GERMANS BAFFLED.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5356, 14 February 1916, Page 5

GERMANS BAFFLED.

NEW PHASE IN BALKANS TO ALLIES ADVANTAGE. ROUMANIA MAY COME IN—THE FRENCH ADVANCE.! SIGNIFICANT MOVEMENTS IN GESSARABIA. RUSSIANS ENGAGED IN TERRIBLE ONSLAUGHTS. Pres* Association. —Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.

counter-attack portions of the trenches wer© oocupied. On Fridl&y, north-eastward ol the Butte de Ales nil, we repulsed the enemy. We further progressed with hand grenades eastward of these positions. We captured three hundred yards of enemy trenches north-east of Mesnil Hill.

London, Last Night. Sir Douglas Haig reports: The enemy early to-dlay broke nto our trenches near Pilckem, but were driven out.

Sir Horace Smith Dorrien, who was suffering from sevfere influenza, has had a relapse.

THE BERLIN ACCOUNT.

Amsterdam, Last Night. A German communique states: After we re-gained a notable position French elements had captured south of Friese, the enemy, in a violent counter-attack, attempted to drive us out. Our curtain of fire stopped them dead. The enemy suffered important Tosses.

FIGHTING ON THE TIGRIS-

TREACHEROUS ARABS.

London, Last Night. The War Office states that a detachment. in making a reoonnaisance of a branch of the Tigris named Slat Telhei. did not find Turks. The Arabs, hitherto friendly, attacked the detachment while it wias returning to Rasriyah. The British suffered 373 casualties, and the enemy had over three hundred men killed. A punitive column lias since been sent. It surprised the Arabs and destroyed four. villages. TURKISH REPORT. London, Last Night.. A Turkish communique states : We repulsed an enemy attempt to advance from the" right bank of the Tigris after two violent engagements. The situation at Ivut el Aniara is unchanged. We also drove off a cruiser which shelled our position uround Tekehurnu and we compelled the retirement of two monitors cruising off the entrance to the Narrows. TURKS QUIT MACEDONIA. Rome, Last Night. The Turks Have completely withdrawn from Macedonia, sending all th eir available torts>s to Asia. Enemy ] forces in Macedonia do not exceed two hundred thousand.

SIGNS OF TEUTONS COLLAPSE.

TWO BANKS GO SMASH.

London, Last Night. Tile “Lausanne Gazette” says that two of the largest hanks in South Germany have filed. Their liabilities amount to five hundred million marks. Thousands of depositors have been ruined. Another report names the Stapperfenne Schulz Company, of Stuttgart, as a defaulter.

A RUSSIAN’S OPINION

Moscow, Last Night.

M. Sazanoff, Russian Minister of Foregn Affairs, interviewed, said that the Allies were in perfect agreement. Auwtro-Germany must be rendered perfectly harmless. The war could not be protracted, as Germany was unable to bear the strain. Her present financial position was very grave. In any ease the present year would not see the end of the war. England was doing a colossal work, and the loss of twenty-four thousand officers ant] six hundred thounnd men proved this. PEACE FEELERS ORGANISED. London, liiist, Night. The Exchange Telegraph’s Romo correspondent states that, a pormanbent committee lias been osablisbed in Bern© to advocate peace. It meets to-day and wilt submit a proposal for an armistice to all belligerents. The delegates declare that they have been informally told from Berlin that Germany will benevolently consider any peace offer emanating from the Allies. Simultaneously with the irunmittee’s efforts the German Chancellery is opening a peace branch at Lucerne, under the direction of Prince von Buelow. Prince von Hohenlolie and Baron Bonkraft, who will immediately take steps with a view to inducing neutrals to intervene. Amsterdam, Last Night Baron von Zeidlitz, in in the Pntvsran Diet, said, “In view of the who!© war situation and the conclusions of peace in the near fntu'ne not being impossible, an announcement of our aims appears necessary.”

ITALY IN AGREEMENT.

