THE GERMANS FAIL

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 248, 23 November 1914, Page 7

THE GERMANS FAIL

RUSSIANS DRIVE THEM BACK ALLIES' ARTILLERY DESTROYS ENEMY'S TRENCHES GREAT NAVAL ACTIVITY PORTS BOMBARDED AND MANY SHIPS CAPTURED SITUATION IN THE BALKANS SAID TO BE EXTREMELY GRAVE The latest cables indicate that the comparative lull in the fighting in Belgium and Northern France continues. The Allies' advance in the Argonne and V.osges districts goes steadily on. Around Dixmude reinforcements are being collected for the purpose of attacking the entrenched German forces. The furious efforts of the Germans to break the Russian line between the Vistula and the Warta RivGrs are reported to have failed, and their 1 vanguard has retired on the main body. ■■■> Cracow is severely threatened-by the advancing Russians, and the fwiHtary Governor there has expelled the civilian population. The 'Russian -fleet has been; active in the T)6mbardment of Turkish ' ports, and on lland also has defeated the enemy. Fifteen thousand; Ifcdiari troops have been-lahded at'various points » ; on the Persian Gulf. British warships have made several captures of vessels carrying contraband £ also of two steamers in West Indian waters, taking supplies to to the German cruiser Karlsruhe. Once again reports are to hand of rebel treachery in South Africa, by an abuse of the white flag, seriously imperilling a loyalist force. The situation in the Balkans is said to, be extremely grave.

By Cable. —Preis Astociation.-—Copyright.

INTERMITTENT BOMBARDMENTS j ALLIES' ARTILLERY ACTIVE. GERMAN TRENCHES DESTROYED. (Received November .23, 9.20 a.m.) PABIS, November 21. x . A communique ' states: —' 'Between Arras and the; Ois?: there has only been intermittent, bombardments. Our artil--5 lery, on -the whole, Ms been more active than the enemy 's, and has destroyed several lines of trenches. The constructing-, fresh trenches at rear. The day was quiet on the remainder rjt}ie ; front.' ...... J-) }--i ■' AROUND DIXMUDE. ALLIES GATHER REINFORCEC > : MENTS. ; ' |iiVAL TRENCHES VERY CLOSE. (Received November 23, 9 a.m.) ■;.f i v PARIS/ November ' 22. '' Large reinforcements are f being collect-- ; ed :to attack via Dixmude, where small German forces are entrenched. The British artillery have foiled every attempt to ; pjiyit batteries, Heavy infantry fighting is proceeding to the south Middle-Kerke. Opposing trenches in some districts are so close that the infantry iare able to ex-' change messages. A | dare-devil Frenchman, speaking Ger- '. «i£ui well, left the entrenchments and stood up and translated the full text of a - French communique, prefacing it with the remark: —" Your officers all tell you lies. 'Here's the truth." The Germans held their fire to listen, and the Frenchman escaped by suddenly jumping back into the trench before the Germans realised that the mea§age was finished;

Austrians outside Belgrade used contrivances resembling the old Roman c.atapult, throwing beer barrels filled with stones and explosives. These had, a terrible effect, the stones splitting up iiito' thousands of pieces. Berlin reports state that in well-in-formed military circles > it' is estimated that the' German losses have been 1,250,000 killedj wounded-, and- missing, exclusive of i the sick, whose numbers are reckoned at 500,000. L][FE JN. THE NAVY. > i "THE LONG EVENINGS.'' FRESH FRUIT AND VEGETABLES. "Times" iini "Sydney Sun" Services. (Received November 23, 8 a.m.) LONDON, November 22. A committee has been formed to supply the Fleet with fresh fruit and vegetables. Local supplies are shortening, and it is hoped to receive consignments from Australasia and Africa, in order to_ enable, the distribution to go on throughout the winter. The Government is arranging for an international Clearing House to facilitate commerce with Russia. A;British naval officer writes:- —"We have long evenings, and are always ready for a move of the German submarines. Eyen now. it is funny where they get their information in regard to our movements. Tliey Knew where our fleet was when off Devonport, and we did not know ourselves." BAVARIANS INSUBORDINATE. ENGLISH LADY SHOT. DISGUISED AS A PRIEST. "Times" and "Sydney Sun" Services. (Received November 23, 8 a.m.J.LONDON, November 22. . /Travellers .who have arrived at Copenhagen from Bavaria . state that the Bavarian troops are becoming insubordinate, as the Prussian headquarters is sparing the Prussians and is sending troops from South Germauy to what are called "Uriah posts." It is stated that in Courtrai an English lady, dressed as a priest, has been shot by the Germans as a spy.

