NEWS SUMMARY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16283, 17 July 1916, Page 4

NEWS SUMMARY .

Auckland: Heavy floods are reported from the Kaihu Valley. The gale caused considerable damage in the Te Aroha district. A Grey Lynn bootmaker, Mr. John. Heather, was found dead behind his counter on Saturday. The Rua trial entered upo-' its thirtyfirst day on Saturday, cross-examination of the •"prophet" being advanced, a. little further. The Aliens Commission took evidence j at Kaihu on Saturday regarding the pro- , posal for the internment of alien gum- | diggers. Nine men offered their services at the recruiting station on Saturday. Four were accepted. Six men who had leer deterred were also passed as fit. The sum of £162 was raised on Saturday for the fund in aid of starving Belgian children as the result of a benefit football match between Grammar School ! and King's College. New Zealand: A transport arrived at, Dunedin yesterday with 132 invalided soldiers, most of whom are suffering from disease. A labourer named Frederick William Allen died in the Christ-church Hospital yesterday as the result of blows alleged to have been struck by a soldier. The Prime Minister . and the Minister for Defence are not likely to be sufficiently recovered from their indisposition to attend the parliamentary sitting on Tuesday evening. British and Foreign: The French Government has arranged for the raising of a loan of £19.000,000 in America to pay for munitions purchased in that country The War: There was a lull in the fighting on the French front. The Arabs are now in complete possession of Mecca. Reports are to hand of a V ..-ed' .*n uprising against the Bulgaria .-. I he Russians advance' 1 -fc<~' F-rzeroum, capturing a fine o f ' _.-jd positions. «<r It is -• ..nat the Germans lost 12,000 it"- ..ue defence of Conialmaison. Fighting is proceeding at Ovillers, practically all" of which is in British hands. Desperate Avtstro-G-erman counter-attacks are in progress westward of the Strypa. The British are now consolidating their gains and the troops are in high spirits over their successes. There is an increasing shortage in the German food supplies and soldiers are being given preference. In 24 hours the British captured 2000 prisoners, bringing the total in the hands of the British to 10,000. King Ferdinand of Roumania conferred with the Russian Minister and afterwards received Entente Ministers. It is reported that the Kaiser is hurrying from front to front greatly agitated owing to the allies' simultaneous offensive. German versions of several recent engagements attempt to discount the success of the allies, and claim to have inflicted heavy losses. The Italians have captured a mountain position which commands the whole of the Austrian force occupying the trenches in that position. Serious riots occurred at Cologne and Abe la Chapelle on Sunday. At Cologne 20 citizens were killed, 40 wounded and many were arrested. Four policemen were killed. Further progress is reported on the British front. At one point the Germans were forced back to their third system of trenches, over four miles to the rear of his original front trenches, at Fricourt and Mometz. i