RUSSIA

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LII, Issue 27, 1 February 1918, Page 5

RUSSIA

A RUSSIAN POLITICAL STATEMENT THE GERMANS I>ENOU-\C'ED. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association and Renter.) (Admiralty per Wireless Press.) (Rec. Feb. LONDON, Jan. 31. The Russian political statement from Brest (Litovsk denounces Count "von Hertling's speech. It describes him as a Jesuit reactionary from head to foot, a friend of the Junkers and the clergy. The statement declares that the Entente's refusal to enter peace negotiations is ' sufficiently explained by the German Government's self-confessed annexationist aims. Tlie Entente powers are afraid to fall into the highwayman's hands. TH£~UK3~ INE BOLSHEVIKS CLAIM, SUCCESSES. (Published in The Times.) PETROGRAD, Jan. 30. The bolsheviks claim further successes against the Ukraine;. The Red Guards disarmed 20 Cossack echelons at Alexandrovik, and occupied Kertch, Sebastopol, and Jaeta, and nutmerous stations round Kieff, Portava, and Kiursk. General Kaledin's Tartar troops continue their resistance at Simferopol, Bacht-osh, and Isaray. "* THE BREST LITOVSK CONFERENCE. (Reuter's Telegrams., AMSTERDAM, Jan. 30. The peace delegations have reassem'bled at Brest Litovsk, including Dr. von Kuhlmann (Germany), Count Czernin (Austria), and M. Trotsky (Russia). HORRIBLE JESTS TRAIN LOAD OF DEAD BOLSHEVIKS. (Australian and N.Z. ©able Association) (Rec. Feb. 1, 11.40 a.m.) PETROGRAD 1 , Jan. 31. A horrible jest has 'been perpetrated at the expense of the Bolshefviks. A train arrived js.t Petrograd, and it was announced that it contained flour. When the seals were broken an-d the cars opened hundreds of bodies of Bolshevik Red Guards were disclosed. : They had ben killed in South Russia. ORGANISATION OF RED ARMY. ' (Australian and N.Z. Qabl* Acaooiatien and Rooter..) j J por Wbratooc Pnh.) (Rec. Feb. l t 12.55 p.m.) LONDON, Jan. 31. A Russian political message says that a Lenin decree assigne 20,000,000 roubles (about £2,000,000) to the organisation of the Workmen's and Peasants' Red Army. i FINLAND ESCAPE OF THE GOVERNMENT. 'Australian and N.Z. Oablo An»ooiation) I 'COPENHAGEN, Jtn. 30. j The Finish Government escaped to Tammerfors, "where a great Government army is concentrated und-er Gereral Mannerheim. T|ie Swedish Government has closed the frontier to prevent the transport of anras. A Finnisn delegation hes arrived in Sweden teeking' military help against the Red Guards. GOVERNMENT GONE TO THE NORTH. REIGN OF TER.ROR AT 1 HELSINGFORS. (Australian and N.Z. Gable Association) I (Rec. Feb. 1. 11.40 a.m.) | STOCKHOLM, Jan. 31. The Government has gone to the I north of Finland and despatched the Guards to Helsingfors, where the revolutionaries have established a Soviet Cabinet with M. Maner as Premier. Red Guards and Russian soldiery are patrolling the town, which is under a reign of terror. Lo the preliminary battle the National Guards were victorious. More' serious encounters are imminent.

RUSSIA AND HQUMANIA EARLY BATTLES EXPECTED. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association) (Rec. Feb. 1, 11.40 a.m.) LONDON, Jan. 31. Petrograd reports that Russian .troops are being rushed to Bessarabia. The Roumanians are advancing from Kishineff. Early battles are expected. ROUMANIANS WELCOMED BY SOUTH-WESTERN RUSSIAN COMMAND. (Renter's Telegrams.'

