ECHOES OF THE WAR

Otago Witness, Issue 3510, 21 June 1921, Page 24

ECHOES OF THE WAR

GALLIPOLI GRAVES. LONDON, June 14. The Daily Telegraph points out that those British relatives who are mourning their dead' on Gallipoli owe a debt of gratitude to the Anzac officers whose devoted work carried out the cemetery construction oh the peninsula. GALLIPOLI MEMORIAL. LONDON, June 15. General Hunter-Weston recommends to the War Office that the Gallipoli Memorial be erected on a hill site, 500 yards north east of Cape Helles lighthouse, between V and W beaches. Other sites, including Anzac, were rejected as being too far from the line of traffic. WORK OF RECONSTRUCTION IN FRANCE. LONDON, June 14. The Morning Post’s Paris correspondent interviewed M. Louclieur (Minister of Reparations), who said that France had already spent 22,000,000,000 francs in reconstruction work, plus 3,000,000,000 on repairing roads, railways, and canals over 1500 miles. Ninety per cent, of the ruined railways had been reconstructed ; 3,600,000,000 francs were spent on restoring factories; that is, 18 per cent, of the total loss was made good. Of 4,700,000 people who inhabited the devastated areas 4,100,000 have returned. Out of 600,000 houses destroyed, 250,000 have beer, rendered habitable. Eighty per cent, of the land has been cleared of projectiles, and is again under crop; 2,500,000,000 francs were spent on restoring agricultural land. The Minister considers that reconstruction should be done by localities under tlie control of the Central Government. Fortunately prices of coal and labour are falling, so that reconstruction is possible. It would be a mistake to emplov German labour, as it would be paid in foreign money, which would be fatal. M. Loucheur is engaged in a series of conferences with M. Rathens, German Minister of Reparations, which are likely to have important results. GALLIPOLI CAMPAIGN. LONDON, June 15.

General Hunter-Weston, while in Constantinople recently, met the Turkish Chief of Staff of the Gallipoli army. Together they went over the campaign with paps and reports, which confirmed the impression that while tlie Allies were never within measurable distance of breaking through, they rendered valuable assistance to the Allied efforts as a whole. «• The Turks admit that they lost 300,000 in killed, sick, and wounded. [General Hunter-AVeston*commanded the 29th Division at the landing at Cape Helles until he was promoted temporary lieutenant-general to command the Bth Army Corps at the Dardanelles.] “SCANDALOUS DENIAL OF JUSTICE.” BRUSSELS, June 18. M. Vandervelde, Minister of Justice, replying to a question in the Chamber, said the acquittal of Max Randohr (charged with imprisoning and ill-treating Belgian children in 1917)* at Leipzig was a scandalous denial of justice. The Belgian Government had protested to the German Government against his acquittal. N.Z. FUND FOR SEAMEN. LONDON, June 16. Sir James Ailen has formed a committee comprising Admiral Grant, Colonel Fitzherbert, Captain Greenstreet, Mr Havelock Wilson, and Mrs Wilson, widow of Dr Wilson, the Antarctic hero, to administer the fund which New Zealand woolgrowers subscribed for the benefit of distressed dependents of men of tho merchant marine and navy, killed during the war. UNSATISFACTORY EVIDENCE. LEIPZIG, June 11. The court acquitted Max Randohr. who was charged by the Belgian Government with imprisoning and ill-treating Belgian children at Grammont in 1917. The court declared that the evidence was not conclusive, as the witnesses had exaggerated and contradicted one another. QUESTION OF HIS TRIAL REVIVED. PARIS, June 14. In consequence of the acquittal of Randohr, a senator has notified M. Briand that he intends to ask what steps the Government proposes to take to carry out the clause in the Peace Treaty under which the ex-Kaiser, must be tried.