THE ITALIAN CAMPAIGN.

Grey River Argus, 14 April 1916, Page 5

THE ITALIAN CAMPAIGN.

INTOXICATED AUSTRIAN SOLDIERS. .

A correspondent of the "Morning Post" (London) .writes :— "From an Italian officer now on leave from the front 1 learn that during- November and December the Austrians were very persistent in their night attacks on the Carso Plateau, south of Gorizia. For these eventualities the Italian soldiers are armed in a peculiar f ash ion. Their weapon is a long Roman sword — a 'daga,' about four feet long. It is very heavy, and is carried naked and upright in the hand. This is their only Aveapon on these occasions. The Austrians, on the other hand, are deprived of their allowance of water during the day; at night rum arc then literally driven to the attack ar then literally driven to the attack in close formation and intoxicated. The small Italian mountain guns — 65 mm. — rain death upon the column, and the Maxims cut lanes through these packed masses. Nevertheless, some of the assailants stagger on, and these the Alpini calmly pick off. Even then a few get as far as the points of the bayonets lining the foremost trench. • If they are merely wounded they are taken prisoner. Some rum-sodden Austrians roll down the mountain side, too intoxicated to keep their feet in the charge ! Invariably vthe prisoners fall into a drunken sleep, and next morning remember nothing of their night's adventures. The dawn of daylight, after each of these attempts,, revealed veritable, mounds of bodies, and of, terribly wounded men that had better have been bodies. The Italians have smarted under the enemy's galling artillery fire, and still, more from the splinters of rocks sent flying by the cannonade, and they welcome any opportunity of repulsing the Austrians with the cold steel. They fret at their comparative inaction, and would dearly like to pursue any remnant of each retiring force." Throughout the war, indeed, as Italian officers have repeatedly said, their hardest task has been to hold back their men. "My informant further told me that the difference between Italian attacks and Austrian attacks lay in this: The Italians, if not the first time, then the second, or at the utmost the third time, capture the 'work' at which they have been aiming; and one taken, the^v hold it with bulldog tenacity. For seven weeks, he said, the Austrians rushed upon the 'Trincerone' that they had lost, and they sacrificed numbers of men time after time in utterly fruitless efforts to take it." Major James O'Sullivan, who has been Director of Defence Stores in Wellington .has been appointed Inspector of Ordnance Si ores throughout the Dominion. Major O'Sullivan has been in the Defence stores for over 37 years. He joined the old Armed Constabulary, and was transferred to the Defence Stores Department in 1885. Since the beginning of the present war he has supplied every thing required by the troops up to the 15th Reinforcements, with the exception of anything connected with food, horses, and forage. Captain T. McCristcll, quartermaster at Trentham Gamp, has been appointed to succeed Major James O'Sullivan as Director of Stores at Buckle Street. Captain McCristell served in the Tirah Valley (Northwest Indian) campaign, organised by Sir William Lockhart in tSq7, against the Afridis. Tt was in this campaicrn that the famous storming of the heights of Darfhai took olace. In the South African war Captain MefVistell served in the Transvaal and Orange River Colony operations h p fween November, iqoo. and May, iqdi He has tlie Tirah Medal with two clasps, and the Queen's South African medal with two clasps. Consequent upon the retirement upon superannuation, after 40 years' service, of Mr. \V. E. Ohishohn, district felejrraph engineer of the combined districts of Otag and Canterbury, "Can terburv will again be _ constituted a -""•■nte telegraph district. Mr. C. S. Plank, assistant engineer, ChristSi irch. bns been appointed to take ■"o, while Mr. A. Gibbs, staff pn-g-ineer. Wellington, has been appointed +o the Otacro district. News has bren received that Cantain C. T. Smith, fm-merlv commanding the Ran furl v Rifle Volunteers. Napier, 'has revived n romm'ssion in tv>* Bth South African Regiment, which rnrn prises part of the forces now ficht'n.tr rmnV r General Smnts in German East' Ap-rim. Captain Sm ;< h -~..r cpnn'ro fn the T?opT wor with th** 6th and Bth New Zealand Contingents -" — -p vearc he resided in German -«-«v.Ti T oe:t .A-frira, and on tlip out--prisoner of war, remaining in the <^ ( " "npmv nntij C-^nora] "TCnfha. revived the f"T«v»r!pr of the Gpr•■"iT) fo^^p.t; -ot \VirclnT > V la c t ■ vp*" Two other New Zealanders also hold commission*: in the same l'egimcnt as Captain Smith.

Velveteens and Silk Velvets will be in great demand this season. We hay a big range of velveteens in the folloAving colours* Black, Cream, Navy, Purple, Elec trie Blue, Saxe, Brown, Crimson, Cinnamon, Grey, etc. Prices — 1/9, 1/11, 2/3, 2/6 per yard.— Walker's, " Boundary Street. —