The Guardian from London, Greater London, England • 4

THE MANCHESTER GUARDIAN. WEDNESDAY. JANUARY 27. 1943 country as well as in Mother France OUR LONDON CORRESPONDENCE ment. The vast spread of music recorded by wireless and gramophone By PRIVATE WIRE HOW BRITAIN WILL ADMINISTER TRIPOLITANIA A Purge of the Fascist Elements Correspondents From our Special Cairo, January 28.

Almost as soon as the Eighth Army enteredTripolitania a British military Government was set up.to administer the territory until such time as, with the end of the war, decisions are taken regarding the future of the Italian Empire. Profiting both from experience gained in Eritrea, Italian Somaliland, Madagascar, and in the previous occupation of Cyrenaica, and by the certainty which our leaders felt in capturing Tripolitania, more than eighty officers of the Occupied Enemy Territory Administration had been already trained and accompanied Brigadier M. S. Lush, Deputy Chief Political Officer, into Tripoli. Indeed, Brigadier Lush, who will administer the province under orders of the Armv Commander, was at General Montgomery's side when he received the formal surrender of the town from Italian officials.

There had been a snlendid oppor tunity for careful and thoughtful planning of the territory's future administration, and the change-over has taken place without a hitch. The officers have been trained in the geography and (history of Tripoli tania, its system of government, agricultural and mineral resources, and all othe relevant matters. The basic note of our administration will be to carry on the civil life of the country in so far as it does not clash with military exigencies. Towards the estimated 40,000 Italians remaining of the pre-war population of about the British administration will adopt a firm and just attitude Lists ot "war crimes' such as sabotage, the destruction of communi cations, have been posted up, and such offences" will be tried by British military courts. There" are military guards on all public utilities, in the various centres.

LEADING FASCISTS INTERNED Fascist leaders and prominent members of the Fascist party will be interned. Fascist clubs, cultural centres, and similar institutions will be closed. The teaching of Fascist ideas and political economy or subjects with a Fascist bias will be forbidden. The display of Fascist emblems and flags is forbidden, as well as the wearing of Fascist Fascist funds in banks will be permanently "frozen," and those in private hands taken into safe custody, but otherwise life will be allowed to go oh much as in normal times. Currency problems have been solved in advance.

In addition to the lire, which will continue to be used, British military authority money will come into currency at the equit- who have been made anxious by the political complexion of events in North Africa. The official report says that tne two leaders readied entire agreement on the end to be achieved, which is the liberation of "France and the triumph of human "liberties," while the method is to be the union in the war of all fighting side by side with all "their allies." The offspring of conferences in war almost always consists generalities. What will come of them in practice only the event shows. If the agreement between the French generals results not only in the triumph of human liberties at the end but in the active pursuit of them in North Africa now and that is what we eagerly await a great good will have been done to the Allied cause. There is one other grave subject which must have been prominent at a conference which surveyed "the entire field of the war," though it is not specially mentioned in the reports.

That is the threat of the German submarines, on the defeat of which every theatre, the keeping by the Allies of the initiative, all our aggressive plans depend. Cato could make no speech without ingeminating, "Carthage must be destroyed." So now, for our own and every Allied Government, the condition of success is always the same and always there: the U-boats must be destroyed. Trouble in Marseilles The Nazis might have expected when they decided to occupy all France that Marseilles would give them a good deal of trouble. There is plenty of fierce energy in the history, of this old Greek colony, a city that has taken an active part in all the quarrels of politics, from Caesar's civil war, through the Wars of Religion, the troubles of the Fronde and many others, and that resisted the Jacobins after giving its name to the famous song to which the armies of the Revolution marched. Modern conditions have added disturbing elements.

When the immigration laws shut the Southern Europeans out of the United States France became the refuge of those to whom, for one reason or another, life in their own country was intolerably hard. At this moment two classes, both difficult to a policing Power, are represented in the popula tion. Men and women, chased from one tyranny after another, with bitter political wrongs find shelter there, and the port, like all ports that serve the shipping of the wide world, collects men of wild and predatory habits. Thus the victims and the agents of crime live side by side in its hiding-places. The Nazis are now trying to deport forty thousand people from the Old Port and talk of destroying this part of Marseilles and rebuilding it (the destruction part of this programme is perhaps more likely to be accomplished than its sequel) The men they want to seize defend themselves, and the Nazis have had to bring up artillery and tanks.

