THE SOMME.

Evening Star, Issue 16237, 5 October 1916, Page 3

THE SOMME.

ENEMY HARD PRESSED. FOGH MAKES HEADWAY. LONDON, October 4. bir Douglas Haig reports : There was lie; l . - , y rain last night and in the early part of the morning. Fighting near Eaucourt 1 Abbaye is proceeding satisfactorily. Reuter’s Telegrams. PARTS, October 4. A communique states : A localised attack on the Peronne-Bapaume road gained ns an important trench north of Rancourt. there is great reciprocal artillery work south of the Somme. . LONDON, October 3. A Gorman communique states : North o. Thiepval and north-west of Courcelette we recovered trenches from the English, v auu n S rouncl on both sides of Eaucourt i Abbaye after making very heavy sacrifices. Between Gueudecourt and‘Morval we repulsed four enemy attacks. The French penetrated our first lino west of the Bai!ly-Ra.ncourt road and St. Pierre Vaast Wood, but were driven out. masking their retreat. . LONDON, October 3. Mr Philip Gibbs writes : The German plans on tho Somme are puzzling. It looks as if they are making a gradual withv" 1 ’ masked by sharp counter-blows to check the quickness of our advance. Not many Germans were left alive in the first and second trenches defending tho old monastery at Eaucourt. It was heaped with corpses killed during tho 12 hours’ bombardment. Most of the enemy ran at the approach of the British bayonets. Tho Germans appear to he strong at Le Sa,s and a little quadrilateral redoubt near by. The enemy’s losses are fearsome, and the men cry out against the massacre, blaming the commanders of the air service and artillery for their awful state. POINCARE DECORATES BRITISH GENERALS. ~ PARIS, October 4. M. Poincare visited Sir Douglas Haig and complimented him on the magnificent successes of the British. He handed the star of a Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor to Major-general Hubert de la R. Gough, and a commander’s sash to Majorgeneral Butler. IN GOBBLES CELLARS, A GERMAN DEATH-TRAP. T , LONDON, October 4. -tile Daily Chronicle’s’ Paris correspondent writes ;—“A German non-commis-sioned officer, taken prisoner at Combles, relates that his battalion’s losses were heavy. Before reaching Combles the only road was swept by shells. Once inside the fortress they were reassured, as it seemed absolutely impregnable. Tho subterranean defences included circular chambers, capable of holding 2CO men. But the subterranean passages had only two exits, and the British artillery, with devilish precision, shelled the exits.” The prisoner added : “ W T e wero practically buried alive. For two days a deluge of projectiles continued. Nothincr can desenbe it. The earth trembled. °Our men were in a fearful state of nervous excitement. Half of them were unable to do anything but weep. A few tried to escape, but were never seen again. Our officers affected to he calm, but were more terrified at heart than we. “ Soon provisions ceased to amve. For two days more the awful bombardment continued above us. Everything was ablaze, and the heat was suffocating. Ten of my comrades were already dead from nervous shock. Then the assault came. We di ienoed ourselves to the end, but could nob w'tbstand the British fury. We crashed in bloody hand-to-hand fighting, and surrendered.” FEAR OF DENMARK. . LONDON, October 3. The Daily Telegraph’s’ Copenhagen correspondent gives instances of tho nervousness of the German authorities. All (lie vulnerable points of the pro-Dan un c'-.s-tricts of Schleswig have been exi.eus:vt,y billeted with Germans. There are many droops at Skovby, Abkjaer, Br.mzsT.ry, raid Toftelund, and subterranean concrete chambers have been constructed on tue northernmost defensive line.

; AUSTRALIAN CONSCRIPTION.

MELBOURNE, October 4. In the Federal Senate, after an ill right discussion of Senator Mullan’s amendment (that the Senate adjourn until Tuesday with the object of determining whether they should countenance the Government’s action in _ calling up troops without the proclamation coming before Parliament), the debate was further adjourned. The attempt to hold up the Senate until the Government had further explained their military policy collapsed. Senator Mullan’s amendment for the further adjournment until Tuesday • was defeated by 16 votes to 8. Senator Pearce declared that the Government would take full responsibility for the proclamation and accompanying regulations. He justified tho thumb print requirement applied, owing 10 tho nuu,oers who went to the front on certificates issued to. others who were returned as unfit PROTEST MEETINGS. SYDNEY, October 4. Anti-conscriptionists refused to'face the weather, so that the proposed “stopwork” demonstration in the Domain fizzled out. Later, at a meeting in the Town Hall, 5,000 persons, unanimously demanded the withdrawal of the proclama tion. MELBOURNE, October 4. Forty thousand unionists assembled on the Yarra- bank and carried a motion against conscription. GREECE. NATIONAL MINISTRY FORMING. LONDON, October 3. The ‘Daily OhronicieV Athens correspondent reports that all the members of the Cabinet, except the Premier and M. Carapancs (Foreign Minister), have resigned. ■ It u understood that when the resignation* have been accepted M. Caiageropoulos will reconstruct the Ministry on national lines.

