TREACHERY TO THE BRITISH

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 312, 21 September 1918, Page 7

TREACHERY TO THE BRITISH

SERIOUS NEWS FROM BAKU

EVACUATION FORCED BY ARMENIAN DUPLICITY

(Rec. September 20, 11.55 p.m.)

London, September 19. No further fighting is reported from Northern Russia beyond, skirmishes favourable to us. The .. Bolsheviki have fallen back from the OnegaOberseikaya Road, enabling us to secure this line of communication. Tlie Czecho-Slovaks in European Russia aro hard pressed. ' Witlnjn the last ten days the Bolsheviki, apparently-assist-ed by a considerable number of Germans, have occupied Volsk, Simbrisk, and Kazam. The Czechs are very tired nnd lack munitions, equipment, and stores. Tlie fall of Kazam, appears to have been entirely due toMack of. ammunition. The Germans are reported to be concentrating heavily in the Khrirkhqff-Beligorod ■ area, apparently with a view, of .advancing'-to Volga to prevent General Alexieff joining the Czechs' about' Samara. The Bolshevik force between the Czechs .in Ekaterinburg area and General Poole's forces at Archangel are estimated at 18.000;. while the total strength of the Bolshe-vik-German forces eventually engaged . with the Czechs over 100,000.:. It is noteworthy that already tlie,Czechs are exercising an impprtaiit effect,on the /.Western front .by. keeping the enemy engaged iii Russia. This, is exactly what our, Russian policy has ill view. Germany's offer >. withdraw from Northern Russia,'if we do the same, apparently' is due to' the difficulty of inducing the Finn's to participate in the war, and to a desire to avoid' commitments iii view of the situation on the Western front. Germany, however, continues her, and .we must be prepared for. a,;serious attack on the railway and coast. . :.--.. Tho Baku Fiasco, It was recognised from the first thatour rending of am expedition to Baku, was hazardous. - ; Tt.was known that the Armenian National. \ Council 'ia.d. made a definite peace with the Turks and had .sent. emissaries to Constantinople and Berlin, but it was believed that 80;000 Armenians at Baku were out of touch with the National Council, and that they, with the assistance, of the nbn-Bolshovik element and a; small British "force, would offer a stout resistance, while'the strategical gain, if Baku were held firmly, would justify, the risk.' Oii July 25 the Bolsheviki at Baku were overthrown, and-a uew Government created, which begged for British, .assistance'. , We acquiesed, but could only send .a small force, owing to the difficulty of communications . Tlie local forces'at Baku numbered 10,300, but when the Armenian troops were; tested on. August 7 they proved unreliable, refused to fight, and dispersed to their home's, causing a .failure of the attack against the Turkish enveloping movement north of Baku. "On August 20 a determined 1 Turkish attack was beaten 'off by .the North Staffords and Worcester.";.'-. who,-'- though . fighting gallantly, had to give ground.. A second attack on another sector also failed. By the-end of. August it was realised "that co-operation .of. the ■ local' forces was insufficiently effective 'to justify the retention 'of our .detach-, merit,' and the evacuation was,ordered, on September 1. ' On the same day the Turks" again- attacked, arid She War-/ wickshires,had'to'cover 'the Russian -'retirement. It is fe'ared : that', they lost - heavily. - Oii. September - 2 the Russian general,' Bich'nrakow, occupied Peti'oVsk' and' promised 'reinforcements. ' A' small - , detachment reached Bp.ku on September 9.-. This ' gave us breathing space, -.inspired the Allies to hold on., and induced - the Caspian fleet to refuse'to evacuate. Meanwhile the-. Armenians were negotiating to Kand pvnr Baku to ; the enemy, and the. fleet trained its fjuns on the Armenian quarter.... Tlie Turks,.on Sentember 16 attacked in .force. . The fight lasted sixteen 'hours, the brunt of it being borne by the British. As is now known, the British have been evacuated. ■ 1£ is presumed that the Russians provided General Dunsterville with the necessary shipping. The Turks . had -.recently undertaken an advance from Tabriz as far as Jemarubad. Our watching detachment retired.- ■'.'■'

THE TERROR A GRUESOME''STORY-..' ; - '.-,- New York, September 19. It is reported: that the Russian. Empress and.three of the Princesses were bnrned to death a month after the* Emperor was'shot..—Aiis.-N.Z. .Cable Assn. SUKHOMLINOFF (SHOT. Amsterdam, September 19. General Snkhomlihoff was'court-mar-tialled on, September 8 and shot the same day—Ans.-N.Z.. Cable Assri.. . [General Sukhomlinoff, ex-Minister of War, was relieved, of his post in June, 1915, when the great Russian retreat was at its .height, and in May, 1916, was arrested on a charge of treason, along with his wife,' who.was .charged as his accomplice. The trial, wliwh for the first time in Russia was held before a jury, began in. August, 1917, produced a mass, of sensational evir deuce.' Sukhomlinoff was declared, to. have been personally responsible for the utter inadequacy of' the'ammunition supply, the failure of which after about four months of war had led to the defeats of the Russians; and for failure to take precautions to prepare for war; though he knew it was likely.' On September 27 he was sentenced to imprisonment with hard labour for life. His wife was acquitted.]'' DECREASE IN THE MASSACRES, REPORTED INJUNCTION FROM GERMANY. , (Rec. September 20, 7.30 p.m.) . Stockholm, September 19. The decrease in massacres at Petrograd is reported to be due to a peremptory injunction from the German military authorities. Germany is alarmed at the growing, world horror and indignation over "these 1 outrages.—"The Times." .' SITUATION DISCUSSED BY ALLIED LABOUR CONFERENCE (Rec. September 20, 7.30 p.m.) f London, September 19. At tlfe Labour Conference Mr. Arthur Henderson (president) stated that the committee was not unanimous on the Russian question. The .majority desired to prevent Entente intervention serving the cause of reaction, whereas the. Americans favoured a declaration that intervention was aimed at arresting German influence on the Bolsheviki, who- had suppressed the great majority of the Russian workers, imt the Entente's ' military successes should not be used as a pretext for arresting the democratisation of Rus-sia.—Aus.-N.Z.Cable Assn. AUSTRALIA AND THE LIQUOR ISSUE' Melbourne, September 20.' In the House of Representatives, in reply to a question, Mr. AVatt stated that the Government had not yet considered the advisability of .the prohibition of, tho liquor traffic during the war. , —Press Assn. ...