The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo.

WEDNESDAY. MAY 31. 1005. A GREAT NAVAL WAR.

——» .. Tar the em. that tacts mmimtmmem. For the wrtmg that needs rmtitmnm, | far the future in the dittane*. | And the fNd tfc«f «• om 4*.

Perhaps the most remarkable feature of the great struggle that has been I raging for nearly eighteen months in ! the Far East is the extraordinary efficiency that Japan has displayed in both arms of her defensive service— naval and. the military. It is difficult, to decide whether more honour is due to Togo than to Oya.ma. to the. soldiers who stormed Nanshan Hill and captured Liao-yang and Mukden, or to the sailors who "'bottled" Port Arthur and swept the Pacific fleet and the Baltic fleet in succession from the seas. Yet. though the Japanese armies have won a succession of victories without parallel in recorded history, it must be admitted that in this war, as in all other ! great international conflicts, ultimate victory has depended in the last resort upon the command of the sea. Nothing but, the early successes of Togo and the supremacy of the. Japanese fleet have rendered possible the triumphs of the Manchurian campaign; and it is as a naval rather than a. military contest that the Russo-Japanese war will be regarded by the historians and critics of the future. Before the great struggle began, the preparations made by Russia and Japan showed clearly that the two rivals fully understood the immense importance that attached in such a conflict to naval predominance. By the beginning of 1004 Russia had gathered in Eastern waters a most imposing fleet, consisting of 7 modern battleships, 2 modern armoured cruisers, 2 large belted cruisers, 7 fast protected cruisers, 7 older cruisers, and about 26 destroyers and other torpedo craft. To meet the great crisis of their history the Japanese had been preparing their fleet assiduously ever since 1895; and they now possessed 0 modern battleships, 6 raoderj, armoured cruisers, 10 fast protected cruisers, 19 older cruisers, and from 80 to 90 torpedo boats of various kinds. The total fighting strength of Japan at that time was reckoned on the usual basis at 128 points, and that of the Russians at 105 points. But at the critical j moment the Russian vessels were dis- { tribated without any regard for such ' a contingency as the outbreak of war. ! Four heavy armoured cruisers were at j Vladivostok, a cruiser and gunboat on ! the Korean coast, and the balance of j the fleet—7 battleships, an armoured | cruiser, 5 protected cruisers, and a | number of transports and destroyers i were ewjwded into the twain at P©?t '■ Arthur. Some ttm? 4J&* Mo** fa «■*

break of hostilities Admiral Stark I gave the Japanese full - notice of his j intentions, and ample opportunity for ; observing his fighting strength by com- i ing out of .Port Arthur and cruising ! about in the open sea,. It was there- i fore possible for Togo to concentrate the greater part of his splendid force I upon the Russian fleet with a full know- ; ledge of the position and the prospects ' of success. , i The opening incidents of the war j revealed at once to tie world the fact j that Japan's naval leaders had fully j grasped the supreme importance of the initiative in such a contest. The Russian plea that the Japanese fleet attacked without formal declaration of war is, of course, simply puerile. The Russians, more especially at Port Arthur, by their neglect of even ordinary naval precautions, gave Togo and his subordinates every possible facility for striking a deadly blow, and the chance was not neglected. On, February 6th, I after negotiations with Russia had been | broken off, Togo left Sasebo with his I whole fleet. He detached a. division under Admiral Uriu to deal with two j Russian boats at Chemulpho; but the j main body of the fleet proceeded on its i way to Port Arthur. He found the [ Russian vessels at anchor in the inner | harbour, almost unguarded; and on the j night of February Bth he delivered an attack w|ith torpedo boats. The result- I was that the two finest battleships in | the Russian fleet, the Czarevitch and •■ the Retvisan, and the cruiser Pallada, j were seriously damaged, without any | loss to the Japanese. By this decisive j stroke the balance of naval power was j for the moment thrown into the hands , of Japan. i Without entering into superfluous , details, it may be as well to recall some I of the more important features of the \ opposing naval forces. The Rctvisan and Czarevitch were the best of the Russian battleships then in commis- j sion : the Retvisan was » vessel of j 13.100 tons, and the Czarevitch of : 12.700. both