| CRETE AND SAMOS RIGHT. LONDON, October 4. Mr Jeffries, telegraphing from Conea, reports that the Provisional Government of Crete are working smoothly, and that judicial authority has been restored. A Venezelist force before dawn yesterday sailed for Samos Island, determined to attack and subdue it if necessary. The garrison at Samos surrendered, the officers were disarmed, and the police joined the Nationalists. THE “HANDS OFF” SPEECH. CITY COUNCIL’S MOTION. At the meeting of the Oity Council last night it was resolved, on the motion of Cr Black, seconded by Or Green—-“ That council respectfully suggest to the Acting Prime Minister the advisability of sending ■a • cablegram, on behalf of' the people of New Zealand, to Mr Lloyd George, in support of his timely warning that Great Britain would not tolerate any interference by well-meaning but misgTiia&d neutrals with tl view to t>rincrin.g wibont peace at the present juncture” as ' n ° ur opinion tills great conflict cannot be brought to a conclusion other than on terms that are imposed by the British Empire and her Allies—namely, unconditional surrender^ the call for men. recruiting committees appeal. Tho chairman of the Recruiting Comimt.ee writes: This distinct, along with others, is called on to supply a very much increased quota for tho 22nd Rmnforccmenus, Otago’s share being 662, out of win , the Dunedin area (group 13) is asked to fimiisa 269. The question to be faced now it; Can we supply them voluntarfly. If not, then they must go into camp with a shortage, as the operations .°/ tn ° Service Act cannot affect the 22nd Reinforcements. The work of preparing tho. lists and classifying them as well as much other detail work? cannot be overtaken before tbo end of this month, and that means that no ballot can take place until next month. Tho Recruiting Committee met General Robin on Tuesday •afternoon, and the position was discussed. Ihe matter was then left to a .nib-com-' mittee to arrange for a great effort, beginning on Saturday next, and continued 1 _n-!ghn next week. The Recruiting Committee recognise that speakers, bands! men, and others have done splendid work, and tnat many are of the opinion that it it useless doing any more work of tho kind, but that we should now rely on the Military Service Act to compel men to serve. Whilst recognising that there is some force in this, the committee further recognise that as it ia impossible to bring the Act into operation until after the 22nd Reinforcements leave for camp, every effort must bo made to induce men to voluntarily offer their services, and not wait for the ballot. For that reason an appeal is being made to all those who have helped in tho past to give of their best during the next ten days. Every effort is to be put forth to make the'several demonstrations stirring and lousing in every way. Musical programmes will be mixed with speeches of a stirring nature, lantern slides will bo utilised, and it is hoped, also, that moving pictures will bo in evidence, with displays of our own boys at various stages of their life: in camp and abroad. Full particulars will be advertised us soon as the arrangements arc completed, but tho committee will leave no stone unturned m order to ensure that group 13 may find its quota, by the 19th of this month. The bands aie to be asked to march through the streets to the 1 own Hall, where the display will take place, and it is expected that a procession of organised bodies will march with them. An effort will be made to eclipse the great success of the scheme launched last February. SACRIFICES NECESSARY. “ THEIR PLACES HAVE TO BE FILLED." _ “ Although tho minds of the people 01 New Zealand must be concentrated upon the lists of killed and wounded that have come to us lately, I would like them to realise that, however terrible these losses are, there is, after all, an object that has to be attained, and which cannot be attained without these sacrifices,” said the Minister of Defence (the Hon. J. Allen) to a ‘Post’ reporter on Monday. “I am surd that those concerned will bear the burden with the full assurance that the sacrifice that their sons have made, and I that they arq making, will result in ulti- I mate good, and, we hope and believe, will bring about lasting peace. “We look for peace and tho good results which _ will come on account of j peace, not simply for ourselves alone as j New Zealanders. We leek for it on j account of our Mother Land, for all her | dependencies, for our Allies who are j fighting with us at the present moment, | and we also look to the good of these who are now our enemies—that those who have led them into this terrible carnage may learn the frightful mistake they have made. “ There is one other thought that arises from the contemplation of these lists of killed and wounded. Their places have to be filled. - The loyalty of New Zealand is true and real, and has produced without compulsion a full quota of men up to the present. “But the object that wo, and the Mother Land, and her Allies have to attain is so supreme that we cannot run tho risk of failure to supnlv reinforcements. Therefore it w nur boundon duty to put ourselves into the position of sm'plying the men, even if that means Compulsion. ” IDLE RUMORS. The Hon. James Allen at Wellington yesterday referred to rumors that had been abroad to tho effect that a transport had been sunk. Mr Allen said : “ The public must understand that if any such information came to me it would bo immediately made public. There is no reason to withhold it. Sad as the news miiht be, it would be made known. Such rumors as have been circulated are not only idle — they are wicked, and they make thousands of people miserable. There ia a rumor that there is something wrong with the Tahiti. She is perfectly safe. Both of the transports that conveyed the 15th Reinforcements have reached their destination safely. Ido hope people who hear these baseless rumors will write to me and tell me who it was told them. If they do that, I will trace the rumor to its source, and see .'f I can slop anything of tho kind happening in future.” LAND FOR MAORI SOLDIERS, The Hon. Mr Henries received the following telegram from the Hon. DrPomare from Taranaki on Tuesday; •'! conferred with a representative gathering of Tuwhnreteas at Walbi and Tokaanu yesterday- It was decided by Te ilehau, Tukino, Kingi, Topai, and tho Tuwharetea tribe to set aside the Ohauko block, of 25,301 acres, for settlement by returned Maori soldiers, irrespective of the tribe or triboa to which they belong. The land is to be an absolute gift from thoTuwharetea people to the Maori soldier settlers. It gives me much pleasure to be able to inform you of this great self-sacrifice by one of our Maori tribes, and I know you will appreciate both the spirit which prompted tho making of the gilt and the national character of the same." It is understood that some of the East Coast tribes have views of a similar nature. Money has also been freely subscribed by the Natives for patriotic purposes. On Tuesday the Minister received £SO for the patriotic funds from the chiefs of Te Arawa tribe at Rotoiti. WELL-FED GERMANS. In the House of Commons Mr Ronald M'Neill asked Mr Lloyd George whetner the rations allowed to 1,500 German prisoners of war in the Island of Jersey consist of a pound ahd a-half of bread, half a pound of meat, half a pound of potatoes, together with allowances of tea-, coffee, oatmeal, salt, sugar, vegetables (including peas),’and margarine per day; and if he will say how this ration compares with that given to British prisoners of war in Germany*

