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Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume IV, Issue 432, 11 August 1915, Page 4

The 'wearing-in of Dr. McNabIn whom. In,-Ii personafy and a- the member f<.r i iie ,i I isl i let in which the ‘ Tribune" is published, we extend i.nr coiigrat ii i.i t imis «.ii rettirti to M 11listet tit I i.fiici- dilnpletes the Nation;:! Ctbiiiei whose formation

has Teen a pmi-ess oi so nmeh difiteultv. Wiili regard 11 > its poTsonm-l :u,d ■ ms'-i bi 111 ms it e. mJ necessary In make ;itiv rcinmem ;d present, u being quite snfl’u'ian! to express a fervent wish, bitched by hopeful e.vpcetiilii.U. that its members miiv Lu aid,, to work in entire unity :tnd httrmiiiiy towards aeltiex itig the great purpose licit is its reason for being. It hiis. without dr.nlit. I'lti'o-dite.-'d (lemcnls that will mid.,' for ir.i-i eii'cil eiiii-ienc.v of administ ra - ticii. but ;it Hie same i line, it ciinmit but be mded thill ii s furl.mt hm lias fai.ed io discover any new lilccd. and lli-il the seleelion o! t lie new Ministers Ims procci lied almig tiridiiinnril polilicid lines. It is mailer for feiieit iit ion to m.te that the Ciomdian press Ims taken favour able notice of the temporary combination of parties. ;ind commends the consideration of a like step t<> its own (11 eri tm< i it. flic knowledge that lhe other seif-govet ning dominions are watching developments in connection with the experiment may- lie hoped to inspire members with a desire re. prove its beneficent possibilities, in any (-vent, as was said of rhe Imperial Naiionai Ministry. the last tiling that is wanted ik.w is l arren complaints of what has been done ami what lias been omitted in the past. The one thing tn keep st radii v in view is that, whether we have done well or not before. we have to do better now. ami that with all possible speed. — AVitli nothing to go on. at the incim-m of writing, excepting the overnight cables, the. news from Russia must be di'ciiied fairly satisfactory. Nowspaper correspondent s' own comlusioii as to military jhospect < are not very good things mi which, io place too .great vcliam-c. but to-day that of the London "Daily Telegraph" quotes "higher military- aut'lorities," as regarding the Russian Vistula army to be "out of dmigi r.” j liich means that they' cmi.-.ioer i.!ie Grand Duke has suc- < ceded in withdrawing the main body of lus ici'ces beyond the cluiieli of tie- Austro-German pincers. There

is certainly nothing in the cables to ham! that negatives this conclusion. Commencing with the c.-vt mine rigat of t.ic Russian lines, it would seem fairiy well established now that, it the Gt mans had _ any serious designs on Riga, their intentions have berni disappointed, for the Russians, according to their own accounts, have not only- compelled the land fc-vci s ot the*- oiiemy to retire to >‘i very considerable distance, bin have also succeeded in beating off a very strong mivi'l r.quaiirvi) that attempted c<i-operation with them. As h?<l been suggested a few days back, however, it is now definitely' stated that General von Bulow bad to withdraw pari' of Ins I mops Irorit V-ie I'iga section, in order to strengthen the already heavy force attempting, from the Kovuo province, to get possession ot the Vi acsaw-Pettograd ratiwav. Here. too. the Grano Duke appt ar: I<> hav>- provided an adequate resistance, for the. enemy would seem to have made little, if aiiv progress during the last few days, ami has made no strong effort to renew lus attack on Kovno itself, or on Ossoviec further to the west. In the area between the Xarevy and the Bug. east of Novo Gcorgievsk, the ■ German offensive, desperate t'jom ti it lias been, has also failed to i.reak through the devoted Russian rearguard, and thus one of the critical positions seems to be relieved. Tim Austrians claim to be driving the Russians back cast of the Vistula ; but this claim can readily be made to accord with the Russian scheme of withdrawal, unless von Vloyrsch should effect a junction v-'it ii von Maekenseu’s forces. \\ e

have, however, no very definite news as to von. Mackensen s position near and on the Bug river, and here the. southern erilie. ‘Shrapnel, stems to think there may be some difiieiilty awaiting the Russian (’om-inander-in-C hlet. it there is any- trut h in earlier German reports. He says: ‘•lowther eastward General von Mackensen is advancing dqwn the Bug. His forces are north, of ('holm, and there is some indication that lie nearing Xlodava. midway between Cholm and Brest-Litov>k. Il that he so. it looks serious. He lias the advantage of a railway from ('holm to Brest-Litovsk-, and it' he is astride that railway lie will be able to use it. to living forward his heavy, artilkry and the necessary munitions. Should he reach Vle.dava before the Russians hai e withdrawn from the Polish qumhilatend the enemy will hav<- practically enveloped a great part (if the Russian armies. In Die meantime we may rest assured that the*lltissians have large forces round BreM-Litovsk, and are thoroughly preparing to defend that important fortress and bulwark against the invasion of Central Russia." l-'or tiie, first time for a considerable number of da vs we hear from the extreme southern end of the opposing lines, and there the Austrians allege a stici essfiil repulse of a Russian attack at a. jioint which we cannot: locate, but which is probably close to tin- Russian frontier, on one side or the i.th< r. There may be some significance in this , me.-sa-e. . it infers a Russian, offensive, pos.ioiy indicative of new strength in that section, although Russian, massage., have as y et. made no releren- c to

Sipce the f'c.iegcing was handed to the printer. Inter messages put a different complexion mt matters, for a Petrograd message announces tnat the Russians arc preparing to evacuate Vilna. a centtal station on t ho Warsaw- Petrograd line. There has certainlv been nothing in recent repoits from litlier party that would suggest the necessity tor this stop. , ■■ i ( .j 11 bi ng pointing rather to the conclusion that the German, menace to this jailvvav had been effectivelyheld tip. There is also further disquieting hue news, contained in a Berlin message, which has reference to the position in South-eastern Poland, between the Vistula, and the P,iio. This message, if authentic, ooi-s to justify "IShrapnel’s” anxiety with ri'gard 10 tin- situation in this

quarter, lhe cnemv elaimini’- that i Von Wi.ytschs and You Mackeusen's armies lune succeeded in loi’eing their way eastward and north ", ard. respect ively .soas to effect an overwhi Iming conjunction against t|,.. Itnssian rearguard, which has been driven hack on the main body.