The Nazis assert that the source of disorder is the natural lawlessness of a particular district. If it were only this Marseilles would be less of problem than Lyons, where the self- respect of a community has thwarted the Nazi plans. But of a struggle in Marseilles it is dangerous to assume that it will end where it begins. Prices The Chancellor of the Exchemier admitted yesterday that the uncontrolled goods have increased considerably. So far as they are not essentials that does not.

nerhans matter a great deal if the high prices become a deterrent to spending although they may well mean exces sive profits for particular people. But not all uncontrolled goods are luxuries, and the field for control is wider than the Chancellor seemed to allow. With falling stocks and the promise of further restric tions on man-power and materials we may well see numerous further increases in the next twelve Sir Kingsley contends that by our subsidies we have stabilised the cost of living. That is onlv true un tn point. A recent inquiry of the Oxford institute of Statistics suggests that instead nf tho 9A nfty rant mmunca since the war shown by the cost-of- living index a truer figure would 40 per cent The index is prevented from rising because in it the stabilised prices are over-weighted.

Tuesday Concerts Yesterday a great crowd filled the Houldsworth Hall, Manchester, to congratulate Mr. Edward Isaacs on the twentieth anniversary of his appointment as director of the Tuesday Midday Concerts. These concerts a thousand have now been given came into existence during one war and are continuing healthily in spite of another. Since Mr. Isaacs assumed control they have gone on regularly week after week, slowly but surely enlarging sphere of in fluence and their- success, strengthen ing the belief that in Manchester it is not only, a small minority of people but a large community for whom musical culture is.

something more than a luxury. Considerable changes in -the social and musical outlook during the last twenty years have' added to the risks of eosrfc isanage- has caused many people to cease going to concerts unless the most famous executants are promised. Moreover, the modern art composition, with which, every progressive, musical society, must keep in touch, often frightens away the more conservative (and probably the most influential) listeners. Mr. Isaacs has steered a sane and honourable course, neither breaking, with tradition nor refusing to admit the latest examples of present-day music if he holds that they have vitality.

It may be that artistic culture stands to-day in more danger than is commonly supposed, on account of forces which seem to be specially calculated to vitiate public taste. These and other impedi ments to cultured life are being fought valiantly by the Tuesday Midday Concerts Society and by concert committees elsewhere that have taken it as their modeL The Price of Jazz The Performing Right Society has now succeeded in vindicating me copyright of the composer whose tunes are "rediffused'' to factory workers. It should not have been necessary to take the matter to court for the B.B.C.'s licence has been speci fically restricted to "broadcasting for domestic and private use" since 1932 and the liability of hotel-keepers who use its musical programmes to attract and entertain their customers has been legally established for the last ten years, xne factory's gam in increased output from "rediffused" music carries a similar obligation. But there are still many people, impeccably upright in other business dealings, who are ready to deprive the composer of his due and even wax indignant when called upon to pay him or services rendered. Composers, after all, must eat.

They are worthy of their hire if only as lubricators of the wheels of industry. It cannot be pretended that a fee of one guinea a year plus one penny per extra worker where more than ,252 are employed is an excessive charge for daily hour of stimulating rhythm. To the factory it is an inconsiderable trifle, but it may well add up to the difference between penury and com fort for the composer. It is, no doubt, a nuisance that his earnings should have to be collected in this piecemeal way. The remedy, however, is not to bilk the honest artisans of Tin Pan Alley.

It is for the Treasury (which ultimately gets the benefit of jazzed- up output) to free the B.B.C. from its present obligation to haggle and to let the cost of public rediffusion be included, as before 1932, in its pay ment to the composers' society. Letters to A PROPOSAL TO To the Editor of the Manchester Guardian 1 Sir, On December 17, 1942, the' Governments of the three principal Allied nations issued a declaration about a new fact. The news of this new fact had reached them some four months before, but, being the civilised Governments of civilised peoples, they were rightly reluctant to accept it while any hope remained that it might not be true. How many thousands of lives that creditable reluctance has cost history will probably never record.

Let it pass as part of the price which humanity inevitably pays in the face of the inhuman norrors which mankind will perpetrate upon itself to preserve confidence in its sanity. What was the new fact It was that the Nazis bad taken the definite decision that the "Jewish problem" in Europe should be solved forthwith and for ever by killing every Jew under German control. By the time that the United Nations were convinced of this fact the plan had been in active operation nearly six. months and a substantial part of it already executed. Some six million lives remained in imminent peril.

