THE RUSSIAN FRONT.

Evening Star, Issue 15914, 21 September 1915, Page 3

THE RUSSIAN FRONT.

PETROCRAD COMMUNIQUE

CONGEALS VILNA CAPTURE.

PETROGRAD, September 19. The Germans have cut the Vilna railways, except the Lida-Vitchy line southwards. A great battle is expected in the Lida, district. The Germans are only leaving a screen of troops south of Dvinsk to prevent the Russians from reinforcing Vilna. General Von Eichorn’s troops have crossed the Vilia, and another body of Germans has crossed the Beresovka below the Taoko Lakes outlet. The Vilna position is thus narrowed.

September 20. A communique states; A German detachment crossed the left bank of the middle Vilia, in the Vilna district. We sank a bridge of boats near Po.ratchi, north of Slonim, taking as prisoners the Germans who had previously crossed. We inflicted considerable losses on the enemy south of Slonim, ns they were able to throw only small parties into the firing line. b DVINSK DEFENCE. ( , LONDON, September 20. , The Times’s’ correspondent, telegraphing from Dvinsk, says; “ I spent three days on the fighting front, where a terrific battle is raging. The Russians are holding Dvinsk with an excellent line of trenches three deep. The first lino was taken many times, bnt counter-attacks recaptured it. The Germans have twice, or perhaps thrice, the Russian strength, and an enormous superiority in guns, but undoubtedly the Germans are paying two to one in losses. The nature of the country is ideal for defensive work.” MUNITION SUPPLIES. JAPAN GIVES CREDIT. TOKIO, September 20. Russia . has approached Japan .on the question of payment for war materials. A conference of a group of banks, headed by the Yokohama Specie Bank, agreed to take up Treasury bills. WESTERN FRONT. HARRYING THE ENEMY. *• PARIS, September 20. A communique states : Our artillery on the heights of the Mense and in the forest of Apremont, in the Vosges, aiming at the destruction of the German defences, was particularly effective. Four of the enemy’s ammunition depots were blown up. LONDON, September 19. Sir John French reports that the position has unchanged since September 15. There is considerable mining activity on both sides, particularly in the southern sectors. The artillery is active east of Ypres. ' COMMAND OF THE SEA. GERMANY OUTDISTANCED. London ‘Times’ and Sydney ‘Sun’ Services. LONDON, September 19. The Times’s ’ naval correspondent writes : “ The watchfulness of our Grand Fleet and its successes against German submarines, combined with the knowledge that masses of our troops are still remaining in Great Britain, have inspired the people with confidence. This accounts for the complete indifference with which the question of the raids and invasion is now regarded.

“The success of an oversea attack upon Great Britain is less probable now than it was a year ago. Owing to the complete destruction of Germany’s naval power and her bases overseas, and the Italian entry into the war, we are able to devote all qur naval strength to-the task of controlling the German fleet and protection the British shores. We have heard frequently of the German intention to strike a blow, but on every occasion tiro enemy’s courage failed at the critical hour, and is likely to, because our fleet is growing at a faster rate than theirs. The British Navv has done its work to perfection.” SUBMARINE DESTROYED. COPENHAGEN, September 20 Some fishermen were watching three submarines, off Utsir„ when there was an explosion, and only two submarines remained. Some believe that the lost submarine was a German, disguised as British, which the others sank in error Three German hydroplanes have’ been destroyf l m the Baltic. CHICAGO’S CHAGRIN. London ‘Times’ and Sydney ‘Sun’ Services. LONDON, September 19. American meat packers are furious with Mr Justice Evans s condemnation in the Prize Court of steamers carrying their goods. German papers in the United States are eagerly trying to use the judement as indicative of Great Britain’s arbitrarr ess at sea. [Chicago, the home of tho meat-packing industry, is the most pro-German town in America. The decision of Mr Justice 2>vphs refe-red to numerous cargoes of tinned meat consigned to Copehangen.] THE NATIONAL ANTHEM. . OTTAWA, September 20 There was an unprecedented demonstration in the Anglican Synod when a letter from the House of Bishops was read overruling the decision of the Lower Hous- for the deletion of the second -erse of ‘the National Anthem. The bishops decided that the verse could be sung with all propriety in war time, and members enthusiastically sang the verse with tumultuous cheering.