carrying several 12-inch guns And hcavyminor batteries. The Pallada. was a 20-knot protected cruiser of 6630 tons; her loss was not so serious. But the torpedoing of the two battleships left Admiral Starck with nothing ' to oppose to the four splendid firstclass ships headed by the Mikasa. a 15,200 ton ship, of 18 knots, more j heavily armoured and gunned than any ; of the Russian vessels. The other Russian battleships ranged from 10.000 to 12,000 tons, and from 17 to 10 knots; but the three ships offehe Poltava class were little stronger than the magnificent armoured cruisers of Japan, and Togo's fleet was sdbn strengthened in this particular by the arrival of the i powerfnl Genoese cruisers Kasuga and I Xisshin. purchased before the. war begam. The Russian protected cruisers were all fast boats, but were weak in armour and guns, and had no chance in open fight against their own class in the Japanese squadrons. The temporary loss of the two chief Russian battleships thus made a vast difference to the prospects of the naval campaign; and on the day alter the first blow was struck the Russian fiphtinp force was further decreased by the destruction of the Korcetz and the Variag, a 6300-ton SB-knot cruiser, :n the harbour of Chemulpho. Togo's duty was manifestly to do all possible damage to the Russian fleet before it could recover from its dismay and disorder. He therefore attacked the Russian ships in the roadstead on February : 9th with all his force. The Russians I made a very ineffectual resistance, and | three.of their cruisers, the Diana, AsI kold, and Novik. and another battleship, I the Poltava, were seriously damaged by i the Japanese fire. On February loth, in J the midst of a raging snowstorm the , Japanese destroyers raided the harbour: ! and by February 24th Togo judged it I feasible to initiate the second part of his ! programmethe sealing of the harbour ' to prevent the egress of the Russian fleet, | and to forestall any attempt to interfere | with the Japanese transports engaged !in landing troops in Manchuria. Up to May Ist; three, attempts were made to I block the fairway at Port Arthur, and the first two failed in spite of the heroic courage displayed by the Japanese. In the interval Admiral Starck had been succeeded by Admiral Makaroff. who infused new energy into the defence. Rut on April 13th he was decoyed out of | the harbour by a clever ruse, and in reI treating before Togo's fleet, which en | deavoured to intercept him, the Russian admiral ran his flagship on a mine that had been laid by the Japanese at the harbour mouth. The loss of the Petropavlovsk—an 11,000 ton ship of 17 knotsstill further weakened and disheartened the Russians; and when a third desperate attempt was made to block the channel, it succeeded sufficiently for t. time | and the purpose. Within two days after Togo had reported that the Russian fleet was safely locked up in Port Arthur, the Second Army of Japan was landed safely in Manchuria. The next phase of the naval war is a period of comparative inactivity at Port £. rth ™- _ S * CUre in his se «-et base at | tbe Elliott Islands, Togo guarded the I sea-ways between Manchuria e nd Japan , and checked every effort made by the' I imprisoned fleet to interfere with hi* .transports. At the same time it was necessary to detach a strong body of j cruisers tiB _ Admiral Kamimura to i watch the Vladivostok squadron, which consisting of at least three powerful .cruisers, made dangerous raids up mi , Japanese commerce and along the coast lof Japan. Meantime. Admiral Withoeft inside Port Arthur had dons wonder in repairing and refitting hh tf*maee-t i ships: and on June 23 the world iosmed Ito its astonishment that the wliel* of i the Russian fleet—Retvisan, Tmxwvliefa a m d j a! L *£*. damaged (T«i3ep 5 -,h R d cleared the falrw&y and coma cut into the open to front of Pert Arthur, Teffo hasteiyd fc offer battle, .aid WitkoSt

promptly retreated, thus throwing away j the best opportunity the Russians had j yet found for crippling the Japanese ! fleet. For by this time Togo had suf- j fercd severely from the fortunes of war. i There had been many encounters be- i tween Japanese and Russian destroyers, in which the Japanese were almost in- : variably successful; and much desultory! fighting between the cruisers, in which i the Novik and the Bayan carried off most of the honours. But the Japanese sustained no serious loss till on May 14 the Hatsuse, a 15,000-ton batt_?ship. was blown up by a mine, and on the same day the Yoshino, a 4000-ton fast cruiser, was rammed, by the Kasuga in a fog and went to the bottom. About the same —though this loss was • long carefully concealedthe battleship | Yashiraa. 