How deeply Australia has committed herself in the struggle for freedom and to down. the! Nazis is well-known from the narly cabled summaries of speeches delivered by. Australian cabinet ministers and others, and from the fact that large continents of Australian troops have been sent to Britain and to the Near Bast, where they have already done magnificent service. Of great interest, however, is a. letter received from an old Shanghailander who has Just gone to the Antipodes and who gives a first-hand impression of the loyalty and activity In war work there. He says:—
Cobbers here ake ready to meet the blasted Mun for the inal round, and he Britain. "Every man is a King's man women, and children are very conscious of thei Fesponsibiities to the Empire, and they are not hot alr merchants but have their working on for the duration—and how! If Austria, example of colonial loyalty. and such loyalty, Drectieal help ud faith can We marshalled Hime and applied correctly. then. any las, there is'no possible doubt anywhere of the final out come of this abominable action of Germany.
Australian troops, the correspondent goes on to say, hope that they will be used in an at~ tack upon Italy. The practicability of such an attack must, of course, be decided by the General Sta," but it appears that public, not official, opinion in Australia favours such a move and believes that it will be successful, drawing German troops from the northern coasts to the assistance of the Italians and eventually casing things in northern Europe to such a degree that Britain may be able to take the aunter-offensive with success, These are, of course, the opinions of the comparatively un-Informed public, and must not be taken' ay a reflection of official beliefs as to what can and should be done. They are interesting, never~ theless, ay proof that the offensive spirit, is) brightly "alive in Australia, as it Is in other parts of the Empire, and that there is a large body of the general public that believes it better to strike and strike hard fence than' to Wait behind barriers for an attack which may never properly develop.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.