ECHOES OF THE WAR.

Otago Witness, Issue 3414, 20 August 1919, Page 17

ECHOES OF THE WAR.

MEMORIAL TO THE BRAVE DEAD. (By Cable.) LONDON, August 12. A movement is afoot to erect replicas" of the Whitehall cenotaph in various towns of the Kingdom. It is also intended to make the cenotaph the type for memorials throughout the Empire. Sir Edwin L. Lutyens states that he would gladly make the design available for Australasian cities. It is roughly estimated that the Cost of erection will be from £15.000 to £20,000. Australian and New Zealand soldiers are among the throngs daily paying homage to the Whitehall cenotaph, which has touched the public imagination. The base of the cenotaph is smothered with wreaths. The Government has decided, in obedience to public demand, to erect the cenotaph in a permanent form in Whitehall. BELGIANS OCCUPY MALMEDY, BRUSSELS, August 13. Belgian troops have occupied Malmedy (which under the Peace Treaty is now included in Belgium), and were received enthusiastically. CANADIAN LOSSES. OTTAWA, August 13. At Kingston (Ontario) General Sir Archibald Mac Donnell, defending General Currie against criticisms for the undue loss of men at the capture of Passchendaele, said that the Canadian losses were the lowest, while the percentage of their gains was the highest. The Canadians, he said, captured Passchendaele after the Australians, New Zealanders, and British had failed. THE OVERSEA COMMANDERS. LONDON, August 13. Sentiment among Australians, New Zealanders, and Canadians in London is strongly growing that the services of the commanders of the chief overseas armies should have been recognised in the final distribution of honours. The War Office has intimated that it would have lilted to have done so, but was afraid that the overseas Governments would feel affronted. Therefore the matter was left to the Australian, New Zealand, and Canadian Legislatures to adopt their own measures for recognising the war services of Generals Monash, Russell, Currie, and others, and recommend them for Imperial honours. THE NEW ZEALANDERS. LONDON, August 14. Fifty-eight thousand New Zeajand troops have already left England home wards, and there are 4400 still to be repatriated, of whom 1100 will leave by the 14th of September, and the balance before the end of October. About 1300 have taken their discharge in England, on a guarantee that they will be found employment. A few have enlisted for Russia—a course which headquarters did not encourage. THE SITUATION IN TURKEY. ROME, August 14. The political situation in Turkey is chaotic, owing to the Central Government losing authority. Anatolia is in open revolt 'under Djemal Pasha. Conflicts are general, and it will need 100,000 troops to restore order* THE SUBMARINE BREMEN. AMSTERDAM, August 11. The Vossische Zeitung dispels the mystery of the German merchantman Bremen. The crew have reached Bremen. They state that the British captured the vessel, and isolated the crew for three years to preserve the secret. HEAR THE OTHER SIDE. LONDON, August 11. At the inquiry Fratel gave evidence that he was not responsible for the hospital system in Bagtsche, which was under Turkish control. The Germans and Turks twice beat him for showing kindness to the British, and threatened to make him a railway navvy if he quitted the hospital in order to attend to the British. He worked 14 hours dailv, though suffering from fever, and had no control over the -mortuary, while he agreed to the conditions. August 13. At the court-martial on the treatment of Kut prisoners at the Bagtsche Hospital several witnesses gave evidence warmly in Fratel's favour. They stated that he worked hard, and was not guilty of cruelty or neglect. Fratel is an Eurasian warrant officer. SURPLUS STORES. LONDON, August 13. The sales of surplus Government war stores realised £155,000,000. Many more millions' worth of stores are still awaiting sale. Salvaged material from France and Belgium realised nearly £9,000,000. FATAL EXPLOSION. BRUSSELS, August 14. A Cologne message states that a British ammunition depot exploded at Kail. The bodies of 14 workmen were recovered from the ruins. A large number were injured. DEMAND BY RETURNED SOLDIERS. MELBOURNE, August 14. The Returned Soldiers and Sailors' League asked for the abolition of all Lutheran churches and schools in Victoria. The Premier (Mr Lawson) replied that the subject had been fully considered, and it had been decided that it would be against British tradition to interfere with nativeborn subjects in the matter of religion and

conscience. If specific instances that these schools were hotbeds of disloyalty were forthcoming they would be dealt with. AN AFFRAY WITH ITALIANS. PERTH, August 14. An affray between Italians and returned soldiers at Kalgoorlie resulted in one soldier being kille;] and another stabbed several times. The Boldiers later wrecked two Italian hotels. It has been resolved to urge the Federal Government to deport all Italians from the goldfields, otherwise the soldiers • will not be responsible for the consequences. ATigust 16. The Returned Soldiers' Association a% Kalgoorlie decided that all unmarried Italians of military age must leave by Saturday. The Italians have agreed ta do so. A foreigner deported from Kalgoorlif by the returned soldiers has been arrested under the Aliens Restriction Act. He It believed to be a Bolshevist agent who haj| been inciting the Italians to create m disturbance. AUSTRALIA'S EXPENDITURE. MELBOURNE, August 14. In the Federal House of Representative* Mr Watt, Acting Prime Minister, an* nounced that Australia's war expenditure abroad to the end of June amounted t 4 £134,600,000. „ GERMAN'S DEPORTED. SYDNEY, August 14. - A further 1200 interned Germans h&v*' been deported.