12.300 tons, struck a mine, and j while being towed to Sasebo for repairs, j foundered in shallow water. Togo's bat- j tleships were thus reduced to four, and j Withoeft had at least a reasonable | chance of success against him. But the i Russian admiral feared to risk too much,! and he withdrew again to the shelter of J Port Arthur. Togo dared not follow for i fear of submarine mines, and it was I now urgently necessary for Japan to j husband her naval forces with the most j heedful care, knowing well that jio ! serious loss could be repaired during the ; progress of the war. | The naval side of the war now for the j moment becomes subordinate to the | military. Togo could not allow the Russian fleet to escape, and therefore he could not detach any more ships to help Kamiinura in his quest for the Vladivostok cruisers which worked dire destruction in Japanese waters. But j when once the Third Army had settled! down to the bombardment of Port i Arthur from the land side, it became i necessary for Withoeft to take some { decisive action. After tfie capture of : Wolf Hill early in August, the Japan- i cse. siege guns largely dominated the ' harbour, and on August 101 h Withoeft' came out with his fleet, determined to j force his way to some neutral port i rather than face certain destruction where he lay. Orders were issued that i on no account must any Russian ships ■ return to Pert Arthur: but at a critical i moment of the fight Withoeft was kill- j ed, and Ukhtomsky. who succeeded to I the command, refusing to face the dead- I ly fire of the Japanese, led one-half of the fleet, back to its fatal shelter. On the same day Kamimura at last fell in I with the Vladivostok squadron, syid ! after sinking the Rurik drove the Gro- I moboi and Rossia back once more to j their refuge in tbe northern harbour. j This great battle of August 10,' was as decisive in its way as the defeat '• which has just overtaken Roshdestven-1 ski. It was a sea fight in which superior tactical skill and more accurate gun-fire I enabled a comparatively inferior force i to inflict, terrible loss almost with im- ! punity: and it resulted in the prac- ' tical destruction of the Russian Pacific fleet. The Tsarevitch reached Kiaochau battered almost to fragments: the cruis-1 er Diana sought safety in the French port of Saigon: the cruiser Askold and I a destroyer made for Shanghai. All these ■ vessels, severely injured by the Japan-j ese fire, were promptly disarmed. The gallant little Novik fled toward Vladi- I vostok, but was hunted down and blown ! np by the Japanese cruisers. Of the j Vladivostok squadron, the Rurik, an • 11.000-ton 8-knot cruiser, was sunk. j-nd . the Oromoboi and the Rossia reached j Vladivostok almost entirely disabled. The vessel? that returned to Port Arthur under tkhtomsky were the battleships Peresviet, Pobieda. Retvisan, Pol- I tava, and Sevastopol, the cruiser Pallada. and three destroyers. There they remained, partly dismantled and robbed Of their crews to add strength to the land defences of Port Arthur till the capture t>f 203-Metre Hill gave Nojji a chance of directing the fire of his heavy siege guns fall upon them. Even then, if Ukhtomsky had ventured out to hurl himself in a last desperate onslaught ! upon Togo's fleet, he might have repaired . his fatal error by sinking a few Japanese vessels, and so clearing the way for the Baltic squadron. But here again the golden chance was lost, and within a week after the capture of 203-Metre Hill the survivors of the Port Arthur fleet, were riddled hulks submerged beneath the water line. A striking sequel to this overwhelming catastrophe is the report that the Japanese expect to raise and refit for service at least five of the larger vessels, including all the battleships but the Retvisan. Such is tbe history of the. Russian navy during the Russo-Japanese war: and it would be difficult to find in history a more depressing record of fatuous self-confidence and inefficiency than has been here recounted. If we add to the list quoted above the names of the Bogatyr. apparently wrecked at Vladivostok; the Boyarin. sunk by a mine at Port Arthur: and the Bayan. also mined in the la-t days of the siege, we have accounted for every member of that splendid fleet which Alexeieff assembled in the Pacific i a little over a year ago to subjugate i Japan. As for the destruction of the I Baltic* fleet, that "was practically a foregone conclusion; and -the lossnow conI firmed—of the Suvaroff, with the illj fated Roshdestvenski, is, a fitting climax :to the most decisive and disastrous naval war that the modern world has I known.

