, 1918-05-16
BY EDWARD w. PIokARp.

Premier Lloyd George and his cabi-
net successfully weathered another
storm last week when the house Of
commons, by a vote of 293 to 106, re-
jected Herbert Asquith's motion pro-
viding for the appointment of a spe-
cial committee to investigate charges
made against the premier by Maj. Gen.
Frederick B. Maurice. Having de-
clared that he would considered the
action of the commons as a test OF
confidence, Mr.. Lloyd George would
have resigned and turned the conduct
of the war over to Mr.. Asquith had the
latter been sustained. AS 1t is he has
won another great personal victory
largely by means of the statement he
made in the house-an ex parte state
ment, to be sure, but one that i'm
pressed his hearers with his evident
honesty and frankness.
The charges made by General Maui
rice, formerly director of military op-
erations, were that the premier and
other officials, had deceived the people
by false statements concerning the
army. The accusations were fully re-
futed by Lloyd George, who showed
that his statements we're made on in
formation obtained from General Maui
rice's' department. He protested Wig
orously against such d~istracting and
paralyzipg controversies and implored
, that there should be an end to snip
ing" He called Maurice's action a
fragrant breach of discipline, especial
ly pcrnicious In its effect on a new
army and not understandable to thea al
lies of Great Britain.
There is no reason to question the
patriotism of General Maurice's mo-
tives in precipitatlng the crisis, but 1t
is evident that he was made the tool
of the political opponents of the pre-
mier who hoped to ride into office on
the resulting storm. Presumably the
offending officer will be court mar
tailed.
-
Last week passed with only n i'm
portant infantry action on the west
front, but neither army a been Idle.
The heavy artillery Of the allies has
been continually hammering the Ger
man positions and especially devoting
itself to smashing the enemy's lines of
communications and munition depots
and to hampering the bringing up of
re-enforcements and supplies. In this
the aviators have given invaluable aid
and the work has been so well done
that the renewal of the offensive was
perforce delayed. Heavy and frequent
rains also handicapped the Germans
and they found great difficulty in NOV
ing their ponderous tanks n largest
guns across the devastated country
the roads being consistently broken up
by shell fire and their repair made al
most impossible.
Meantime the allies took every op.
p%ortunity to improve their positions
and in many local operations advanced
their lines and strengthened their hold
on the commanding heights both in
Picardy and in Flanders. In these
fights the Australians and Canadians
had a prominent part, the former be
tween the Ancre and the Somme and
the latter south of Arras, both contin'
gents making considerable and very
valuable gains. All along the line the
British, French and Americans re
pulsed all the enemy raids until
Wednesday night, when, after heavy
artillery preparation, the Germans at
tackled in the sector of Ypres, between
La Olytte and Voormezeele. 1t was
their apparent intention to outflanl
the important heights of Scherpenberl
and Mont Rouge from the northeasi
and they succeeded in forcing the Brit