BELGIAN REFUGEES. ARRANGEMENTS FOR EMIGRATION. RECRUITING<IM ENGLAND. (Received November 23, 8.40 a.m.) LONDON, November 22. Two British members of the House of Commons are in Holland, officially arranging for the emigration of many Belgians to England, with the British Government's assistance. There are over a quarter of a million refugees in Dutch territory. (Received November 23, 9 a.m.) LONDON, November 22. Sir J. A. Simon, Attorney-General, jpeaking at, a recruiting meeting at Asliton-under-Lyne, said the war .would not end until the Allies righted Belgium's wrongs and have crushed the hateful spirit of , Prussian militarism, •which i& a menace to Europe, and is •worse thiari 'the war, not only to v the smaller nations, but to the Germans themselves. ; (Received November 23, 9 a.m.) AMSTERDAM, November 22. All subjects of hostile countries have been ordered to leave Hamburg by November 29. They may reside in another large district, subject to restrictions. WEIRD WEAPON OF WAR. THE AUSTRIAN CATAPULT. GERMAN ESTIMATES OF LOSSES. "Times" and "Sydney Sun" Services. (Received November 23, 8 a.m.) LONDON, November 22. Copenhagen reports state; that the

DISCONTENT INCREASING-.

SACRIFICED BY THE KAISER, (Received November 23, 8.55 a.m.) LONDON, November 22. Dutch newspapers confirm the reports that discontent "among the Bavarian officers is increasing. They complain that they have been sacrificed, by the Kaiser, and are always placed in the front of the firing line. They declare that out :of 300,000 men only one-third survive. AUSTRIANS CUT OFF. EIGHTY THOUSAND IN DANGER. GERMANS' MISTAKEN ZEAL, "Times"- and "Sydney Sun" Services. (Received Novfember 23, 8 a.m.) LONDON, November 22. The Russians .are cutting off the retreat of the Austrians in Hungary, and 80,000 are in danger of being made prisoners. Bd'dapesth is alarmed, because it will be impossible afterwards to resist invasion, German prisoners captured at the Soinme say that the German officers, in order to prove their zeal during the Kaiser's visit, increased their daily

quota of one hundred shells to three thousand in twenty-four hours. The infantry were incited to attack villages, but failed ingloriously.

NEAR CRACOW.

MANY VIOLENT ACTIONS. RUSSIAN ADVANCE CONTINUES. PETROGRAD, November 22. It is officially stated that the AustroGerman forces on the CzenstochowaCracow line have made a violent offensive, with the intention of helping the central army. The Russians repulsed the attack, and drove the enemy back, inflicting enormous losses. Many of the enemy were captured.

There have been violent actions near Cracow, but the Russians continue to advance.

CRACOW IN PERIL.

CIVILIANS EXPELLED.

POLES FLEE IN ALL DIRECTIONS.

(Received November 23, 8.40 a.m.)

ROME, November 22.

The military governor"of •Criscowiiaß expelled -the civilian population. Fifty thoitsiaiid Poles have fled in all directions. :

DESPERATE ATTACKS FAIL.

RUSSIANS DRIVE BACK THE FOE.

DEAD, AND WOUNDED ABANDONED

PETROGRAD, November 21.

under the cross-fire of Russian infantry entrenched with strong support from machine guns. The Germans abandoned three thousand dead and wounded.

The vanguard of their advanced force has retired on their main body, which is now spreading itself among defensive positions round Lodz. The Russian pressure continues.

• The Germans 'reached Pronisk, eastward of the Bzura (a tributary of the Warta). Tliey fought their way desperately across, ■ the ! river Red, which had been filled with barbed-wire. Many were entangled and drowned . under their maddened horses' hoofs.

AMSTERDAM, November 21.

A German official statement says that the fighting round Lodz and east of Czenstochowa is still without result.

BALKAN SITUATION GRAVE.

STANDING POWDER MAGAZINE.