NO TREATING. LONDON, September 20. A military decision prohibiting treating as an essential to the well-being of the troops affects the metropolitan police district, order, which will probably be issued on Tuesday, applies to clubs and restaurants as well as saloons. Anyone paying for another or giving him money to pay, or anyone serving drink except to a person paying for it, is liable to punishment. COMPULSION. SYDNEY LEAGUE’S MEETING. SYDNEY, September 20. An overcrowded public meeting of the Universal Service League appointed officers and carried their platform. Mr Holman (Premier) emphatically declared that the voluntary, system in Australia had not produced anything like the ■result in Britain. We wanted nothing but a system that would double or treble our number at the front. Other speakers favored universal service. Healy, the Olympic swimmer, has enlisted. THE KIDMAN CASE. TRIAL FOR CONSPIRACY. SYDNEY, September 20. The High Court, sitting in its criminal jurisdiction, has commenced the hearing of the charges against Arthur Kidman, Major P. W. Page, Major A. G. O’DonneJ, and Sergeant E. Leslie of conspiring amongst themselves and with others to defraud the Commonwealth of large sums by procuring payment of excessive prices for goods for the armed forces. The defendants pleaded not guilty. The Crown counsel said the evidence to be given would show that Kidman was unduly favored by certain officers' and the Government had to pay large sums of money to Kidman on the recommendation of Page and O’Donnell. The only inference drawable was that the three officials before the Court knowingly violated their duty. He submitted "figures showing alleged overcharges on goods. TRADE WITH ENEMY. A “WIRELESS” CASE. SYDNEY, September 20. In the Central Summons Court to-day the Amalgamated Wireless of Australasia, Ltd. (E. Fisk, C. P. Bartholomew, and H. R. Denison), weer charged under the Enemy 'Trading Acts with having, on or about December 8, by executing an indenture of license with the Telefunken Wireless Telegraphy Company, traded with the enemy. The case, for the Crown suggested tliat on the execution of indenture by the Amalgamated Company, the Telefunken Company would be put in a strong position with regard to the patent rights of wireless telegraphy throughout "the Commonwealth during the existence of the war. It appeared that a draft license had been prepared a considerable time before the war, but was not executed ’before the outbreak. The Crown contended that the execution after the outbreak of war was trading with the enemy. Counsel for the defendants claimed that the documents failed to show that any financial or other contract had been entered into with or fer the benefit of the enemy within the meaning of the Act. The only thing the Amalgamated Company were to get was a formal document, to which they were entitled any time from 1912 onward.

The general manager of the Amalgamated_ Company gave evidence regarding litigation between tho Marconi, Telefunken, and the Australasian Wireless Companies over patents and securing a license. The case was not finished when the Court rose for tho day. HOSPITALITY TO AUSTRALASIANS. LONDON, September 20. Sixty motor cars collected 160 wounded Australians and New Zealanders from tho hospitals in London and suburbs for a concert and tea organised by the National Liberal Club. A HOLIDAY AT GALLIPOLI. The following letter, dated July 20. is from the pen of an officer at the front: We are back to our old spot in front of Mr Turk once more, and find! things not much changed. They have been a bit more aggressive than usual lately, and we received quite a salvo of bombs' when we arrived-, without doing any damage, though. This last time we have had the best rest we have had since we have been here. We went away last Thursday to a neighboring island, where we were pretty well out of hearing of the noise of battle, and where one could walk about! Hero one sort ot slinks about in hollows and holes, never knowing when to expect a blowing up, hut over there is a sense of openness and freedom from the continuous rattle of rifle fire or banging of bombs. We also slept in tents, which was a change; but the -best tiling of all was the change of diet. There were canteens over there, and we were able to buy eggs, milk, biscuits, and fruit principally, besides a lot of other things. What' we wanted most were the eggs and milk, and, I can tell you, we had a good go at them while we were there. Luckily the men had just had a pay the day before, and so could get a few things for themselves. The principal and best thing we struck in fruit were the mulberries, which were just in full swing, and didn’t wo have a feed of them, or, rather, several feeds! A party of us officers went over to the biggest village, about seven or eight miles away from where we were, and spent the day. The country was very rough, and the only way we could go was by donkev or small pony, which are both' very wiry little •beasts, and very sure-footed' as they had to be on such bad paths. We had a beautiful day for it, and the country wo passed through was very fine indeed. We had a nice lunch in the village (the best and only decent one I have had since .landing), looked round the village for a while, and got a tew things wo needed, and then came home. The village was a typical one of the country, the houses being rather low affairs of rough stones, with red tile roofs, which makes rather a fine effect amongst the green fig and mulberry trees. Ot course, there were some ‘more modem shops in the main streets, but the whole village is naturally only a very small place on a small island, and is in a way rather primitive in many respects. W© all arrived back in camp about 6.30, feeling more or less sore, but happy, and after a good swim were ready for bed. The thing we perhaps appreciated most on the whole was the swimming. The water was simply delightful, and we used to go in two or three times a day. Also an undisturbed sleep at night was a blessing, and wo made the most of it. Beyond ordinary camp routine and a little night scheme for practice the men had no fatigues, and so had a good rest, and are now looking much the better for it. Personally I feel much benefited by the change, as I was getting a bit out of sorts just before we went over. LETTERS FROM LANCE-CORPORAL MORRISON. Extracts from letters received from Lance-corporal G. Morrison, 2nd Field Company, New Zealand Engineers, dated Anzao dove, Shrapnel Gully, Gallipoli Peninsula, July 25 and August 2:— “It is good to hear about the cold and wintry weather when we_ are having it so warm here. I ■ am sitting hero in my hole with boots and shirt oS to keep cool. I will take your advice and keep my pecker up—one can’t do otherwise here; there are plenty of the miserable sort about -without me having a -go. You can tell all your people that I am tip-top just no\v. Sunday -is nob very different from other days here—we hardly know what day of the week it is. This (Sunday) morning we started work deepening a well at 4 o’clock. Had breakfast from