Now in face of that new fact the question whether this country did less or more than other countries to rescue refugees in quite other conditions, or whether any country did enough, is really irrelevant. The figure of 225.000 refugees of all nationalities was recently mentioned in and not rejected by the Home Secretary. Such a figure has no bearins at all on the new fact of the immediate mass murder of millions of utterly defenceless people which the United Nations by their declaration nave confirmed. No plans for active rescue have yet been announced the discussions proceed. The difficulties of action are no doubt immense.

They are not insuperable. There is eood reason to believe that the physical resources to save hundreds of thousands of lives are immediately available if only the Allied Nations would establish the necessary political conditions. But nearly all the proposals so far made are concerned with those who have contrived to escape already, and it is clear that the numbers who can ao so must De small indeed. Can we make no attempt at mass rescue? Are we to limit our efforts to those who nave saved their lives themselves If so, we shall shirk our major responsibility. I should like the United Nations to make another declaration.

Not to the world at large. Not to the small and burdened and precariously neutral outua. nui 10 ue virtually nelnleas populations of the countries under the Fascist heel. And not indirectly through anyone else. The British Government! once talked direcV to the German1 Government about the tmrtiana prisoners.

Let the United Nations do so now. Ijet them offer, formally and directly, to the German Government sanctuary to every Jew the Nazis will let go. Let them say If your hatred of the Jews is such that you are prepared in the mid-twentieth century to commit the bloodiest blood-bath in history we will save you from that crime. The world is wide we shall find room somewhere. Will let them go? Will you let the children go the women go the sick or the old or the helnless go Wilt you let anyone go Unconditionally? If you will let them go, or any go, on conaraona wen name conditions and we wax consider LONDON, Tuesday Night The Fourth Meeting Fewer people in London must have known about the great meeting in North Africa than in the case of any of the other historic conferences between President Roosevelt and Mr.

ChurchilL Rumours and speculations, of course. had existed, for people cannot help feeling a vacuum "when Mr. Churchill is away, and Americans here had been wondering why mr. Koosevelt had not been holding ms press conference for three weeks. But the idea that the President had been away from the United states naa oeen scouted by them as constitutionally impossible.

(At the time of writing the only explanation put forward bv the knowing ones is that as Commander- in-Chief of tne United states forces he is free, without permission of Con. gress, to visit an American theatre of war.) It is a stirring proof of the Presi dent's courage and of his nhvsieal health that he should have made the Atlantic air trip, the biggest air journey he has made. When Mr. Churchill arrived at Mr. Roosevelt's headquarters thev mav both have thought of the contrast between that meet inc.

with its atmosphere of achievement and confi dence, and tneir last meeting, America in June, in auite other circumstances, with the fait of Tobruk to Rommel's Panzers crashing in the middle ot it. Public Expectation Momentous and thrilling as the announcement is of the great ten days' conference, public expectation is still whetted for yet further news of the decisions that were reached. Possibly the stories that have appeared in the United States press and published in some London newspapers that we were to have announcements on the Allied War Council and on the North African political decisions and on its military commend keyed us to expect too much at once. And the spectacle of General Giraud and General de Gaulle together at last raised hopes that more fruits of their conferring would be published than the short statement that is issued. Bishop of Chichester's Motion It was stated here yeterday that the most controversial debate pending in the House of Lords was that on the Bishop of Chichester's motion.

This motion urges the British Government to distinguish in its war aims between the Hitlerite regime and the German people in the same way that Stalin has done. The debate on the motion has been postponed, but not for long. I gather that the Bishop has considerable and influential support for his motion, but he will certainly have Lord Vansittart for one of his opponents. Cable and Wireless Mr. Brendan Bracken, who is down with influenza, was not at the Cable and Wireless Company's remarkable luncheon to-day at the Connaught the Editor SAVE THE JEWS But rattier than that tne common civilisation of Europe should suffer so indelible a stain of blood we will relieve you of your burden.

Let the Jews go. The objections to such a proposal are perfectly clear. If I do not deal with them in detail it is not because I am unaware of them. I reject them all because I take it as axiomatic that this mass murder must stop. People say helplessly "What can we do?" and indeed the mind reels under the vasb-ness of the need and the poverty of the means in our hands.