While Prussian infantry were entrenching near Gorstyrienj 1400 Russians charged into their midst. The masses were so dense that it was impossible at times to use the bayonet, and men fought with their fists. The Prussians were three times stronger than the Russians, and the gradually withdrew.

The Russians'were definitely successful southward of Czenstochowa. All the foremost German forces were driven back and compelled to act on the defensive in their old positions. During the Germans' last effort at Piever on line northward of Kutno, a German cavalry division came

FEELING IN BULGARIA.

ROME, November 21.

All reports from the Balkans describe the situation, especially in Bulgaria, as

TENDING THE WOUNDED.

grave. The Balkans are described as a standing powder magazine. . r 1 SOFIA, November. 21."

• Defeat of the Servians at Valjievo has created an impression in Bulgaria, wherei popular feeling sides with the Entente.; . < ■ :

.. Mi Malilio®/ leatlexym a speech iii the Sobranje, demanded the opening of with :the En-, tente, to secure the guarantee; <sf the realisation of Bulgarian unity.:. ROMANIA'S FVTURE. WHAT GERMAN WIN WOULD, "V MEAN. ■■ ' (Received November 23, B.4Q_a.m.) PETROGBAD, November 22. M. lonesco, Minister of the Interior, in a telegram to the" ""Vetchernoye Vremya,'' sayS: —'' All Rumania's interests and future are inseparably bound up with the - victory, of Triple Entente. The Germans' victorywould imply the burial of all the Balkan States' hopes, and neutral's independence. '' ON THE PERSIAN GULF. 15,000 INDIAN TROOPS LANDED. TtJRKS SINK A STEAMER. AMSTERDAM, November 22.' The " Frankfurter Zeitung" says 4000 Indian troops have landed at Koweit, 6000 at Bahrein, and 5000 at Bushire. CONSTANTINOPLE, November 22 The Turkish Government has confiscated the British Smyrna-Aidin railway. •

The Turks sank the Hamburg-Ameri-can steamer Ekbatana in the. Shatt-el-Arab, to prevent British naval operations there.

DESTROYER'S CAPTURE

A TURKISH SAILING SHIP.

shot down by hidden French batteries, Eight officers and pilots were killed.

AMSTERDAM, November 22.

(Received November 23, 8.40 a.m.) ATHENS, November 22. A British destroyer has captured a Turkish sailing vessel bound for Smyrna, with two discharged'' German officers.

Koweit, Bahrein, and Bushire are all situated in the Persian Gulf. Bahrein is an island owned by Britain, and is situated in the middle of the Gulf on the southern side. Bxishire is a Persian port of considerable importance, situated on the northern side, and Kowheit is in the north-west end.

French aeroplanes appeared at Friedrichsliafen at midday 400 yards above the sheds where new Zeppelins are being constructed. Shrapnel brought down one aeroplane, and the other fell into Lake Constance. Bombs from the machines damaged two houses, and killed a man and wounded a woman. The captured aviator was seriously wounded. ,

The Ekbatana, formerly the Turkistan, was sold to the Hamburg-Amerika

BRITISH OFFICER WOUNDED.

GERMAN OVER SOISSONS.

BROUGHT DOWN BY SHRAPNEL.

(Received November 23, 9 a.m.)

AMSTERDAM, November 22.

A- British officer on an aeroplane at Friedrichshafen was severely wounded in the head and one hand. The other aviator did. not fall into the lake, and dropped a bomb later on in another place.

PARIS, November 22.

Company by a British company l two years ago. ;She is a steel screw steamer of 4573 tons gross register, and was built at West Hartlepool in 1905. Her port of registry is Hamburg.

' A British aviator attacked a German aeroplane near the French batteries at Soissons. The German attempted to escape, but shrapnel fire brought it down, and t.vo officers and the mechanic were incinerated.

IN THE COMMONWEALTH. SENTRY SHOOTS TWO MEN. THE WHEAT PROBLEM. (Received November 23, 9.15 a.m.) SYDNEY, November 23. Two men, driving in a motor oar at Mona Vale, near Manly, failed to obey a sentry, who fired, wounding'both, but not seriously. MELBOURNE, November 23. Sir Alexander Peacock has strongly appealed to farmers, to, put the greatiest possible area und<*r whpat. Mr llolnian to-day will confer with the Commonwealth and State authorities with a view to collective action in the distribution of the available. Commonwealth wheat crop; also the importation of .any required. . v BRISBANE, November 23. The annual report of the Sugar Bureau shows that large numbers 6f Austrians, Spaniards, Greeksy and Italians, particularly the last-named, , are purchasing sugar farms. , ; .

