30 DECEMBER 1916, Page 3

As regards war news on the Western front, the only

item of im- portance is that a considerable new sector of the line has been taken over by the British forces. That is as it should be. It proves how steadily our man-power and our munition-power are growing, for Sir Douglas Haig is the most careful of commanders, and would never have undertaken this new responsibility had not he felt complete confidence in his power to bear it.