But the difficulties should be a challenge, not ah excuse. There are manv thines we can do Threats of punishment, yes. Promise of rewara, yes. Appeals to tne best in people everywhere to object, to resist, to oppose. Ceaseless use of all the means in our power to make the facts known especially to the blinded, deafened, bemused German people, so that they shall know what is done in their name.

But before everything else must come the offer of sanctuary. The world is wide, and the Allied Nations control almost all of.it; there are still neutral countries to serve as gateways on Europe's seaboard. Hitler mav not let them eo that is not his nuroose, But Drotest ani? moral intimation and threats unaccompanied by any offer of salvation and refuge are a mockery of the victims and civilisation alike, pro voking from the oppressor no pause in his bloodv worlr hirt onlv a cvnit-al sneer. When the priest and the Levite passed by on the other side it was not because they approved ot highway robbery; no doubt at the inn in the next town they declared their indignation, but they were a little over-conscious of the practical difficulties and went on their way content that some day the law would vindicate itself by punishing tne wrongdoers. Yours, S.

Sydney Silverman. House of Commons, January 22. THE PIPES To the Editor of the Manchester Guardian Sir, The Scots are a noble race and the 51st Division has done magnificently in Libya. But to many of us who listened to to-day's broadcast from the square of Tripoli it must have seemed incongruous, not to say barbaric, to find the Eighth Army, that highly composite uuay, represented musically oy uk screech of th hatnoroes. Since, how ever, the British soldier is always pictured in foreign cartoons as a man -i perhaps thought necessary to assist the wuu uititiimpTi TPPTn and a.

cwit i do Italians as remained in their belief that we are not a musical people. xours, at, A wmtg Englishman. January 26. "Part-time Worfe -War Worker' writes: For two months my wife, who Is a Bachelor of Arts (Economics), speaking and writing French and German fluently, and with several "years experience in secretarial work, has been trying to help the war effort by taking up part-time work. She is not yet 32.

yet the employment exchanges- the. appointments bureau tell her that- no part-time work whatever is arollnhle. Advertising has brought no result. "Warrior Heart." "A Reader" writes Your reviewer of The Later life and Letters of Sir-Henry Newbolt" ias written a fine a entente" Heart to be at peace am. W8Ixlar heart." tt is a oattnc that ocld bo noted.

Rooms to give it the "pat on the back" he had promised. Mr. Oliver Stanley did that handsomely. Mr. W.

S. Morrison, who was to have replied to the other nrincioal toast. was absent through duty, and some other important guests also were prevented from coming, but the company included seven Ambassadors and Ministers from countries where the company had offices, and among the many distinguished figures at the high tame were Lord Lang, the former Archbishop of Canterburv. The Chilean Ambassador got a special cheer. The staff of the company was bravely represented bv each depart ment, high and low, and it provided also the band and a guard of honour which carried flags of the Dominions ana colonies and Wireless serves so welL Mr.

Stanley outlined its vast opera tions, particularly in war-time, the skill and courage of its men and women in many war zones, its uses to tne (government in transmitting its decisions, its comfort to the soldier in bearing messages to and from his home, and he expressed the gratitude of the Government and himself to the company. Sir Edward Wilshaw, the chairman of the company, replied with vivacity and terseness that suggested good cable work. Miss Margaret Bondfield If the report that Miss Margaret Bondfield is about to retire from the active part she has played for decades in politics is correct one may be sure that she will retain her active interest in public affairs. At present Miss Bondfield is in the United States. where she has long been well known as an excellent speaker.

She went there for a short visit more than a year ago to talk about our plans for post-war reconstruction and the work" our women are doing. Labour people here are anxious for her to come back, and Americans would like her to stay over there longer. Miss Bondfield was Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister of Labour in the first Labour Government, and as Minister of Labour in the second she was the first, indeed the only, woman Cabinet Minister we have had. She was also the first woman Privy Councillor and the first woman to hold office as chairman of the Trades Union Congress General Council. She has had a great influence in the Labour movement and is held in high esteem by all who have met her in public life.

Congo Contributions Manchester may be able to judge when the exhibition of Belgium and the Belgian Congo reaches the city in Mav whether London's preoccupation with the Congo section which has been observed by the organisers deserves their highest flattery. The North will see the evidence of Congo contribu tions rubber with an output enougn for 240,000 cars a year tungsten, copal, copper, cotton, of which 30,000 tons was sent to Great Britain last year, and palm oil for glycerine, soap, or margarine, of which 50,000 tons is available to us. It is not yet, however, certain whether Manchester will share the opportunity of the shopping women of Hsu-rods, where the show is housed in London, of watching diamonds being cut and polished. A COUNTRY DIARY Oxfordshire, January 23. I cannot remember when so many birds were singing so early in the year.