MERELY A WARNING; THE TENNESSEE INCIDENT. TURKISH SHOTS NOT HOSTILE. WASHINGTON, November 21. Captain Decker, of the-Tennessee, reports that : the firing on the warship by the Turks in Asia Minor was not a hostile act, but was merely intended to give-warning to prevent the Tennessee entering the 'harbour: of Smyrna, which Turkey had declared: closed* THE PRESENCE OF MINES. . . ANOTHER EXPLANATION. - (Received November '}, 8.40 a.m.)- . WASHINGTON, November 22; The Porte explains that the shot fired over the Tennessee's launch was a warning against mines. TRAPPED! EXCITING AIR BATTLE. FRENCH AVIATORS' RAID. LONDON, November 21. An exciting air battle was witnessed on Wednesday. Two French and two British aeroplanes manoeuvred for ten minutes against four German machines, and then suddenly fled. The Germans went in -jjiii'suit," and realised .too late that they had been trapped. They were

ARTILLERY DUELS.

ALLIES SHOW SUPERIORITY.

PROGRESS IN THE ■ ARGONNE,

, f . PABIS,- November 1 21>. ItJ officially stated that there is i "Ta the north the fLghting has .bejenr mainly ;an artillery duel.. We repulsed frvro infantry attacks at ilollebeke. , "The. superiority of-our artillery; on. the . Aisne has been .accentuated, pre-, venting the. Germans from completing, new trench.es. We also destroyed German trenches; ,

"In the Argonne we progressed near .Verdun, and,also ip the Vosges.'' /.

The vfollowing* official statement is issued:—"The day lias been very quiet, except in the Woevre, where fivfe massed attacks 011 Epargnes were made within two . hours. French artillery repulsed the attacks." LONDON; November 21.

The correspondent of "The Times'.' in Northern France says the Allies' position was- never more secure than it fs-to-ddy. It has been found possible to grant holiday leave to,many officers and men, after many weeks of arduous service.

AFTER MONS.

THRILLING DEEDS OF BRAVERY.

WEST KENT REGIMENT

PROMINENT,

LONDON, November 22.

.Thrilling are ...to hand of the bravery of the West Kent. Regiment.' The West Kents covered the retreat of the Fifth Division after the battle of Mons, and figured prominently in the fighting on the Aisne. Their latest exploit was a five days' defence of against heavy odds at the end of October. A tremendous artillery fire forced the Yorkshire Light Infantry to evacuate their trenches, leaving the Kents' left flank exposed. The German were only 500 yards distant. Desperate attacks followed. The Kents shattered the with rifle fire, and drove back the Germans with a bayonet charge. The Germans renewed- the attack on the following day, when the trenches were only 250 yards .apart, the Germans working to the Kents' rear. Twelve officers and over 300 men of the Kents were killed, wounded, or missing before reinforcements of Indians and French enabled them to make.

a counter-attack. All the lost trenches were recovered. General Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien visited and specially commended the West Kents. LONDON, November 21. Four guns of heavy calibre and two mortars, captured by the Allies, were taken from emplacements prepared before the war. Two were discovered in the village of Saint Georges, near Ramscapelle. They had been sent there many months back, Germany paying £3OO for their lodging. Eight people responsible for the housing of the guns were immediately shot.^ The Prussian, Guard suffered so severely in its attacks on the British that it has been withdrawn from the> fighting line and been sent to ? recuperate in the rear.

THE GHURKA WAY.