SINCERE ANT) CLEAR SIGHTED. Rome, Last Night. M. Briand. Premier of Franco, has conferred with Baron Sonnino, Italian Afinister of Foreign Affairs. Itlay adheres to the proposition which England has accepted, namely, the creation of two supreme military and d iplume tie ( lou noils. Rome. Last Nght. Interviewed after his discussion with Baron Sonnino. M. Briand said that his visit to Rome had remove] many prejudices concerning Ttlay’fl attitude. Itlay’-» policy was not only most sincere, hut clear sight'd. At a banquet at the French Em-Ifo-ssy in the evening, political <**'- iefjes organised a great, drvmonstration in rononr of the Entente Cor-

diale. Toasts were exchanged and M. Briand addressed the gathering from th© Grand Hotel. He said that their enemies’ greatest strength had lain in their remarkable system of transportation, which permitted the rapid concentration of huge forces at any point on any front. The Allies had now attained perfect union, enabling them to completely encircle Germany and Austria with a ring of steel, equally strong and impregnable at every point, rendering the enemies’ means of transportation impotent.

MOVEMENTS IN BALKANS.

ADVANCE BY THE FRENCH

IMPORTANT POST SECURED. London, Last Night. All eyes are again turned on the Balkans. The unexpected news that the French had crossed the Vardar has intensified interest in the possibilities of the situation. The correspondent of tile Paris ‘‘Journal” at Salonika, telegraphs that on Thursday the enemy was still not displaying offensive intentions. On the contrary, strong French forces that day •crossed the Vardar in front of Topsin, advancing in two divergent columns for eight miles westward. New defence works are about to commence in this region. The movement puts in the Allies’ hands strong uatural positions which might have served for the installation of heavy enemy guns, enabling them to bombard the Allies’ work on the left bank of the Vardar. Sucli a march forward, the importance of which may be considerable, was rendered possible by the arrival of strong reinforcements. Salonika is full of transports, unci Allied troops are still pouring in. It may l>e hofied that the Allies will soon no longer be compelled to keep within the limits of the entrenched camps.

It is certain that despite Greek protests the Germans are preparing a fresh air raid on Salonika on a super-colossal scale. Meanwhile, it is evident that the Russian offensive in South Galicia continues with uudiminished vigour, despite the laconic character of the communiques. Paris. Last Night. The ‘‘Petit Parisden” states that the French crossixl the Vardar and installed themselves on the right, bank in the region of Kenstso and Verria. an important station on the Monastir-Salonika. ra ilwav.

London. Last Night

Reuter’s Salonika correspondent says that there has been merely French cavalry reconnaisances over the Vardar and no occupation. A FYenoh wireless communique states: General Sarrail has ordered the occupation of the right hank of the Vardar to a depth of.ten kilometres to prevent an attack from the direction of Monastic. GERMAN PLANS UPSET. BY RUSSIAN ACTIVITY. London, Last Night. The “Morning Post’s” military correspondent says that the AustroGerrnans are regarding with uncertainty Russia’s plans, which explains the failure to attack Salonika. When a qtiarter of a- million Russians appeared at Ismail and Reni the Germans hurried to Rustcliuk and Brnsse in anticipation of a Russian move through Roumania. Then Russian activity began in Galicia and Bukovina. whither the Ausbro-German forces were hastily transported from all quarters, including five divisions from the Balkans, completing the dislocation of German plans. This explains the neglect of the golden opportunity of attaeking Salonika white the fortifications of the Allies were ’incomplete and their forces still weak. The situation of the Allies has improved in other respects, much to the detriment of German scheme*. Meanwhile Greece’s attitude has undergone a favourable change. The Bulgarian War Minister, in a newspaper interview, said that when the Salonika campaign was finisher! the war would be over for Bulgaria, unless she was attacked in the Balkans. ROUMANIA TO INTERCEDE. JOINING THE ALLIES. Milan, l>ast Night. A despatch from Bucharest to the “Nou” states that Roumania appears to be definitely on the point of joining the Allies. This is regarded ns remarkable, coming from a paper of noted pro-German sympathies. The correspondent says the Roumanian question was seriously discussed between the Kaiser and King Ferdinand and adds. “M. Taki Joncsou holds daily conferences with the Russian envoy, which are'greatly annoying the Austro. Germ an representatives. Everything indicates that big events are pending. The Government is no longer offering opposition to the intervention, istv. The condition of Ron mania closely resembles that of Italy before she entered the war. Military preparations are in progress openly and there is no longer any doubt as to their ultimate object.” GALICIAN HEIGHT TAKEN. ENEMY LOSSES ENORMOUS. Petrograd, Last, Night. A communique states: The enemy at Isehroff, ip Gelic/ia, at the coot of enormous losses, dislodged us from a, height we had occupied. A Russian regiment, in a terrific attack, again captures! the height. Throe desperate counter-attacks were repulsed with further hca.vv losses.