a-quarter to 7 to a-quarter to 8 of biscuit, porridge, and fried bread. At 10 o’clock we had our second inoculation against cholera,- knocking off work at 12 o’clock. There is a service in one of the gullies at 10 a.m.that we can .generally get to. It is great to hear the singing of hymns and the noise of machine guns and bopjbs; then a shell overhead gives the meeting a great feeling. I took the chance of a calm afternoon to have a shave, as there was not much, dust about. One hardly knows himself after getting a week’s growth off his face. My mate got a shock when he sat up - and saw me, thinking that a stranger had got in. We are expecting a move every day now. Last Wednesday, started at 4 a.m., worked all day until I o’clock next morning—2l hours on a stretch. We did not need any rocking when we did get to bed, I can tell you. It was a great job putting up wire entanglements in front of our posts. We looked across a valley into the Turks’ trenches. We had to work on our backs most of the time. I think the Turks must have been asleep, ■ because they did not fire at us—only on© shot, when we were nearly finished. It just grazed one fellow. We did not take long to get out alter that. Everything goes on much the same here. A big shell coming near our dug-outs causes a little excitement for a time, but it does not last long. We. don’t mind the noise now. We wake up some mornings and hear that there has been a heavy bombardment, but we have not been awakened. You will have a job to waken me when I get back. “It is a great life here, i can tell you. W 7 e have struck a terrible lot of country for hills, which makes it hard work getting supplies and material into the firing line. Blacks road is nothing to it. We are still within a mile of the beach, and generally go in for a swim at dusk. At one place you are in danger of shrapnel. At the other a sniper has a view of the beach. I prefer the sniper myself—some like the shrapnel. ] can’t tell you about all the positions and what is going on; you will just need to wait for. that, or perhaps see it in the papers, before this reaches you; but I can tell you there has been a bib of ammunition dropped into Turkey this last three weeks. The Opoho boys are keeping all right. W’e generally compare notes after a mail. Wo have a few mementoes of the Turks—one a great camion ball the size of a soccer ball. They fired a lot last week, and some did not explode; they must be about 100 years old by the look of them.

“There are some great characters here. A couple of Australians have a pawn shop in front of their dug-out. Three potatoes hanging by a string are the brass balls. They exchange bully beef for condensed milk, and display bits of bombs, shells, and turtles. had 10 eggs issued to a section of 34 the other night, so we put bits of paper in a hat and marked 10 with eggs, and let each chap draw. The first 10 or so drew blanks, and towards the end excitement ran high. My name was called out; I drew an egg. Then mv mate's name was next; 1 drew his for him, and got another egg. All around were calling me down by this time : but the next name was the corporal handing the eggs, so he got me to draw his paper, and sure enough it had egg on it, so I did the hat trick all right.