This morning heard a song-thrush, a black bird, a robin, a wren, and a hedge-sparrow in the garden and a mistle-thrush just outside it. Flowers, ton," are unusually forward. A bank facing west in the garden of an Oxford college is yellow with aconites, and here and there snowdrops are already in flower. Yellow jasmine. which has been unusually fine this winter, and Christmas roses are also out here to remind me of those I saw in Manchester last week.

Pintail are infrequent visitors to this district, so I was doubly pleased to come across two drakes and a duck recently among a large gathering- of gulls and pewits on flood-water near Oxford. The drakes, in their brown heads, white fronts, and long tails, looked very elegant as they dibbled among the shallows. The gulls, so far as I could tell, were all either common gulls or black-headed gulls, the two commonest gulls that visit us here in winter. A few herring gulls come most winters, kittiwakes drop in occasionally after hard weather, and in 1941, a little gull turned up and stayed several weeks. J.

K. A. REVENUE MAINTAINED Supply costs last week were 122,030,000, a. daily average of 17,432.857. Yesterday's Exchequer returns show that total ordinary revenue maintained its high level at 95,422,672.

Receipts from income tax fell by 7.000,000. to 54,903.000. the decrease being offset by rises in EP.T. and Customs and Excise. Customs and Excise receipts, on which a surplus is probable, total to date, compared with an estimate for the year of 805.000,000, The week's deficit was 26,607,328.

BISH OP IN NORTH AFRICA The Right Rev. G. W. Wright, Bishop in North Africa, has recently resigned his see and the Archbishop of Canterbury has nominated the Rev. G.

F. B. Morris, Rector of Slogan, Cornwall, as his successor. This appointment has naturally a special interest at the present time, as the diocese of North Africa comprises Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, as well as Madeira and the Canaries. Dr.

Wright, who was consecrated Bishop of Sierra Leone in 1923, was appointed Bishop in North Africa in 1936. The new Bishop was for many years a "missionary in Africa, from 1S22 to 1932 in Uganda and from 1932 to 1840 in Morocco. From 1938 to 1940 he was Archdeacon of North Africa. BLACK-OUT TOMES To-night's official black-out and lighting-up times are Manchester 6 II sun. to 8 32 sun.

London 6 9 pja. to 16 ajn. Sin Sets' Btes Bet Ta-iMT SO 340... US1UB. Tu-Miioa 803 543...12 Z8 U.

Uitta SIXTEEN able exchange rate of 480 lira to the pound. Proclamations prepared in advance in three languages English, Italian, and Arabic have been posted an nouncing to the inhabitants the fact of the British occupation and calling on them to remain tranquil and obey orders. It is confidently anticipated that life will go on in occupied Libya even more smoothly than during recent months when the presence of German and Italian armies, even before the British advance, made life difficult for the inhabitants. TRIPOLI CEREMONY Tripoli January 23 (Delayed). The first forces of the Eighth Army to enter Tripoli were armoured cars of a former light cavalry regiment which had made the desert crossing.

There had been a hold-up a few miles south of Castel Benito yesterday evening, but during the night the enemy made off. Signposts in Tripoli pointing the way to Zuara showed what purpose the German delaying action had meant to serve and had served. At noon General Montgomery met the Vice-Governor of Libya, the Prefect of Tripolitania, and the Mayor of Tripoli at crossroads just outside the city and there received its formal He told them that his war was against the German and Italian armies and that he desired the life of the normal civil population to continue. He gave a warning against any treachery, espionage, and subversive activity, against which he would take severe measures. The Vice-Governor replied that he would co-operate loyally and that he and his people would do their duty.

