THE WESTERN THEATRE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16354, 10 April 1915, Page 7

THE WESTERN THEATRE

ACTIVITY ON THE YSER. GERMANS EXPEELED BY BELGIANS LONDON, April 8. The Belgians completely expelled the Germans from the western side of the Yser, in the Driegrachten region, with heavy losses. The Germans fled in disorder, abandoning machine guns and ammunition. FIGHTING AT LES EPARGES. GERMAN COUNTER-ATTACK REPULSED. PARIS, April 8. . A communique states that a German rogirjent and a-half counter-attacked at Les Eparges, but were repulsed with enormous losses, corpses covering the field, Out of 300 who approached our lines none escaped. CROWN PRINCE AT VERDUN. LONDON, April 8. The Crown Prince has returned to the command of the German army at Verdun. KING ALBERT'S BIRTHDAY. BRITISH AND FRENCH CELEBRATIONS. LONDON, April 8. King Albert's birthday was widely celebrated in Great Britain and France. Many functions were arranged in aid of the Belgian funds. BELGIAN MISFORTUNES. AND GERMANY'S RESPONSIBILITIES.. SPEECH BY LORD BRYCE. (Times and Sydney Sun Services.) LONDON, April 8. • (Received April 9, at 5.45 p.m.) Viscount Bryce, in opening the Belgian Town-planning Exhibition, said that the public opinion of the world agreed that those who ha-d destroyed Belgian cities and inflicted poverty and hardship upon the people ought to be made to pay to the uttermost farthing. No compensatiop could be given. Much harm had been done in the shape of the deaths and sufferings of innocent people. All the world could testify to the courage and devotion of the Belgians and their fidelity to their obliga tions. He earnestly hoped that there would arise before them a vision of a new Belgium delivered from the invader— ha PPJ, prosperous, contented. They would never lose the admiration of mankind for the spirit they had shown ancl the manner in which they had borne their misfortunes.

• KEEPING THEIR COURAGE UP. "YON HINDENBURG IS COMING." PREPARING FOR ALLIEiS' ADVANCE. LONDON, April 8. (Received April 9, at 8.45 p.m.) " Eye-witness " writes: "We blew up 100 yards of the enemy's trenches on the 3rd. The Germans thereupon bombarded our defences round Quinchy, throwing over 1000 shells. It is reported thrtt the Germans at Argonne pumped blazing oil or pitch into the French trenches. Prisoners state that the enemy are preparing a more novel reception. . They propose to asphyxiate us, if .we .advance, by a poisonous gas contained iri steel cylinders. The gas is of a heavy nature, and spreads over the ground; it does not dissipate for some time. '

" A notice is placarded at Neuve Cha■nelle: '"Vnn Hindenburg is coming, with half a million men.'" •

SUCCESSES IN FRANCE.

ADVANCES AND CAPTURES. PARIS, April 9. (Received April 9, at 9.30 p.m.) Official:. Since Sunday we have in» flicted heavy losses between the Meuse and Moselle, capturing strong positions at Les Eparges and Boisdailly, and seve< ral villages elsewhere. We further ad> vanced at Les Eparges on Thursday night, and held our ground, despite three violent counterattacks. We'have already counted 1000 corpses. We wiped out a company during a lively infantry action near Lamorville, south of Les Eparges, and took the 10 sur= vivors prisoners. TRAFFIC IN ALCOHOL. PROHIBITED BY FRENCH COMMANDER. PARIS, April 9. (Received April 9, at 9.30 p.m.) . The French commander has prohibited the purchase or sale of alcohol in the captured territory in the Vosges l under severe penalties. territorials' at the front. FINE WORK AT NEUVE CHAPELLE. LONDON, April 9. (Received April 9, at 11.40 .p.m.) A Territorial regiment did fine work in the capture of the trenches at Neuve Chapelle by a frontal attack across 200 yards of open country. Two companies quitted the breastwork in face of a murderous fire, and went straight across an awful open space with their bayonets at the charge. They reached the "trenches, and the Germans surrendered. The Territorials lost 80 men. They afterwards repelled a strong counter-attack. HAVOC BY BRITISH ARTILLERY. EFFECTS AT NEUVE CHAPELLE. LONDON, April 9. (Received April 10, at 1.20 a.m.) Two lists of British casualties at Neuve Chapelle contain 1877 names. The British bombardment at Neuve Chapelle created tremendous havoc among the German trenches. Whole traverses were blown, away, and most of the dugouts were wrecked. A card party of five Germans was. found sitting in natural poses asphyxiated by the-lyddite fumes. One was about to play the ace of spades.

BRITISH INDUSTRIAL DELAY.

COMMENTS" BY THE TIMES.

(Times and Sydney Sun Services.) LONDON, April 8. (Received April 9, at 5.45 p.m.) . The Times, in a leading article commenting on Mr Booth's committees, asks: "Are we reallv going the right way to work? After eight months' war we are nowhere near attaining the French industrial organisation. For our failures and shortcomings the Government is individually and collectively more blameworthy than the workmen. The Government has wasted valuable months in inadequate measures, with a muddled pretence at organisation. Even Earl Kitchener must bear a share of responsibility for our lack of preparedness. He has done great things, but we cannot expect him to create huge armies and also control the greatest business in the world. We can only supply "shells and ships by fuller comprehensive organisation and the settlement of industri?! difficulties."