The following is Captain Edwin's weather forecast for 24 hours from 9 a.m. this day: —'"Strong winds to gale from between north-east and north and west: glass fall; rain probably heavy." Saturday next, being the Prince of Wales' Birthday, will be observed as a Post Office holiday. In order, however, to avoid inconvenience, the office will be j open in all branches, excepting Money | Order and Savings Bank. from 8 to 10 j a.m. Mails usually despatched on Saturday after 7 a.m. will all close at. that hour. There will be no delivery by letter-carriers, but the public may obtain letters usually sent out by carriers by applying at the public counter batween 8 and 10 a.m. A lady residing in one of the suburbs had a startling experience yesterday afternoon. As she walked into the din-ing-room a huge plate-glass overmantel fell, carrying a clock, several vases and other ornaments, and dropped on the floor with a fearful crash. The clock went through the large centre-piece of the overmantel, and both were shattered, the remnants presenting a deplorable heap of ru'.nft. The lady saw the overmantel .a!-!-/?, and thought of trying to save It, s>'.:_ fortunately refrained, : lor she eotiltl not have stood under its weight, ars:t might have Sustained scrior.? injury, There were young children in th* house, but they were most luckily not In lha ream. Examination made r.f.er the neeident shewed that the screws trUli whieii the overmantel was ftxfoU reins in the wall, but that two brass tsbs through which the screws w-'rg t.f.iri?** had perished, and had snapper eirseijj? they felt what must have «<-«) a v«a. slij.it>* |i—l«,

Tys Harbour Board yesterday decided that Saturday, June 3, being Prince of Wales' Birthday, should be a holiday I on the .wharf. -Mr G. W. Basley asked., how it* was that the Beard's officials' on the wharf did not get a* fortnight's j holiday the same as those in the office . did each year. Mr Philson pointed out i that the" officials on the wharf were , paid for overtime. The chairman ruled ; that notice of motion must be given | if Mr Basley wished to go further with j the matter. At the Mangere Road Board on Monday a letter •was received from the secretary to the Manukau County Confer-! ence stating that the annual meeting ' of the conference would be held on June S. ft was set forth that the fol- j lowing subjects would be submitted for j discussion: —(1) Uniform by-laws for j the regulation of traffic. (2) Appointment of a sanitary inspector. (3) Government subsidy to hospital and" charitable aid boards on a population basis. j (4) Constitution of local bodies. (5. ! Graduated subsidy. (6). Special subs.-1 dies on Crown land rates. (71 Amen.-j ment to Local Elections Act. 1904. I.i J Extension of scope of conference over j more counties. (9) Maintenace of i Great South-road. (10) Liability of ' local bodies for accidents on roads. (11) | Opening of post offices at an earlier hour i at railway stations. (12) Simplification j in the methods for obtaining loans un- '■ der the Local Bodies Loan Act. A fur- j ther communication explained that it ! was proposed to appoint a sanitary ! inspector at a salary of about £200 \ per annum, to be paid by the local j bodies interested pro rata. After dis- j cussion the Board resolved that it did j not object to the appointment of a I sanitary inspector, but was of opinion I that the number of inspectors should i not be increased, as the duties of the I proposed office could be added to those I of other officials. The chairman and j Mr T. Hen wood were appointed dele- j gates to attend the Manukau County ; Conference. ■ An important sale of valuable cil and | pastel paintings by J. Douglas Perrett , and others will be held to-morrow j (Thursday! at Messrs. Warren Blyth j and Co.'s auction mart. The collection : comprises some 70 pictures, the greater j number being from the studio of Mr j Perrett. whose works are in ever-in- ] creasing demand throughout the col- | ony and elsewhere. Those who have not j yet seen this fine collection should not miss this opportunity of inspecting them. The subjects are of great variety and beauty, and have been greatly admired by those who have visited the rooms, where keen competition may be expected at the auction sale to-morrow. It is probable that an action will shortly be heard in Wellington between the Commissioner of Taxes and a Wellington land company, the business of which in parr of tbe disposal of land owned by the said company, regarding a point in income taxation, that is likely to create interest elsewhere. The threatened action is the outcome of the Commissioner having lately exerted the powers contained in sub-section.l. clause 59, of the Act of 1900. which states that income is liable to taxation when "derived from the purchase, sale, or other disposition of real property, if the taxpayer's ordinary business comprises dealing in such property, but not otherwise.