“ I hope it won't be long before I can ■give you a hand to plant your cabbages. We will be just as pleased as yon at homo when the whole thing is finished.”

An officer, writing from Anzac Cove on July 29. states:

We. are down again from the trenches for our weekly spell, and are hoping for a rest from the usual fatigues, but I expect they will go on as usual. Wo went down for a swim last night about dark, and the view from the top of the hill was beautiful. We get the most remarkable sunsets here I have_ ever seen. There are two islands opposite us, and when the sun sr-ts directly behind them they are thrown inCb relief against the most beautiful combination of colors imaginable, which last for about an hour after the sun goes down. times one can almost imagine there isn t a war on, seeing the large number of bathers in the water enjoying themselves, like! at any seaside place. Things in the firing line, as usual, have been fairly quiet, though the Turks have been dropping a few_ large shells around. They are how throwing “Jack Johnsons” at us, as, they do in France—largo round iron things which make a rotten noise, but don't seem to have done much damage. We managed to get some eggs and milk the other day, and so are doing pretty well in the ■ tucker line just now. ft is much easier to sleep right up in the firing line than it is down in the rest gullies.' There are so many valleys here that every shot echoes and re-echoes two or three times, and this peculiar noise, together with the very hard ground in our dug-outs keeps one awake for a long time every night. We are still getting sunny weather, and the flies are still bad, hut we get a cool breeze occasionally, and the nights are very nice ■ lu tact, the best part of the day. PERSONAL. Trooper Alex. Leslie Thomson, of St. Clair, who died at Malta on the Bth inst from enteric, was the eldest of the four sons of the late Mr Thomas Thomson, of St. Clair. The father died on the 10th, two days later, at a private hospital in Dunedin. He did not know of his son's death, Leslie was born in Dunedin 21 years ago, and received the beginnings of his education at the George Street School, then going to the Waitaki High School, of which Mr Milner was then the principal, for three years. His first experience of business was with Rattray and Son, where ho served four years. He left that employment to enter the office of Kirk and Co., and ho had been there only six weeks when he enlisted, in company‘with other young men of St. Clair—Llewellvn Jones. Nelson Johnson, Ley. Pope, and Reg. Baker—in the Otago Mounted Rifles. He went into camp at Tahuna Park on the 10th _ August last year, and went to Egypt with tlie main body of New Zealanders. At the Dardanelles he had six weeks’ duty in the trenches, and was then invalided and sent to Malta, where he lay ill for two months before death. Leslie Thomson was a fine, manly young fellow, well set up, not given to talking about his own doings. He played a good game at Rugby football, and was an honest forward in the Pirates’ first team. Ho was also an enthusiastic, active member of the Otago Rowing Club, and took a leading part in the doings of the St. Clair Lite-saving Club. In this connection it will be remembered that on the 18th January 1913, he swam out to the rescue of Mr J. H. Clarke and Mr Purvey when they got washed beyond the breakers at St. Clair, and brought ashore his man (Clarke), whom he supposed to be still alive—an act for which he was commended hy the coroner. The writer' put together the facts of that case for print, and can testify that he had a hard job to screw the story put of “Les,” who pooh-poohed his share in the task, and said it was nothing to speak of. A memorial service was held in St. Clair Presbyterian Church on Sunday night, conducted by the Rev. John Miller, and was largely attended, the whole community feeling deeply the sorrow into which the family are pimped. “ A Union Jack draped the pulpit, the hymns were of the old sort, and Mr Miller preached on ‘ Duty.’

Mr W. G. Morrison, of 42 Opoho road, has received advice from the Minister of Defence that his son. Lance-corporal Geo. Morrison, Field Company Engineers, was admitted to No. 15 General Hospital, Alexandria, on August 24, suffering from a slight gunshot wound on the left arm. A Sydney cable states that G. A. and Vf. B. Simmons, reported wounded, were both educated in the Waikato.

Jlr J. C. Duff, 434 Princes street, Dunedin, has been advised that his son, Private H. H. H. Duff (Auckland Infantry), who was wounded on August 8, is now convalescent.

Mr John Watson, Port Chalmers, has been advised that his son. Trooper Norman Watson, who went away in the Main Expeditionary Force, was wounded in the arm on August 21. He was in the Otago Mounted Rifles.