Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-05-24

ment explains that the D%rigauing plan
in operation Is temporary, adopted to
meet the emergency in which 1t Is de-
sirable to send over as many Ameri-
cans as possible without waiting for
their arms and ammunition. Later
they will return to the American army
and will be using American equipment.
1t is gratifying to note that General
Pershing now issues daily official COM
muniques on the doings of the Ameri-
can forces, following the system of the
other allies.
"a
The continuous battle for suprem-
acy in the air ragged with increasing
intensity all through the week and Off
cial reports led to the belief that the
flyers of the allied armies generally
had the best of it. American aviators
won several notable victories. Gener-
al Pershing reported the commission
ing of nearly 1000 student aviators.
The French have delivered to his army
500 battle planes and 900 training
planes, and the Haviland battle planes
made in America are beginning to ar
rive.
III
On Sunday Emperor Charles visited
the kaiser at great headquarters and
made plans for a renewal of the Aus
tro-German alliance, to last twenty
years. The news of this of course vas
received with rejoicing by the pam
Germans of Austria-Hungary, but,
equally Of course, the treaty Is bitterly
opposed by the Slavs and other anti
German elements III Charles realm.
Tie people there as a whole are more
and more DESTROYS of peace and there
Is fear that the agreement will Prus-
sianize their army and compel even
greater efforts in the a By some
the preparations for an offensive in
Italy are looked on as a direct result
of the conference. According to Co
penhagen reports. the two emperors
selected kings for Lithuania, Courland,
Esthonia and Poland, but the men
chosen were not named.
The meeting of the rulers was at
tended by the kings of Bavaria and
Saxony, who, though not invited.
sought to maintain the Importance Of
their kingdoms as parts of the German
empire and not leave Prussia the sole
arbiter of German destinies." That
sounds big. but the fact remains that
Prussia is as much the boss of the
Carpoop ouopfro oc ovor
Ia
The kaiser is treating Russia just
as a thoroughly defeated enemy might
expect to be treated by him, despite
the peace treaty of Brest-Litovsk. His
demands are exorbitant and enforced
by arms, and In an address to the town
council of Aix-le-Chapelle he an
nounces that "Sebastopol has been
captured with a big, richly laden fleet
there" More than that, he is prepar-
ing to call on the Baltic provinces that
were a part of Russia to supply men
for the German. armies. No other IN
struction can be placed on his procla-
nation recognizing the independence
of Lithuania, in which he says: I'VE
assume that Lithuania will participate
In the war burdens of Germany which
secured her liberation" AS s4ithuania
has neither money nor munitions to
contribute, the kaiser must mean men,
and the Lithuanian national council
say the country will not consent to
have it's citizens d~ragooned into the
ranks of the kaiser.
In the Caucasus the Germans under
took to gain control of the grain, coal,
oil and iron districts by the capture of
Rostov-on-Don. but they held the city
only one day. when the Russians re-
captured 1t. There are several power
full groups of Russians operating in the
Don region, and others all through
south Russia, and Germany. has pro-
claimed war at Ekaterinoslav, Odessa
and Poltava and mined the entrance
into the Sea of Asov. In the Ukraine
the anti German movement increases
daily, the people being very bitter. In
European Russia, says a dispatch
from Samara, less than half the arabic
land usually cultivated will be titled
this year, owing to the shortage of
seed, horses and implements and the
unsettled condition brought about by
the land division. Well posted Britons
are urging that the allies continue to
help Russia in the work of reconstruc-
ton In order to balk the efforts of Ger
many. 1t is recognized by all that Ger
many's peace hopes now lie wholly in
the east and that If she is permitted to
realize them she v.ll have won the
war regardless of the conditions Inn
posed on her In the west.
Lenine processes to see signs Of a
counter-revolution In Russia and Cd