LATE MESSAGES

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 July 1944, Page 6

LATE MESSAGES

NORMANDY FRONT. LONDON, July 20. General Montgomery is still withholding precise information about the extent of the progress, but it was learned at SHAEF at 'midnight that we hold a firm base across the Orne from the west of Troarn to Caen, with our advanced armour contacting Rommel’s panzers at Cagny and Gretheville. both about five miles south-east of Caen. American infantry are holding St. Lo grimly through a blaze of artillery fire, states Reuter’s correspondent. 'The Germans, who have withdrawn to the high ground to the south-west, have been hurling shells into the town for 27 hours; “I thought I would never see Hell, but I guess I am right in it now,” said an American private. The Germans by their devastating artillery fire are trying to deny the Allies the use of the town. RUSSIANS AT LWOW. LONDON, July 19. Before the Russians at Lwow is a. belt of defences 20 miles deep at some points. .Koniev has already begun an attack against the city’s outer defences. The British United Press Moscow correspondent reports that the Russians have already breached two lines of defence, and the Germans are bringing up whole tank armies to try to stave off defeat." Great tank battles are raging north-east and east of Lwow. The battles are being fought at high speed. Koniev has been reinforced with the new T 34 type tank, which is more heavily armoured and is said to possess a degree of manoeuvrability which is uncanny. The arc of strategic roads above Lwow is already chopped up at many points, leaving the Germans little chance for free manoeuvre, except towards the south-east. “The Times’s” Moscow correspondent says the Russian Summer offensive is mounting to full strength. The Germans began at the beginning of June seriously to prepare defence regions in the Lwow sector which the Russians in the past 24 hours had overrun.

JEWS IN HUNG/RY.

RUGBY, July 19

The Germans’ attempt at blackmail on a characteristically huge and coldblooded scale by using the lives of the remaining European Jews as ti bargaining counter has come to the knowledge of the British Government. Recently Jewish emissaries from Hungary arrived in Turkey and managed to convey to the British a proposal that the Gestapo might be prepared to spare the lives of the remaining 400,000 Hungarian Jews if the Allies would furnish Germany with certain war materials, such as. lorries and food and medical supplies. The material so supplied would, it was suggested, be used only on the Eastern Front. The British Government had no choice but to conclude that the offer could not be regarded as a serious proposal. It was too clearly designed to ferment mistrust between the United Nations and generally cause prejudice and dissension which could only profit Germany. There is unfortunately, no cause to doubt the Gorman intention to proceed with their murderous policy, AUCKLAND GAS.

AUCKLAND, July 20.

With the last of the gas supplies in .Auckland being exhausted, there is Jittie prospect of a restoration of the service before Sunday if the strikers concerned on the production side resume work to-day. (Up till noon there was no indication that they will do so). Sufficient gas may be available for cooking one meal on Saturday. Since yesterday the position has deteriorated as the result of the drawoff for cooking of last night’s meals, and a number of households now have no gas at all. Some houses are still using lhe gas left in the mains, but the pressure is very weak, and already in many suburbs housewives are doing their best with open fires or benzine tin stoves.

The manager of the Company (Mr. R. Worley) said to-day that should the workers decide to resume work this afternoon the Company could engage only a limited number ,until steam was raised in the boilers for the operation of the rest of the plant. It was unfortunate that the members of the Gas Workers’ Union, who already were receiving a bonus, had decided on a sympathy strike, as had they remained at work a restricted supply could have been maintained for a few more days. Of the 500 on strike 300 were members of the Gas Workers’ Union. In addition to householders, some industries were affected by the non-supply. Some nursing homes and private hospitals are seriously inconvenienced. At one city hotel, this morning, the cooking for the midday meal was clone in the backyard. Restaurant proprietors in many cases have been forced to amend their usual menus.