STABBING AND SLASHING. REVENGE FOR GALLING FIRE.* i' PARIS, November 21. Indian troops for several days faced a terrific assault in the La BassGe re- 1 gion and their ranks were daily thinned.' by artillery and machine " gun lire. A company of Gurkhas was terribly worried from a German trench 200 yards. ■ : distant. Four of their number, during the iight, crept away, and just before dawn there was a sudden cry of terror from the German trench.' After a brief struggle against the invisible jfoe, who , ; slashed and tfie Germans were l ~ l seized with panic,, and fled to the rear.' '/• The four Gurkhas returned without a scratch. - 1 , t Daylight revealed silent mitrailleuses ajid the gashed bodie§..of' 15 German ' defenders. " J BRITAIN'S ARMIES. REINFORCEMENTS ALWAYS TRAINING THE VOLUNTEER. LONDON; November 21. Mr Harold J. Tennant, Parliamentary* Under-Secretary, to the War Office, in ' ;■ reply .to questions in the House of Commons, stated that the official view , v-* was that the million men now being?*" raised,would be sufficient to ensure success. All demands <for reinforcements Promptly, met. . ** Pdlonel Flyler, military''correspondent,of the "Matin," says'that none of , the 'British volunteers at the front will ['h£ve less than three months' instruction. The colonial contingents will cerjtkinty be better stuff than young Ger[iMti soldiers. " 1 ' • 3 .Mr Tennant' "assured members • wlio" mentioned ugly rumours in connection With Armyicontracts, that the re- , were baseless.,, GERMAN ROMANCE. ~v f T V '■ — STORIES, OF BRITISH DEFEATS. CANADIAN GOVERNMENT'S FIRM ACTION; j.

; NEW YORK, Npvember 21. Beriin" r js still dispatching.'-budgets of ' lies 'throughout the United States by • , means of the Sayville wireless station. x latest samples' include alleged, statements that"The Times/' acknowledges - - losses, that the rebel army has surrounded Blbemfontein, that Sudanese have risen at Alexandria, and that there have been , serious British defeats off the Arabian coasts

The American Press daily publishes thdfe reports without comment* Several. - pro-Gerihan papers are publishing tKem;regula*l^ States. v'v.^. . : '• -'' ' •

The' Authorities do not object to the British and French Embassies at Washington regularly issuing bulletins with - the object of counteracting, the German mendacity campaign. November 21. Tho Government has decided to make . it a criminal offence throughout Canada for d pfei'sOn to possess ' or circulate copies of German journals published : in the* United States/ ' ' ' .

effort is being made to flood Canada with pro-German literature, and the Government is prohibit-ing-theuse of mails for this purpose. LONDON, November 21. ; The German official wireless systemcirculates a story that 15",000 British were drowned in the canal between. Bixsfeiioote and Dixmude.

TREATMENT OF PRISONERS.

THE GERMAN DEMAND.

A THREAT FROM VIENNA.

, A ; r AMSTERDAM, November 21. ' The v< 'Nonldeutsche Allegemeine Zei- . protests against German newspapers demanding, the death of M. Delcasse's son and others unless the treatment of Germans abroad is ameliorated. It adds that wia* is waged with Governments, and not with individuals, and that the Christian law enjoining love of one's enemies still exists.-"'-"

VENICE, November 21.

An official statement issued in.Vienna; says that owing to the wretched position*! pf. ; Austro'Hungarians in England and-elsewhere, the treatment of alien

enemies in Vienna will bo made much Mvever, particularly that of the 500 British. MASSACRES BY AUSTRIANS. PROFESSOR'S AWFUL REVELATIONS. VICTIMS DIG THEIR OWN GRAVES. PARIS', November 22. Professor Reiss, of Lausanne University, has concluded an enquiry into Austrian atrocities in Servia. He states that Austrians massacred four thousand unarmed peasants in the Shabatz district, including women. The majority were taken as hostages, but as it. was impossible to send them to Austria immediately, they were hanged or shot. The Austrians forced lOf) hostages at Lechnitza to dig their own graves. Though many were only wounded, the firing party immediately filled in the graves, burying many alive. Professor Reiss visited other villages, where 1148 civilians were killed, and 2280 had disappeax - ed. The Vienna Press justifies the massacres, stating that the Servian population is always revolting.