MUST BE COMPLETE VICTORY. STATE GOVERNOR AND THE WAR. Sir Gerald Strickland, speaking in Sydney last week at the Local Government Conference,said: “Not only are we at war, but we are at the greatest crisis of the war, from which we can onlv emerge with permanent victory. Whatever our duty in life may be, to preach from the pulpit otto sit on an office stool and work quietly—whatever it may be, there is before us the paramount duty to obtain victory in a proper maitner. Were we to lose tills war, °r_ were only a second-class victory obtained, 25 years hence the people of Aus tralia, and, indeed, the whole of the Bri tish Empire, would be in a serious condition. It was by the sweating of the German women and by the accumulation of money by such a system that the Germans were enabled to fight us ; and they- will do so again if our victory in this struggle is a second-class one.” WAR’S REALITY BROUGHT HOME. The following is an extract from a letter received by Rev. Kay Mason, of Gilgandra, New South Wales, from his sister in Enfiand, bearing date July 17 i—“ This is ° a sad week for England, more especially for Lancashire. They brought 56,0 CX) wounded into Manchester in five days. They have taken Stockport Sunday School (the largest undenominational school in the world) and also the Midland Hotel in Manchester (the largest hotel in the city) and turned them into hospitals. Within half an hour on Saturday 26 motor ambulances passed through Heaton Moor (a quiet residential suburb outside Manchester) full of wounded. Some were bright, and waved German helmets in the air i others, alas! uerc unable to move. We are having brought home to ns here, day bv the reality and the awfulness of war.'” ‘ G.S.G. sends us 2s 6d, representing his October contribution to the J3olr r ian fund Received fi-om “ B. and 5.,” 15s fox the Belgian fund, being nineteenth monthly contribution. J In the House of Commons on July 25 Mr Forster, in reply to Mr Ashley, said ; the number of German military prisoners of war_ in this country and in working camps m France is 20.200, of whom 401 are officers. I_ understand there are also 1,467 naval prisoners, of whom 121 are officers. In addition to these figures, a number of prisoners, estimated at about 4.000, have been recently captured, . but have not yet reached this country.. The number of British military officers and soldiers estimated to be stilf in the hands of the Germans on June 00, after those repatriated and transferred to Switzerland, etc., had been deducted, is about 25,350. of whom 721 are officers.