
of organization which has enabled the
United States to bring vast numbers
of first.rate American troops to
4 France"
d. NJ. f1OBSe, lJdpoi hSiiicNi' 80
terrupted the Premier by saying:
The figures are in the papers
Mr.. Lloyd George remarked:
"Oh. all right Then there is moth
: ing more to state, If my honorable
friend is satisfied with them. I hope
the Germans are also satisfied. But
I cannot give you any more figures.
All 1 can say is that they are suffi.
cient to encourage the Allies and l
think they will be quite sufficient to
disappont and ultimately to defeat our
foe. The troops are of the best quail
: ity, Some of them are already in the
fl citing line and I hope to see many
more of them there in a very short
s time
Referring to the numbers of the AL
lied forces the Premier said he had
already discussed them in his speech
on the Maurice affair, and went on:
Maurice Figures Accurate
'I think the relative strength of
the contending forces Is very accu-
rately presented by General Maurice
himself in the document from which
! quoted when he said they were as
nearly equal as they could be. Since
the time when I made my statement In
a secret session there has undoubtedly
been an enormous addition Of strength
II quoted of the House statement
made by General Maurice, which, !
should think, accurately represented
the relative strength Of the two forces
on March 81. The Germans themselves
are claiming that they are inferior in
numbers. They have done so repeat.
cdly. That does not alter my view In
the least of what the position was
then. They probably do so in order
70 fhai, and thew
claim that the defeats which they say
they inflicted upon our armies and
81 upon the French were not in the least
attributable to superior numbers
Uncertain Of Losses
x. "since that date there are a good
a many facts which are not ascertainable
and which are elementary in computa-
ton of the relative strength of the two
forces-for instance. losses. We know
our own losses. The Germans exag-
gerate the enormous losses they have in
flicted on all our alles-that we know.
1t is Just possible that we may be ex-
aggerating the losses inflicted upon the
Germans, but 1t is quite impossible to
fell what the real losses are. except that
undoubtedly the losses inflicted on the
Germans have been very heavy, and
that they have drawn upon their re-
+ serves Until you know exactly what
they are, it is impossible to make a COM
putation up to date.
1--WE know what accessions the Ger
mans have had from other spheres OF
course we know the aRcessions o.
strength that have come to us. Bu
there are so many elements which car
not be computed. You can not say a.
present precisely what the relative
strength of the forces on both sides Is a
the present moment The American
troops are coming at a great rate ane
/ should not be very much surprised i
in a comparatively short time the Allied
strength or the western front would no
be greater than the German.
Germans Use Last Reserves
"They are in the position of having t.
Draw on their last reserves, which ma!
be thrown in in the course of the mex
month or two, and they have no furthe
reserves to call upon except by the mos
dramatic combing out of men of militar!
age from essential industries. There
some indication that they are resortinl
10 that. All this is proof OF the yer!
heavy losses inflicted upon the German
in the course of this campaign.
''The next couple of months the posi-
ton must naturally be very anxiou
one; but the position is gradually i'm
proving from the Allies point OF we"
and all l can say is, without any ap
pearance of boasting--which, OF course
would be folly in a struggle of this KIN
that the Allied generals feel confden
rs to the issue.
On Eve of Great Events
eve are on the eve of very grea
events. There may be great blo'
coming, perhaps within the next fe'
hours-certainly within the next fe'
days-and the issue of the csmpaig
may depend upon 1t. The Allies neve
felt better prepared to meet IT,
Mr.. Lloyd George had no informatio
10 give on Russia, One gathered froi
his speech that Russia's disintegratio
was complete and, with the utmost goo
will the British Government was pu1
zled as to the hest method of helping tn
people in the chaotic conditions ths
prevailed in that country. AS to Japa
the only Allied country that has acces
10 Russia he was markedly noncommi
ial and spoke with the greatest circun
spection.
Tho difficulty as regarded Russia,
said was that il had not one govern
inent, but many. There were de fact
governments everywhere, and foreis
power could not deal with any one bod
Of persons in any part of Russia an
say that 1t represented Russia as
whole It would be TO the interests
England, he said, and also just ar
equitable that the Government shou
stand by Russia, If Russia >Vanted It,
Russia had been treated brutally /
Germany. She had been dismembere
q and the treaties entered intb with HI
had not been respected by the German
n twenty-four hours afterward.