ECHOES OF THE WAR.

Otago Witness, Issue 3397, 23 April 1919, Page 15

ECHOES OF THE WAR.

DEMOBILISATION PARTLY SUSPENDED. (By Cable.) Mr 'Winston Churchill states that owing to -recent events demobilisation is suspended in India and Egypt. REPATRIATING NEW ZEALANDERS. The Pakeha, with 1500 New Zealanders, has sailed from Tilbury. GERMANY'S SECRET ARMY. < The Czecho-Slovak Mission, which has arrived in Paris, made a somewhat alarming report to the French War Minister. The delegates declare that the Germans are showing great activity, especially in the eastern districts, manufacturing guns, machine-guns, and aeroplanes, while from the Baltio Sea to the Czech frontier recruiting is actively proceeding for a socalled official army. Recruiting agents are found at every railway station, appealing to the patriotism of young men to join the army. The pay offered is six marks per day. As this is more than can be earned in civilian employment they are enrolling 500 daily. Von Hindenburg's name is used as a fetish, while von Lettow and von Gallwitz are actively associated with the movement, which is warmly supported by junkers and the bourgeoisie. Many wagons are being constructed, ostensibly for revictualling' work, but in. reality for military use. The delegates state that Germans have large quantities of arms and artillery under the control of the panGerman League's numerous recruiting stations established between the Baltic and the Czech frontier. Officers are accosting all travellers of military age, who mostly yield to pressure, being largely influenced by the pay, which is six marks per day and food. The daily average of recruits is 25,000.

The delegation states that the Junkers are placing wealth' at the disposal of the new army, and are granting the granaries of Seignorial domains for barracks. Numerous factories continue to produce shells, machine guns, and cannon. The Government has also handed over to the new army long trains of wagons, which ,are hidden in the woods. Batteries of artillery are also hidden all over the country. The Government, which protests that it is unable to feed the urban centres, is transporting thousands of shells from nine factories, all of which have been erected since the armistice. The whole movement is conducted in Hindenburg's name. THE GERMAN U BOATS. The Chicago Tribune Berlin correspondent interviewed Captain Bartenbacht, commander of the U-boat bases in Flanders, who said that Captain Schweiger sank the Lusitania and Captain Berger sank the Laconia. Both were killed when their submarines were later destroyed. U-boats operating off the American coast were not accompanied by mother ships, nor did they receive aid from the American shores. For one U-boat sunk by a depth charge three were sunk by anchored mines. The British raids on Ostend and Zeebrugge did not block the channels for the Üboats. It was an anchored mine that sank the Hampshire with Lord Kitchener abroad. ANZACS ENTERTAINED. MR HUGHES AND THE PEACE TREATY. Five hundred Australians and New Zealanders attended the Anzac dinner in the Palais d'Or Hotel. Mr Hughes presided. General Pau had a great ovation. Captain Wise, of the 29th Division, proposed " The Commonwealth." Mr Hughes, in responding, said that every Australian gloried in the achievement of their soldiers, who were proud to fight alongside the New Zealanders and share the glories of the name of "Anzac." He had no wish to criticise the Council of Four for not revealing the peace terms before they were handed to Germany, but it was a grave error to fix the terms within President Wilson's 14 points. The public were gravely perturbed over the delay. He hoped that the peace terms would compel Germany to repair the war's ravages and cost. Bolshevism was sweeping over Hungary and Bavaria and smouldering in Germany. The Allies were retreating in Southern Russia and were menaced with destruction in Archangel and Murmansk. It was a hollow mockery to say that the world was safe for democracy in face of such facts. No one knew what kind of peace we were to have, or that it would be that to which we were entitled. Although the great war was over, other wars were menacing the world. Germany should be definitely notified that she must sign the peace treaty, and preparations should be immediately made to compel her to do so. THE ITALIAN FRONTIER CLOSED. The Paris correspondent of tho New fork Times telegraphs that it is reported that the Italian frontier lias been closed for the purpose of preventing news from reaching Paris regarding the serious situation that has arisen since tho recent political strike. Some unconfirmed despatches say that a revolution has broken out in certain parts of Italy. FRANCO-AMERICAN ALLIANCE DENIED. It is reported that a tentative agreement has been reached between Britain and the United States to aid France in the event of an attack by Germany. American headquarters denies that President Wilson has entered into any form of Franco-American alliance, adding that the League of Nations remains the only

American agreement for supporting Franca in the event of her being attacked. The New York World Paris correspondent cables an extraordinary report that America has assured France that she -will enter into a defensive alliance with Britain and France. A tentative agreement hasalready been reached between the threa nations, which probably will shortly be revealed by M. Clemenceau. The correspondent adds: The agreement provides that the American Congress will be asked .to aid Franco in the event of an attack by Germany by declaring tha existence of a state of war. The agreement is regarded by the French as M* Clemenceau s greatest victory. ARMENIAN MASSACRES. A trial concerning Armenian massacreg resulted in Governor Kemal being sentenced to death and publicly hanged in Stamboul; while ex-Commander of Gendarmerie Yozghad was sentenced to 18 years' imprisonment. Owing to the revolutionary condition* becoming worse in Turkey new Armenian massacres are feared. ITALIAN DEMAND ON AUSTRIA. A painful sensation has been caused h* Vienna by the Italian demand for the giving back of many art works of inestimable value now in Imperial museums and galleries. These include masterpieces of Titian, Tintoretto, Raphael, Georgione, Rembrandt, and Cel* lino; also celebrated manuscripts. The Government declared that compliance would render their collections insignificant. The Viennese artists axe organising an appeal to the world. BELGIUM AND THE EX-KAISER. Belgium h*as refused to demand the extradition of the Kaiser, declaring that it is ready to punish Manteuffel for the sack of Louvain, Groeder for the murder of Captain Fryatt, and Sannersweig for tha' murder of Nurse Cavell, but does not seek revenge. Belgium thinks that the Kaiser i 3 only punishable if the tribunal established wcra made retroactive, which would be legally unsound. DEATHS BY ACCIDENT. Fourteen American and six French soldiers were killed in a train collision at Le Mans, in France. explosion of munitions occurred in France. An Australian officer was killed, and many Australian soldiera Avere injured. Details are lacking. A verdict of "Found drowned" was returned at the inquesfon Private' Daniel Sheehan, a New Zealander, whose body was discovered in the Thames. The coroner said that suicide was unlikely. Apparently the man had strayed into the flooded river. GENERAL ITEMS. A Washington message to the New York Times says it is officially announced that a Victory loan of four and a-half billion dollars "will be issued in the form of Treasury notes, bearing interest at tha rate of 4| per cent. The New York World's Paris correspondent states that American officers have despatched a peremptory message to the British, demanding that the commercial censorship shall cease. It is understood that the Commonwealth Government has arranged for shipping to deport 4000 aliens from Australia and 300 from New Zealand in about eight weeks. The vessels are now en route from Europe*