ON LAND AND SEA. RUSSIANS DEFEAT TURKS. BEDOUINS ENTER EGYPT. TETROGRAD, November 21. It is officially stated that Russian ships bombarded Chopa, south-west of Batoum, and dostroyed harbour ,works, the barracks, and the Customshpuse, and blew up the ammunition depot. A Russian column defeated the Turks in the direction of Erzerum. V CAIRO, November 22. Bedouins crossed the eastern frontier of Egypt in the Sinai Peninsula. LONDON, November 21,

There is considerable insurance at Lloyd's against the closing of the Suez ' Canal. IN SOUTH AMERICAN WATERS. THE RIVAL FLEETS. CHILIAN GOVERNMENT FIRM. RIO DE JANEIRO, November 22. The Government has allotted the Glasgow seven days for repairs. NEW YORK, November 21. The San Francisco -Press publishes details of the rendezvous of; British, Australian, and Japanese vessels, off Lower California, with the object of giving battle to the German fleet known to be in South American waters. SANTIAGO (Chili), November 21. The German steamers Memphis and Luxor escaped from Chilian ports with provisions for the German fleet. • The Government has ordered the capture of the Luxor, and protested to Germany. It also prohibited the provisioning of the Kosmos Line in Chilian ports. [The Memphis is a steamer of 7074 tons gross register, built in Geestemunde last year for the Kosmos Company, the port of registry being Hamburg. She is fitted with wireless, and is a sister ship to the Kornak, which on Friday last was reported to have been interned at Antofagasta. The Luxor is a steamer of 7100 tons, completed last year, and also owned by the Kosmos Company, a large shipping firm, whose fleet of thirty-five steamers traded between Germany and the western ports of North and South America. )

BRITISH WARSHIPS ACTIVE. CONTRABAND CARRIERS CAPTURED. THE FATE OF THE GOEBEN. PETROGRAD, November 21. It is believed that the . Russian shells .crippled the Goeben's llin guns. PARIS, November 2V It is reported that the Goeben and Breslau were on their way to bombard Yalta when the Russian fleet attacked them. LONDON, November 21. British warships brought to. Glasgow two Norwegian steamers carrying four thousand tons of American copper ore for Gothenburg, underneath a general cargo. NEW YORK, November 21. British warships captured the Norwegian steamer Thor and the American steamer Lorenzo in West Indian waters while taking supplies to the Karlsruhe. The crews have arrived in New York, and the vessels are now prizes at St. Lucia, pending the sitting of a Prize Court,. • . LONDON, November 21. Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, in a letter, says:—" While the Navy lias not yet, as a whole, had an opportunity of showing that it possesses the old spirit which carried us to victory in the past, where opportunity has offered for fighting above water, the men have shown that they possess the same pluck and endurance as their comrades ashore. The discipline is perfect. Men have gone to death gallantly and unselfishly, frequently giving themselves up-for a feebler comrade. I feel prouder every day that passes that I command such men."

The Thor is a tramp steamer of 4739 tons, built at Stockton in 1907, and is Owned by a Norwegian firm which owns many such cargo carriers, plying in all parts of the world. The manager is W. Wilhelmsen, of Ton sburg, Norway. The Lorenzo is an American steamer of 3063 tons, built la&t year, and was owned by the New York and Porto Kieo Steamship Company, her port of registry being Now York.

REBEL TREACHERY. THE WHITE FLAG AGAIN. LOYALISTS ALMOST SURROUNI) ED. PRETORIA, November 21. It. is officially stated that Commandants Koen, Davel, and Maude, with 300 men, attacked 1500 rebels in the Zoornberg and Seuekal districts. The loyalists narrowly escaped being surrounded, owing to white flag treachery. One man was killed and seven wounded, including Davel and Maude, while 29 are missing. Several rebels were killed.

TRADE AND FINANCE. AMERICA WANTS SUPPLIES. WOOL FROM NEW ZEALAND. WASHINGTON, November 21. Great Britain has declined to agree to any modification of the embargo on Australian wool. American manufacturers still think that when the British Army's needs are satisfied the United States may be allowed to enter the market, as are badly required. Mr George Paisli, joint editor of the "Statist," has been suddenly recalled to England. It is supposed that he returns to confer with business men on the American financial crisis. It is understood that British bankers wish a personal explanation from Mr Paish regarding the creation of a £20,000,000 sterling credit fund at the Bank of England to protect American securities which may be sold when the London Exchange opens.

LONDON, November 21

The "Daily Telegraph" says that it is a moot point whether the War Office would not best serve national interests by releasing a dozen transports to allow them to bring cargoes of New Zealand crossbred wool, the shortage of which is seriously hampering the manufacture of military clothing. In the House of Commons Sir Henry Verney, in reply to a question-, said he was glad of the opportunity of contradicting rumours that the Government was fixing the price of wheat solely in the interests of the consumers.

