FIGHTING NEAR SUEZ CANAL

NEW ZEALAND TROOPS ODER FIRE TURKS REPULSED WITH HEAVY LOSSES By Telegraph—Prees Assoeiation-OoDyright lhoy_wero repulsed with heavy loss and 282 prisoners were taken Two British officers and thirteen men were killed and fifty-eight wounded wounded 611^7 Waß rel> El Kantara > with twenty-one kmfd a nd manj TURKS ATTACK AT THREE DIFFERENT POINTS, ' The enemy advanced on Tnsun at daybreak on Wod^sday? 13 " I " 3 ' *' Their artillery bombarded Tusun and Serapeum. • °" r artillery and also the guns on the ships in the cana' repliod The enemy failing to cross .the canal, retired at 3 o'clock in the afternoon Their casualties included eight officers killed. antrnooiu Six batteries and 1200 Turks participated in'tho attack on El Kantara Twenty-five were made prisoners. / samara. Tusun is seven mile 3 south of Ismalia- Senroimm i<s fi™ e Tusun, and El Kantara is 28 miles south of Port Said. (Rec. February 5, 7.35 p.m.) Twelva thousand Turks participated in- the Canai n fighltog brUary 5 ' NEW ZEALAND INFANTRY ENGAGED EARN THE GOOD OPINION OF ALL, , London, February 4. Lieutenant-General Sir J. G. Maxwell, Commander of the Forces in Egypt has cabled as follows to tho New Zealand High Commissioner (the Hon T Mackenzie " "The New Zealand infantry has 'been under fire at Suez Canal, "Thoy earned the good opinion of a 11. "The Now Zealanders had two casualties."Yesterday morning Defenco Headquarters in Wellington received information as to the two casualties referred to in the cable message. Both' the wounded are Nelson men, and whilo one of them i 3 dangerously'Vounded tho other's injuries are only slight. ' The first is Sergeant A. J. 'William s, whose number is 6/775. Ho is slightly wounded-in the shoulder. His next of kin is his father, of 19 Pulford Street Pimlico, London, S.W. ' The_other is Private \V. Ham, who has been dangerously wounded in tho neck. H© is a Motueka boy, and his noxt of kin is Mr. William Ernest Ham of Motueka. _ ' Both men went with the Nelson Company of the Canterbury Infantry Regiment . J J The Hon. James Allen, Minister for Defence, sent a message to Private Ham s parents informing them of the nature of' tho casualty- to their son, ■ forces engaged were truly imperial OFFICIAL AND. OTHER ACCOUNTS (Hcc. February 5, 9.30 p.m.) i, An official announcement sums up tho fighting thus :-''Tho Evasion °'of E ?7 pt , h £? H ken tbe forn \ of Turkish prisoners, beinti brought to Cairo," and adds? 'Tbij fotccb .chqheccl mis truly litipgrtelj miff (hs twps CXCOllflUti"

Other accounts states that the Turkish infantry attacked Tusun at threo 0 cioclc in tho morning, during a sandstorm. A resolute attempt was made to cross the On mil, covered by lieavy Mnxim fire. The bombardmont of Tusun ami bornpeum followed at daybreak. Tho Turks wore prodigal with their ammunition, lnit tho shooting was very bad. • The fighting continued until 3.30 p.m., wlicntJio advanced British infantry from Scrapcmn compelled tho Turks to lly, leaving many dead in the desert below and on tho sandhills cast of Ino Lanal. Liio warship Hardingo was twice hit by shells, and ten were wounded. Jho British wounded includc a few Egyptian field artillery near aorapoum, who behaved with splendid courage. * s'° lousan£ l Turks were discovered entrenched near tho Ismailia ferry, eight nuiulred yards in front of tho British lino, and kept up an intermittent nro. lho lurks attacked tho British outposts at El Kantara early in tho morning, but were quickly driven off, losing twei)ty-nino killed, twenty-five wounded, and thirty-six prisoners. A British officer and twenty-eight Indians were killed and wounded. Tho Turkish prisoners wore marched through the streets of Cairo roped together. . .' Somo of the deserters belonged to a body of irregulars, who were foreib l, impressed from tho Bedouins in Souiv n Palestine by Muntaz Pasha Enver Bey's former aide-de-camp, who was imprisoned for murdering a brother officer at Sabonica. Muntaz escaped from prison, and became a highwayman ill Palestine. Ho is now tho loader of the Turkish advance guard.

AUSTRALIAN ENGINEERS UNDER FIRE. (Rec. February 5, 9.20 p.m.) t- i 'in , r,. T n *r u ~ Melbourne, February!. ..Lieutenant-General Sir J. G. Maxwell cabled to Senator Pearce, Federal JJerence Minister, stating that the Australian Engineers wore employed in the defence of the Canal, and were under fi re, and added: "They comported themselves as you would wish." TRAFFIC IN THE CANAL NOT AFFECTED. Cairo, February 1. The fighting has not affected traffic on the Canal or the railways. There was lieavy firing on Wednesday. The pilot of a vessel was wounded. There are great difficulties in the Turkish transport. Many camels are dying, but- others are being brought up from Asia Minor. It is stated that the .German General Kresscnstein is among the invaders. BEHAVIOUR OF TROOPS IN EGYPT SATISFACTORY. ' Sydney, February 5. Major M'Clymont, who is en route to New Zealand, has declared that the behaviour of the troops in Egypt is quite satisfactory. The stories that a couple of men had been murdered for tearing veils off women were absolutely untrue. Tho troops are having a good time, but are anxious for the real work to begin. Tho organisation of tho British and Australasian camps is splendid. AVork is proceeding with the utmost smoothness The Turkish army is not to be taken seriously. The general opinion is that it is not keen to fight. Anyhow, the British arc ready to give them all they want.