19 MAY 1917, Page 1

NEWS OF THE WEEK.

THE news from the Western front is a record of eentinuous counter-attacks during the week delivered by the Germans and successfully resisted by our troops. The weight and fury of these counter-attacks are a proof of the importance which the German Staff attaches to several of the points now in dispute. A wedge driven in at Bullecourt, for instance, might compromise the whole present German line from Queant to Lens. There is no doubt that the Germans have brought divisions from other fronts, and their man-power and gun-power show no sign of failure. At the same time, our troops have taken very heavy toll of the Germans. The geographical extent of our gains is the very last measure by which our progress can justly be estimated. So long as the Germans are content to lose men in counter-attacks which never gain more than a temporary success, we may be sure that by merely holding ground we are not wasting= time.