*' If the dispute reaches the law courts it will be the first case of the kind taken under mc clause, and will affect many com-' panics, whose business, either wholly ; or in part, consists of sale of lands. * \ In the course of the report of the j Finance Committee read at the meeting of the Board of Education to-day. the committee recommended the Board to j authorise the engagement -of Mr Rich- ' mond Cavill until the end of ihe present | school year at a salary of £3 a week, | to pdvc instruction in life-saving at the ; town and suburban schools, the time- j table to be arranged by the Director of Technical Education, and the classes to j be organised according to the regula- I tions under the Manual and • Technical j Education Act. A novelty in the shape of a '""butter- ! fat ball" was given the other night at j Hikurangi by the Co-operative Dairy ! Company. The function was highly sue- ' cessful. about 200 settlers, their wives ! and friends being present. ! A Chinese marine store dealer named I Wah Lee. who pleaded guilty to two' breaches of the Marine Store Dealers*! Act. before Mr. McCarthy. S.M.. this morning, was shown to have been badly imposed upon by his English customer,}.' who took full advantage of Wah Lee's inability to speak or write their lan-; guage. The Chinese was charged with ' failing to keep an account of his transactions, and also for neglecting to have painted over his warehouse in Grey- '■ street tbe phrase "Dealer in nrarin---1 stores." The prosecution was conducted by Sub-Inspector Black, who said some brass was stolen from the wharf, and the inquiries into the matter resulted in/ the discovery of the fact that Wah Left was breaking the law. Instead of the proper entries in his book, there were a number of obscene phrases apparently written by Wall Lee's customers, the greater part of the book being full of this sort of thing. On behalf of the defendant. Mr. Skelton explained that Wah Lee. not being able to read or speak English, had to get his customers to make the • entries in the book. He innocently believed that the entries were correct. The magistrate remarked upon the importance of proper books being kept by marine store dealers, and said the entries | could be made in the dealer's own langauge and translated when required. He fined Wah Lee £2 and costs for omitting :to keep proper records of his transac- | tions, and recorded a conviction upon tie second charge. | An instance of the manner in which infectious diseases ar.? spread is now be- ; ing investigated by tbe health authorities and Inspector Donaldson. A Chinaman suffering from an infectious disease died in a shed behind a shop north of the Octagon. Before the Health Department received news of the death another Chinaman, living in the south end of the city, claiming to be a cousin of the deceased, claimed and removed tbe j clothing and bedding of the dead man. Inspector Donaldson got. on the tracks of I the. so-called cousin, only to find that tbe articles removed bad been disposed of. I Two sheets were found in one secondhand shop, and the mattress and some of the clothes in another, while portion of the clothing was found in a pawnshop. All these articles are to be destroyed by fire. Some blankets which belonged to the deceased Chinaman are still missing, but it is hoped information concerning these wil] be received to-day. The amounts paid to Messrs Douglas and Hussey for services rendered in connection with the capture of Ellis, the Te Auto murderer, were £100 and'£so respectively. Detective Brobttg received ££5. and Constables Butler and Wilcocka £12 10/ each, and each officer has also been granted an increased asu-LCf.