PARIS, November 21. Cabinet has decided to lend Greece 20,000,000 francs.

TO EDUCATE OPINION. CAUSES AND ISSUES OF THE WAR. AN APPEAL IN ENGLAND. LONDON, November 21. Mr Asquith, Mr Balfouf, and" Lord Rosebery have signed an appeal for support for a central committee of national patriotic organisations, intended to educate public opinion regarding the causes and issues of the war, and to place before neutral countries a clear statement of Britain's case. The appeal declares:—"Come what may, there must be no weakening, no wavering, and no patched truce exposing our children to the revival of the German menace.'' "Times" and "Sydney Sun" Services. LONDON, November 21. '' The Times," in a leader, says the Government has exercised the control of the Press w;ith singular incompetence and great lack of judgment. If wrong ini--pressions are prevalent, critics ought to address their complaints to the Government, not to the newspapers.

CANADA'S HELP. INCREASING THE FORCE. FIFTY THOUSAND MEN. OTTAWA, November 22. Sir Robert Borden, in an official memorandum, says it has been decided to increase Canada's force to 50,000 men. Thirty-three thousand are already in England, and 8000 are on garrison duty in Canada and Bermuda. The Prime Minister announces that only the inability of Britain to accommodate a larger number prevents Canada from raising them.. Fifty thousand men will be kept continually under training.

IN NEW IRELAND. > MISSIONARY ILL-TREATED. BRUTAL GERMAN ATTACK. SYDNEY, November 22. The ' '.Daily Telegraph's" Rabaul correspondent reports that Mr Cox, an Euglish missionary, has arrived in a serious -condition after brutal treatment at the hands of Germans in New Ireland. Mr Cox states that he was making a periodical visit, and spending the night with a German missionary, and was chatting oh the vferandah, when five armed and masked Germans appeared and accused him of conveying information to the forces at Rabaul. He protested his innocence, but was denuded of clothing, flogged with a cane, and put into a boat in a semi-conscious condition, and ordered to return to Rabaul, where he received medical attention. A punitive expedition left to investigate the matter.

CRACOW. A THREATENED CITY. One must approach Cracow as tho Russians now do, from the vast plain which stretches eastwards, in order to get a proper impression of what constitutes the great interest of the old Polish capital—the melancholy sunset of its proud and splendid past, wrote a correspondent of the '' Manchester Guardian'' recently. It is from the east, and not, as most tourists do, from the Silesian ridges on tho northwest, that one sees in their multitude the towers and turrets, the steeples and domes

of Cracow, and sees tliem untarnished by the network of narrow, tortuous, and dirty streets which characterise the city that whs the glory of the Polish kingdom when that kingdom was the rival of Russia, the suzerain of Prussia, the possessor of a mighty sword that counted for a great deal in the fortunes of Europe. For three centuries Cracow was the residence |of the Polish kings. Here reigned Kasi:mir the Great —great alike in prowess and in encouragement, of peaceful arts, the author—this in the fourteenth century—of the celebrated edict, of tolerance to the Jews. Here in 1.'556 was also celebrated the marriage between Grand Duke Jagello of Lithuania and Queen Jadvigaof Poland, which fused the two States into one powerful kingdom. And here, too, in 1525 the fatal mistake was made by King Sigismund I of granting to Albrecht of Bran-" denburg the Duchy of Prussia in perpetual fief—that Duchy which in course of time grew to be the Piussia of Frederick the Great, the gravedigger of Poland. Cracow remained the royal residence of Poland till 1600, when Sigismund 111 took up his abode in Warsaw. But both he and all his successors till 1764 continued to be crowned at Cracow, and all of them were laid to eternal rest at the Cracow Ivatedra —the Cathedral which still survives.

