Mr Wells makes three specific allegations in support of his contention.
The first is that whilst there has been great individual gallantry and a magnificent use of the sparse material available, there has been no energy of organisation in the matter of British and French aviation.
Consequently, he suggests that the Allies are as far as ever from being able to make a systematic attack in force upon Germany through the air.
The second instance of British conservatism alleged by Mr Wells is in the failure to keep pace with German improvements in trench construction and artillery, and with this he associates the notorious shortage in high explosives.
There has been, he says, no counter-stroke to the German submarine and no efficient protection against the improved German torpedoes.
Mr Wells makes the additional point that, while Great Britain is still piling up infantry recruits by the million and equipping them with rifles, Germany has adopted as the 1915 model the idea that one well-protected skilled man with a small machine gun is better than a row of riflemen.
This for trench defence is ''the proper scientific thing'', and against this Britain fires shrapnel and hurls infantry.
It is to be feared that there is a good deal of warrant for what Mr Wells says.
He sees no remedy in default of the creation of ''some supplementary directive force'' in which British scientists and the younger scientific soldiers and sailors should have fuller representation than at present.
Mr Wells concludes: ''In Flanders we are up against the real strength of Germany: we are up against Westphalia and Frau Krupp's young men. Britain and France have to get their own brilliant engineers and chemists to work against that splendid organisation. Unless our politicians can add to the many debts we owe them the crowning service of organising science in war more thoroughly than they ever troubled to do it in peace, I do not see any very great hope of a really glorious and satisfactory triumph for us in this monstrous struggle.''
• Acting upon medical, geological, and sanitary advice the Defence authorities have decided to establish a new permanent camp for training reinforcements, and to run it in conjunction with Trentham.
There will thus be two camps - the present Trentham camp and a new one at Tauherenikau.
Each will contain about 4000 men.
• One of the principal matters that received consideration of the Acclimatisation Societies' Conference at Wellington was the prevalence of poaching.
Members complained that magistrates generally were unsympathetic in its suppression, and in recording convictions imposed penalties that were absurdly low.
Mr E. F. Stead cited an instance where his society has gone to the expense of £90 in catching and prosecuting a party of poachers.
The offenders, as the result of one day's catch, were found with some 120 trout in their possession, averaging 4lb a piece.
Yet they were fined only 5s each.
It was resolved to urge the Government to increase the penalties for shooting game out of season, the minimum penalty to be not less than £5. - ODT, 9.8.1915.
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