ECHOES OF THE WAR.

Otago Witness, Issue 3403, 4 June 1919, Page 19

ECHOES OF THE WAR.

(By Cable.) RETURNING NEW ZEALANDERS. . LONDON, May 15 (delayed). The Marama is to sail in June with 500 New Zealand convalescents on board, thus clearing out the New Zealand Hospital at Walton-on-Thames. June 1. The Migoma with 180 officers, 450 men, and 150 women and children, has sailed for New Zealnd, via Panama. MINE SWEEPING. LONDON, May 16 (delayed). The Australian Press Association learns that there are 14,600 volunteers aboard 430 British mine-sweepers now at work clearing up 100,000 British mines laid during tho war. It is hoped to complete the task by the end of November. Drifting mines are prevalent, but are less dangerous than expected, as the bow-waves of the boats turn the mines from impact. MR MASSEY AKD THE GUARDS. PARIS, May 17 (Delayed). Mr Massey, in an interview, said the Imperial Guards' Battalion would furnish a great memorial of the New Zealanders' fighting. He hoped the New Zealanders would take a more active share in naval defence, as New Zealanders must in future be a maritime people.

SOLDIERS DEMONSTRATE. LONDON, May 26. Several thousand discharged soldiers marched in procession to Westminster, but foot and mounted police blocked the approaches to the Houses of Parliament. The demonstrators the Abbey and assailed the police with paving wood blocks and granite setts. The foot police charged and scattered the demonstrators, who later marched to Buckingham Palace. NURSE CAVELL'S FUNERAL. AN IMPRESSIVE CEREMONY. LONDON, May 15 (delayed). Nurse Cavell's funeral service at West minster Abbey was the most outstanding women's demonstration held during the war. There has been nothing like it since Queen Victoria's funeral. The flags on the Government offices were at half-mast, and the streets crowded with women, who. outnumbered the men fivefold. The Coldstream Guards met the coffin at Victoria station, and placed it on a guncarriage covered with the Union Jack, on which lay a single wreath. The Guards escorted it to the west door of the Abbey, where there was a remarkable gathering. A number of privileged people were accommodated in the choir, including Queen Alexandra, Princess Victoria, members of Cabinet, ambassadors, the 'High Commissioners and Agents-general, and leading military and "naval officers. Australian nurses were prominent in the nave, also big delegations of W.A.A.C.'s, W.R.E.N.'s, and Air Force girls, Red Cross nurses, and representatives of every department of women's activity in the war., The anthems, prayers, and lessons emphasised the dominant note of the service, that Nurse Cavell was a Christian who died in the Lord. The most moving episode was the congregation's singing of Lyte's hymn "Abide With Me," which Nurse Cavell repeated just before her execution. The service closed with the Dead March in "Saul" and the "Last Post."

The gun-carriage, escorted by the Coldstreams, then moved along the Embankment through the city. The Lord Mayor of London saluted it from the Mansion House. There were tremendous crowds en route to Liverpool station, whence it was taken to Norwich and buried in a corner of the Cathedral close, called " Life's Green," under the shadow of the memorial chapel to those who died in the war. President Poincare has bestowed the posthumous decoration of Chevalier of the Legion of Honour on the late Nurse Cavell. .DAMAGE IN FRANCE. PARIS, May 18 (Delayed). It is.authoritatively estimated that the material damage done in the French devastated area is as follows:—£800,000,000 for agricultural depreciation, also £850,000.000 for damaged and destroyed buildings', and £400,000,000 for loss of'furniture. Many villages cannot be rebuilt, owing to changes in the subsoil and the presence of explosives and soldiers' bodies; while 50,000 acres of arable land can never again be tilled. The depreciation due to trenchmaking is estimated at £53,000,000, and the depreciation in the back areas due to the overgrowth of weeds and grass is set down at £50,000,000. GERMAN WAR LOSSES. LONDON, May 28. A Berlin telegram via Copenhagen states that the final adjustment of Germany's war losses shows the following : Killed 1,677.000 Missing 384,000 Wounded 4,317,000 Prisoners not returned 616,000 Total 6,994,000 The return states that of the 384,000 who are missing nine-tenths may be regarded as killed. RISING OF KURDS. LONDON, May 29. A serious rising is reported from Mosul, in Kurdistan. The rebels defeated the gendarmerie and cut the telegraphs. It is feared that detachments of British officers and troops have been taken prisoner. It is believed that the Young Turk Party instigated the rising, t The Mesopotamian krmy is sending relief forces.

A TRAIN DERAILED. LONDON, May 3L A British, troop train was derailed &\ Charleroi through a signalling error. Seven people were killed and 24 were seriously injured, while many suffered slight hurts. It is not known if there were any Australasian casualties.

FATAL ACCIDENTS AND FIRES. LONDON, May 21 (delayed). While men were loading shells into a wherry at Armstrong and Whitworth'a works, at Newcastle, some lyddite exploded. The wherry was sunk and the whole shop was nearly wrecked. Six men are missing and one man was injured, Over a wide area the buildings were damaged. Official: Thirty-two persons were injured, but none was killed or missing in the Newcastle explosion. FATAL ACCIDENTS. LONDON, May 27. The great barracks at Ludwigshafen. oc» cupied by Frenchmen, were burned. Forty perished and a hundred were injured. May -29. A fire in a building at Cologne occupied by Americans exploded a neighbouring munitions dump, and 80 are missing. June 1. Twelve persons were killed and 220 injured by an explosion at munition works m Brussels. Enormous damage was done. TURKS TO BE PUNISHED. LONDON, May- 29. Mr Cecil Harmswortli stated in Parlia* n'ent that the whereabouts of Enver Pasha and Talaat Pasha was unknown, but the Government is determined to bring them to account, and provision will be inserted for that purpose in the Turkish Peace. Treaty. LORD FRENCH'S BOOK. LONDON, May 17. Mr Asquith, speaking at Newcastle, replied to criticism of his speech at Newcastle in April, 1915, in which he denied that the army's operations in France were crippled by the Government's failure to provide the necessary munitions, and that he had thus lulled the country into a false sense of security. He declared that his statements had been unscrupulously and shamelessly travestied for several years for political purposes, but ho had refrained from replying to misrepresentations during the war.

Mr Asquith proceeded to outline thesuccessful efforts of his Government in securing an increase in munitions in 1914-15, the need of which was actually realised. Ho came to Newcastle in April, 1915, for the purpose of urging the Tyneside and other workers to increase their output. His statement denying a lack of munitions was made after consulting Lord Kitchener, who had been personally consulting Lord French. Mr Asquith asked where else could he have applied for authentic information than to Kitchener. He added that his statement was carefully limited to the past. He did not attempt to conceal the Government's anxiety as to the future, but he emphasised that all the military authorities were agreed that a large and rapid increase of munitions was indispensable. May 19 (delayod). Lord French declines to discuss the shell dispute, but denies Lord Kitchener's version of the munitions position in April, 1915 (as set forth by Mr Asquith in his recent speech at Newcastle). MISCELLANEOUS. The Japan squadron in the Mediterranean has sailed on its return to Japan. As an Imperial War Museum 100,000 exhibits will be housed in the Crystal Palace. The steamer Willochra sailed from Sydney on the 27th, taking 928 deported Germans from internment camps. The battleship Australia has arrived at Fremantle after your absenc*' There was an enthusiastic reception.