(Rec. Feb. 1, 1.45 p.m.) LONDON, Jan. 31. Ja-ssy telegrams state that Roumanian troops, on the invitation of the Russian High Command in the south-west, entered Kishineff, and were welcomed with cheers .by the population . CONDITIONS IN PETROGRAD DAILY MORE DISMAL. LONDON, Jan. 14. The Petrograd correspondent of The Times state s that th© extremists believe that M. Trotzky, Foreign Secretary, yielding to German pressure, is exceeding his powers, and it is suggested that M. Lenin should control the future negotiations. Living conditions in Petrograd are growing daily more dismal. Fuel is exhausted, and the city is left in darkness. The thermometer is at 20 degrees below zero. Bread has not beea obtainable in restaurants for several days. The condition of the railways does not give hope of supplies arriving from the country, even if th e peasants are willing to sell. Amid the jeers of the once patriotic parties, the Bolsheviks are preparing for war in their own fashion. They are not attempting the impossible task of reanimating the worn-out army. On the contrary, they are anxious to clear away from th e front all soldiers unwilling to fight. The new Russian Army will be much smaller than the old. Eeuter's correspondent at Petrograd states that hunger rioting has occurred at Kolomea. The Government at Moscow is demanding the disarming of the Red Guards and the. handing over of authority to the municipality. Soldiers from Petrograd are going backwards and forwards in the provinces fetching meat, flour, and butter, which they sell in Petrograd at exorbitant prices. The soldiers take possession of the railway carriages, hanging on the steps an-di lying on the roofs. Many fatal accidents and deaths from cold result. TRANSPORT DISASTERS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN TWO VESSELS AND DESTROYER SUNK. RELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN MINED. DETAILS OF PREyiOUS REPORT. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Assc»<a»tion) LONDON, Jan. 30. Two transports were lost between Otranto and Alexandria. Those drowned included four nurses. A destroyer was also lost while rescuing the survivors. Both transports were included in the sinkings cabled on the 9th inst. The larger transport was the Pacific Mail Company's Aragon, with .2000 on board, including troops, nurses, and a medical unit. The second vessel was the old Khedival steamer Osmanieh with 800 on board. It is believed that bpth vessels ran into a minefield, the disasters occurring within a few hours of each other. It is interesting to note that during the war nine transports have 'been lost, the casualties aggregating 2000. Something like 11,000,0001 effectives have been carried without a casualty. Close on a quarter of a million troops are often afloat on a single day. I AN OFFICIAL REPORT. TRANSPORT AND DESTROYER TORPEDOED. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association and R«utor.) LONDON, Jan-,. 30. Thtv Admiraltv states that the losses announced in the House of Commons on the 34rd inst. were the transport Aragon, which was torpedoed and sunk on December 30th, and the auxiliary Osmanieh, mined -.and sunk on Decean"ber 31st, both in the same locality in the Eastern Mediterranean. The destroyer, the lctes of which was ca'bled on the 7th inst., was torpedoed and sunk -whilst picking up the Aragon's survivors. The Aragon's casualties were 610, inchiding Captain Bateman, and the Osmanieh's* casualties were 199, including Captain Mason and eight nurses. A KURSE'B STORY HOW THE VESSEL SUNK. TROOPS SING. (Australian and N.Z. Gsbla Association (Rec. Feb. 1, 11.40 a.m.) LONDON, Jan. 31. The first published story of the sink 1 - ixir- of the Aragon is from a nurse, who was aboard the vessel. She says they were trader destroyer escort. They sighted land at 10.40 oni 30th December. The Aragon was torpedoed half an hour later. The nurses were sent away in early (boats and all were saved. They saw the Aragon settling deep in the stern with the troops on deck, singing. Several boats were soon on the spot. After the ship sank they picked up "destroyer was torpedoed immediately afterwards while picking up survivors from tho water. She had hundreds of rescued troops aboard. The destroyer broke in halves. The nurse adds: The Osmanieh sank vn five minutes. She had 40 nurses aboard. Eight are dead. They have 'leetk brought ashore. A3IERICAN TROOPS. SEIZED GERMAN SHIPS AS TRANSPORTS. (Australian and N.Z. Cabla Association) NEW YORK, Jan. 30. Sixteen former North German liners, .aden with American troops and supplies, have arrivedi at French ports TROOPS SHOW GREATEST GALLANTRY. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association) (Rec. Feb. 1. 12.40 p.m.) LONDON, Jan. 31. The troops aboard the Aragon showed tb<» greatest gallantry. They never moved towards th e boats containing the women, though t/he ship was dipping badly and finally heeled so far that tne men fell down. The colonel in charge of the deck jjav« orders to abandon the ship, and everyone jumped, into wate^. ..tfter rescuing the sisters, the boats quickly returned and rescued many in the water.

CULMINATING CRISIS OF THE WAR THIS YEAR'S ACHIEVEMENTS•MUST DETERMINE THE ISSUE STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT wrnsousr. {Australian and N.Z. Cable Association) (Rec. Feb. 1, 9 a.m.) WASHINGTON. Jan. 31. President Wilson made the statement that the culminating crisis of the war has arrived and this year's achievements must determine the issue.