TURKEY’S PARLOUS PLIGHT

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLII, Issue 10586, 13 February 1917, Page 5

TURKEY’S PARLOUS PLIGHT

FOOD GETTING SHORT. (.Loudon Times’ Telegrams). Rceivfiii February UR 9 a.m. AMSTERDAM, Feb. 12. A neutral resident from Constantinople states the Russian bombardment of Tugul cut off the coal supply oi the Turkish licet and destroyed lour vessels. Merchantmen only remain in the Bosphorus which is shut oif. Foreign trade is at a standstill. The Germans are unable to repair the Goeben, which is docked. The Breslau is afloat and also some torpedoers and submarines. Meat, bread and sugar cards have been introduced and the Turks recent this as a German innovation. Swindlers are sending Government. stores to Germany. No fish is procurable. Sugar is 8s and tea. 4s per pound. Boots are 60s a pair. The people are strongly anti-German though afraid to show it. TURKISH MENDACITY. Received February 13. 11.30 a.m. AMSTERDAM, Fob. 12. A Turkish official statement claims that British attacks at Kut were repulsed on Saturday morning with heavy losses. Subsequently the British penetrated the trenches, but. all the positions were retaken at three on Saturday afternoon. The Turks claim to have repulsed a strong British attack with heavy losses south of Lake Doir'an, The Biithh Mesopotamian official cables on Sun day referred to Saturday’s events, and was as follows: during the night of the ninth, we repulsed four Turkish attacks on our right. On our loft our position has been further improved. On the 10th our hold of enemy trenches was rapidly extended by heavy bombardment and assault. We captured 500 yards of trenches and the liquorice factory at Kut. To the right we steadily progressed. Wo have a new line over a frontage of more than 500 yards, the enemy being pushed back from 800 to 1200 yards. There have been heavy Turkish casualties.” TURKEY ILL-TREATS PRISONERS. (London Times’ Telegrams). Received February 13, 10.35 a.m. LONDON, Feb. 12. Tu the House of Commons, Mr Hope, on behalf of the Government, said Turkey had repeatedly refused to allow the American Ambassador to visit the camps in which British prisoners were interned. The Governmentbelieved the conditions for officers wore tolerable, but the conditions for the men were deplorable. They arcmaking efforts to obtain an improvement.