At the beginning of the seventeenth century Cracow, received a mortal blow from the transference of the capital to Warsaw. By that time the mad period of elective kings had already been in full swing, and Cracow repeatedly fell the victime of the rival jealousies of the candidates. In 1655 Charles Gustavus of Sweden, deceived in his hopes for the Polish throne, came and sacked Cracow, disarming its citizens, expelling all its clergy and professors, destroying * its churches and schools, and exacting a heavy contribution from the inhabitants. No sooner had he gone than the Transylvanian prince, the famous Georg Rakoczy, came and completed the work of devastation. Again, in 1702, Charles XII of : Sweden, suffering defeat everywhere, wrecked his vengeance upon Cracow by first plundering and then burning it. His Polish protagonist, King August 11, who also was elector of Saxony, found- nothing better to do than to carry off the copper roof of the royal palace to Dresden under the pretext of. needing it for making cannon —a fitting symbol of the iirfpending doom. Russia and Prussia were already on Poland's track, and the so-called Confederation of the Bar, with its chief seat at Cracow, was formed in order to offer resistance to the two preying Powers. But Snvaroff took Cracow by storm in 1772, aud Poland underwent her first partition. Twenty years later Poland was partitioned for the second time, and then the great rising under Kosciuszko broke out in 1794 with Cracow as the centre of national defence. This time it was the end of Poland. King Stanislas resigned his crown and Cracow was taken and pillaged by the Austrians and Prussians, and the latter carried off to Berlin the contents of the Royal Treasury—five diadems, four sceptres, three globes, two golden chains, and the sword of Boleslas the Great, which had girded the loins of the Polish kings at the Coronation ceremony for seven centuries. 1

Cracow now became an Austrian city, but with the restoration of the Duchy of Warsaw by Napoleon it was incorporated with it. By the Treaty of Vienna, which destroyed the duchy and sanctioned the threefold partition of Poland, Cracow, with a small adjacent territory, was constituted a ''free, independent, and permanently neutral'' republic under the "protection of the three Powers." The outcome of thin "protection" is well known. In 1846 Austria attacked and annexed the republic against the protests of England and Prance. Since then Cracow has been turned into a first-class fortress and the royal palace became a barracks and a military hospital. The University itself was at first turned into a German school, but its Polish character was restored in 1870. Now the visitor to Cracow sees only the remnants of its ancient glory. St. Florian's Gate—perhaps the finest monument of Gothic, architecture in Poland—still marks the site of the ancient walls. In the- old market place—Rynek Glowny, now re-christened Ringsplatz—still stand St. Mary's Church of the thirteenth century, with its exquisite high altar, and the old Clothhouse, now containing the national museum. Not far from it is St. Anne's Church, with the tomb o"f Copernicus, who, though born at Thorn, studied and died at Cracow. Above ; all, there is the Cathedral, the Polish Westminster, with the tombs of the Sobieskis, the Xasiniirs, the Poniatowskis, and of Kosciuszko himself, and with statues from the great chisel of Thorwaldsen. But along with these monuments the visitor will find two belts of forts--one ;{O, the other 12 miles in circumference, guarding the approaches to the city against a Russian attack, and barracks and depots without number.

FOR ACTIVE SERVICE. 4 ' A SLUR ON OTAGO." Pre* • Association. DUNEDIN, November 21. A deputation waited on the Mayor to-day, urging him to call a public meeting, or take some other measures, to encourage enlistment for active service. One speaker said that the Defence people had evidently done their best, and had been unsuccessful. Otago had been compelled to get moil from the North Island to make up its quota, which was a slur oh Otago, and Dunedin in particular. He was satisfied that a large number of young men were shirking, and the seriousness of the position must be brought home to them. At the time of the Boer war no difficulty was experienced in getting men. The Mayor pointed out that during the Boer war the citizens -had organised companies; this time it was absolutely in the hands of tlie Defence Department. He thought that the Government should state what it was prepared to do for dependents of those who might be killed or crippled. Many men had been disgusted with the treatment they had received at the hands of the Defence Department. If the Government would say that by every steamer leaving for England it would send so many men and would pay their passage-money, it would soon get sufficient recruits. If the Government had adopted the plan he had suggested it would now have 5000 men in Great Britain. The troops would have been equipped at Home according to the Imperial ideas, and at less expense. He did not think that the Government had done all it should have done to encourage enlistment. Mr J. A. Park said that there had been no proper patriotic meetings, and this was due to a lack of organisation. Someone was wanted to take the lead. The meeting resolved:—"That the Executives of the National Reserve and the Patriotic Committees meet a deputation on Monday afternoon to further discuss the position.".