The ceremony was impressive by its very lack of ceremonial. The Vice-Governor stood in the road with the Prefect on his left and the Mayor on his right. They were dressed with supreme correctitude in much-braided military uniforms, which signally failed to impress General Montgomery, who was wearing battle-dress and a tank -beret, with two sweaters showing different colours. The simplicity of his manner and of his uniform told its tale. There stood near two armed military policemen, a few high officers, war.

correspondents, and a bare hundred civilians, largely Arabs. In five minutes it was over. General Montgomery turned to the press to tell them he had nothing but praise for the soldiers of the Eighth Army and that it was only a coincidence that the entry into Tripoli fell on the same day of the month as the start of the Alamein battle. The crowd then dispersed. The Times' 'Manchester Guardian' Service left on the way to Luisa's.

so he had his bearings. True, it had unaccoun tably come out on his right, but it would as soon have occurred to him to turn back as to go round' it. A hill barely a hillock really must, like a river, be taught its place. He began the ascent. Step by step the patient mare picked her way up, agile, sure-footed, and.

what was luckier, experienced. The hill more like a mountain really was just as steep as it looked and seemed to have an endless series of summits, or was it growing as they climbed At last they reached the final peak and after a short rest tackled the downward path. He had never approached the settlement from this direction before, but he knew the way to the right, across a small bridge, and straight on. Keeping to the right at a sober trot, he met nobody, rather to his astonishment, for he remembered hearing of heavy traffic over the bridge, which, spanning a deep ravine, saved a detour of some hours. Perhaps the traffic had been too heavy or perhaps time and weather had done their work at all events, the bridge was gone.

Pablo saw the remains of it, fragments of wood and rope, far below. For the first time that day he saw two courses open to him one was to lasso a tree-stump opposite and swing himself over. But, then, what about the mare? Anyway, it was too risky. He decided on the second. Withdrawing to about a dozen yards from the edge, he patted her neck encouragingly and plied his spurs.

The mare broke into a gallop. She jumped. The air whistled in his ears. She landed cleanly and galloped on. "Bueno," thought Pablo, wiping the sweat from his face, "that's just as welL A nice fool I'd have looked at the bottom of a ravine." Luisa was pleased to see him, though she was under no illusion that his visits were ever disinterested.

After he had watered and fed the mare and washed himself at the pump she gave him a good meal, and, eyeing his bedraggled clothes without surprise, suggested his borrowing something from her husband, who was over at the wine-shop. Pablo nodded; but suddenly recollecting his mother's advice, which he prided himself on having followed faithfully so far, he refrained from pestering his brother-in-law. Instead he helped himself. He chose the loudest shirt he could find, a neckerchief that shouted it down, and a broad leather belt studded with silver. He also found a knife to stick into the-belt and a pair of spurs with enormous rowels, but wore his own hat, his brother-in-law's being too big.

Then he went down the road to a large shed from which the mild light of candies and lanterns gleamed invitingly. Inside a couple of guitarists and an accordion player were tuning up, and a number of young men and girls stood Pablo joined a group, gave a general greeting, and. stared abstractedly at one of girls. She blushed and said, I didn't know you were coming, Pablo." He fingered the borrowed rbelt negligently. "Oh, 1 ut I thought Td look in." i A.

CaiizRaS. ANTI.CORROSION To till Government specifications. Coatings of Aluminium, Tin, etc No limit to size ol work. Large, and small work handled expeditiously. WEAR REPAIR Worn parts and nwrfiining errors rectified with Steel, Nickel, Phosphor Bronze, etc.

ALUMINIZINO To Government specification. For the protection at iron and steel against neat. GIVE US A RING-ITS QUICKER dm 907 THE GUARDIAN MANCHESTER, WEDNESDAY, January 27, 1943 -CASABLANCA It is necessary not only to win the war, whereto the road is now more clearly seen, but to win it quickly. During the last few days the regi mented voices which admit Germany's declining fortunes have threatened that if she loses the war she will drag down with her as much of civilisation as she can. The threat, which is likely to be often repeated as her hopes of a stalemate peace grow fainter, is not to be taken lightly.

It is consistent with the character of the Nazi leaders, who, so far, continue to command the obedience of the German people. The Allies, therefore, have to plan strokes which, if well conceived and well executed, should thwart the Germans in their plan. now their only remaining hope, of waging a prolonged defensive war wmtu wiu exnaust tneir enemies equally with themselves. We are in sight of a new situation. General Dittmar has just said that there una ueea no turning-point in the war.

There have, in far been two turning-points. The first was that the Germans (let the term include the had to resign themselves to holding their ground. The second is that they are losing that ground. They are, in all probability, to be driven out of the Caucasus and to be compelled (in order that their man-power may go round) to shorten their line jn the East. They are about to be expelied from Africa, which means that another front can be set up against them in Europe.