Tbe new ferro-concrete rail*- 3 - [ that is being built to replace t__**T wooden structure is well wdrth 5 by anyone who has not vet seen* ta " s I position of this branch of modert* "**" i gineering. A portion of *?" ; now being laid, so that the w__*TE, a i esting process of this latest aprtw?* :of mathematical science and enrtnZ^-! 8 skill to wharf building can blViSf j from the pile-driving to th* lavi** | the solid concrete roadway or— jL_? is destined to roll «_ much* of &*&£s i future commerce. -**«oi ! The annual Colonial Conferena* _* i. ! New Zealand Fanners' CaknTSl J& in Wellington on Tuesday 11th j 1 ? The Colonial Agricultural cSfcS will meet on the following TutmmxvS. July, in The Empire City also. "' * The directors of the Galbrahh !____ and Steel Company have rtctirZl A following cable from their repr^jT tires hi London referring to tiT^*" pending demonstrations of their" J?" cess: "London. May 30th.—^£2. several days. P, am an emjnS , given us jrreatest satisfaction? *"**& \ The Waihi Pres-byterian Omit* v j though the largest church in the *£_*!_: has been found too ma to , (tft^ date the congregation. The man^L have, therefore, decided to e'eti ! other building, which will prohahlv 4___ j£" 1000. - COi * | Strong tweed trousers 5/11, best vain, I ever shown: navy .vicuna suits, -.eg I made. 21/: men's oiNkin coats. 7fU ] Jolin Court, clothier, Queen-street.— Ai j Newest designs and colouring in „(, I season's h.'ousinss. flannel, satin fain. ; crepe, etc.: magnificent range, all poj I wool. 1/2*. 1/44. 1/64. to 2/6 vanifat j MeCuliagh and Gow.r'_ popular"drape* i — Ad. i White Jap silks, f>jd. lljd. 1,2; ; -p. ;cial value 27in Jap. J/43: all colours airJap. lljd. 1/3. 1/6. John Court's t*a , shops, Queen-street. Newest and latest styles in miftiaeiY, ! copies from Parisian models, and nest ; moderate in price: hats, toques and bos. ; nets, newest shapes in ready-To-«« r !in felt and straws, at MeCuliagh »j_j : Gower's. Ladies' golf jerseys, all colours, S"6 ; ] girls' sweaters, navy, cream, and tar. ! dinal. from I 11. John Court's t»n j shops. Queen-street.Ad. Hands up. Money or your life! I_ri% i and get a pair of warm gloves from G»a j Fowlds*.—Ad. Riding Hood cloaks for little girls ir cardinal and cream; pretty and wans 31 from 5/6. John Court's "two sbop, Queen-street Ad. Jackets.— lot of ladies", jat* received; every kind from the inexpensive, yet tasteful, to the very smarter styles, 12/11. 13/11, 14/11, to £6 W t Blouses, dress skirts, costumes, etc, in great variety, at MeCuliagh «£ Gower's. Velveteens in all shades, a grand __b« now selling at 1/2: panne velvets for blouses, choice designs 1/11; ._fl eolosrs in corduroy velvets 1/6*. Joan Cocrt-Queen-street. —Ad. The latest —Double width sacrushabie "chiffon taffeta silk, all tit rage at Home, in black, navy, brow*, reseda, sky ivory, white, only 5/11 vsrf, at MeCuliagh and Gower's.— Ail-wool hopsaek*. all shades, 1,-'§« stylish granite tweeds. 1/4s; 50in grey tweed. I'll*: 54in box cloths, 2/1^ worth 5/6. John Court's two s_iiss, I Queen-street. — Umbrellas, new and pretty -__:._. :*. j -.HI, 3.11. 4/6 up: real "urs, bMt, i white, and "cream, Tibet, imitation «x----mme. brovrn -marmot, etc.. i/ 45,'-' 1/11. brown per yard.—Mi£ullag__ rd 1/11. to 4/6 per yard.—McTullaglt i:i Gower.—Ad. IGower. —Ad. Umbrellas. Ladies' umbrellas. Nt I have an immense assortment of th*** , necessary articles now selling from 1/lL ! A .strand line of silver mounts at 4.6k I John Court's two shops. Queen—treti I -Ad. j Cream lambskin. 1* yards wide, fa I coats, warm cot sheets, dressing gowns, j etc.. only 1/11, worth 2/11; 3.6 for 2/5. i Heavy cream hopsacks. cream astrad-U-, ; corduroy cloth, and velveteens, ia great j variety: gray astrachan. beaver, and ! sealette. at MeCuliagh and Gowerti i popular drapers.Ad. Corsets, corsets, corsets. Erect font 1 corsets 2/6. the comfortable ribbon eer» J set 2/6. A warehouse stock of corseiß 1 now selling at 1 -'Si pair. John Cosrif : Queen-street. —