A gap has been torn in their resources by the Russian victories. They are combing Germany and squeezing their allies for more men. At the same time we are hoping to restore our own freedom in the mediterranean, giving us more shipping and improving our power to strike. It is an opportunity, the first great opportunity, for offensive blows directed at the Axis heart This is the situation, so far as Europe is concerned, whose immense possibilities the Casablanca conference met to develop. The reports encourage confidence.

They suggest a closer co-operation among the principal allies than we have yet had. Not only did the President of the United States go to Africa, a striking symbol of the decisive American intervention on this side of the Atlantic, but Stalin himself would have been there were he not personally attending to the Germans; Mr. Churchill, speaking for us all, regretted that neither Stalin nor Chiang Kai-shek could be present at the conference, but both of them have been kept fully informed of the decisions taken. Now that we have reached a stage of co-operation at which the Russian and Chinese chiefs would, have joined their British and American 'colleagues but for distance and duty, the next step should be to include staff officers from these countries in every future conference some high representatives, even if not the highest, could certainly be spared. Apart from this, the staff meetings, strengthened by the "visits" of all the commdnders in the Mediter ranean, were about as complete as they well could be.

The subjects of discussion were comprehensive. Although the "prime object" is described as being to draw as much weight as possible off Russia or, to put it another way, to put on Germany such a double pressure that she cracks," yet "the entire field of the war was surveyed theatre by theatre "throughout. the world," and we can be sure that the Pacific will come' in for a good share of those pooled resources in men and material whose ruse was "marshalled" by the conference. Australia and New Zealand will note that when the President and I Mr. Churchill spoke of "unconditional surrender" as the only end of the war which we shall tolerate they bracketed the destruction of the evil power of Japan.

equally with that of Germany and Italy. So say we alL The Roosevelt-Churchill conference has. helped to'; bring Generals de Giraud together. Their -cara relief to'thoser-Bad 'they are many every Allied I'm taking the roan," said Pablo casually. His mother held her breath, for she lived in dread of his going off to this war overseas that people spoke so much of.

"Back to-morrow mid day," he added, and she exhaled audibly, feeling that even at the age of sixteen he would hardly expect to settle a war overnight. such a big one, anyway. Bueno," she said. Don't get your boots wet." He nodded impatiently. "Any message for Luisa Just tell her I'm well.

Keep to the main road, Pablo, and when you get there don't pester your brother-in-law." "Yes. No. Bien," said Pablo at random. He swung himself on to the saddle and the roan mare cantered away. It was easy enough to keen to the main road, with its smooth, hard surface and its long row of telegraph poles, like a giant's fence easy, but dull.

For variety's sake Pablo took a short cut that led across some fields and, after one had turned either right or left, back to the main road again. The mare, a fresh and lively animal, had already chosen the left turning, so he decided to give her her head, and it could not have been altogether wrong, he felt, for very shortly he espied the main road before him again. Well, not immediately before nun: tnere was a river inJ the way. No apologetic trickle either, but a regular young torrent, blatantly unconscious of the fact that it had no business there. Still, his mother had.

told him to use the mam road. She had also told him to keep his boots dry. He stripped quickly, wrapped the boots in his clothes, and tied the bundle carefully on to the roan's back. Then he urged her into the water and plunged in himself. A fairly strong current carried him out of his course and he scrambled on to the opposite bank some thirty farther along than he had intended.

The mare too had had a strenuous swim, and his shirt and one leg of his breeches were soaked. His mother would have been pleased, though, to see how dry his boots were. The strong afternoon sun quickly dried his clothes sufficiently for him to wear them without leaving a watery trail, and he rode on. The broad way gave place to a series of narrower ones, covering a good stretch of the way to the settlement which was his destination; they were newish dirt roads with angular turnings and bordered with wire fences such good roads, so straight, so neat, so tedious. Pablo was yawning with boredom when he noticed a gap in one of the fences.

It was not very large when he found it but enormous when he left it, and the road it led him to was interestingly uneven. more interesting it became, naturally, the less like a road, until at last the mare was making her way through sharp puna-grass, around rocks and boulders and man-high cactus plants. An occasional owl hooted at them, and once a snake slid away at their approach. Pablo whistled cheerfully, confident of picking up the trail' again any moment now, sure enough, there soon loomed ahead a hill he recognised. Massive, stark, of uncompromising steepness, it.

lay to 'one's.