STERN BATTLES IN WEST-

(; Bit AT AN TTt FATTIES WON. Paris, Last Night. .A communique states: Otjr artillery and maehino gun firo frustrated the aWjcmixtfl to crow the Ynor Canal, near Rteenfitraote and Rothas. There is great artillery activity in the Champagne. The enemy penetrated a small salient line between Nnvarfn nn<l Saint Soup let roads. In a

AIR RAIDS ON ENGLAND.

DEFENSIVE MEASURES. London, Last Night. There is a growing demand to insure for security against air raids. Meetings of protest against defencelessness and lack of warnings were held in the Midlands and elsewhere, and measures have been considered for ensuring greater protection. The “Daily Mail,” in a. leader, contends that it is unfair to himself and to the country to ask Viscount French to supervise the air defences of London.

An important conference of aeroofficers was held at the Admiralty. It is generally believed that the Government is considering the appointment of an Air Minister, and a Ministerial announcement in reply to numerous notices and questions is expected on the re-assembling of Parliament It is also suggested that there should l>o an Air Director, whose functions would ho limited to the provision of aircraft and the supervision of actual operations. The names mentioned for the new Ministership include Lords Sydenham. Derby, Curzon, and Selboume. The “Daily Mail” publishes articles by experts. Some suggest the construction of a large fleet of aeroplanes. and others recommend that Britain should build Zeppelins.

Mr Grey, editor of the “Aeroplane.” urges retaliatory raids, even to Berlin. He says: “There have been considerable developments in our aeroplane engines. At the beginning of the war our machines were able to climb ,ten thousand feet when they could only stagger along .at, forty miles an hour. We have still much to learn from Germany’s specialised aeroplanes, but with our latest models it is ]K>ssible to reach Berlin from tho properly organised and carried out by specially designed aeroplanes.” The Liverpool City Council is considering means of insuring public buildings against aircraft to the extent of £3.000.000.

FIGHT OFF DOGGER BANK.

GERMANS CLAIM VICTORY

Loudon, lost Night The German Admiralty announces: During an advance in the North Sea, our torpedo lwats mot at the Dogger Bank several British cruisers, which fled. Our boats pursued and sank the new cruiser Arabia and hit a second cruiser with a torpedo. We rescued the Arabia’ commander and two other officers and twenty-one men.

The British Admiralty announces that the cruisers mentioned were four mine-sweepers, whereof three returned safelv.

The “Daily Chronicle's” naval <-orrespondent opines that the Aralm was an oil-driven oar goer similar to the Salondria. There is no need for surprise at the presence qf hostile torpedo boats at the Dogger Bnnk T 1 le boats were probably kept at Zeebmgge, which is only a night’s journey away. The torpedo Ixiats are small and "spcixly enough to slip through the meshes of our cordon on a favourable occasion.

Z KIM’S. AND SUBMARINES. Loudon, Last Night. The Munich “Nuests Naohriohten” says that thsi year’s Zeppelin fighting will be directed above all against British maritime supremacy. The principal feature of the programme will he the combined playing of Zeppelin and submarine trump cards against the most important barrier points to England. AN AUSTRIAN NOTE. Amsterdam, Last Night. A Vienna telegram states that Austria has issued a Note to neutrals, identical to the German one, conoeming the treatment of armed merchantmen. THE CAPTURED APPAM. Washington, Lnst Night. Tt, is highly probable that, the United States will allow the Appnm vn remain as a German prize in American waters until the end of the war.

THE RAIDER MOEWE

Loudon, Last. Night

Rear-Admiral Rosy discusses in the “Dresdener Anzeiger” the chances of capturing the Moewe. He says that the time for the start, of her activity was well chosen. The British fleet had taken it for grant-od that German foreign cruisers had bin'll finally banished from the sea and that Allied ships could sail with absolute security. Admiral Rosy is confident that time is being lost which is causing soaring freights and insurance. No doubt, a. colossal hunt for the Moewe will now l>o organised. Perhaps the raider’s chances of escape are not extensive, hut if before she is sent to her doom or compelled to accept internment in a neutral harbour she contrives t,o wreak heavy damage on the enemy’s commerce, then, in heaven’s name, let her go to the hot,lorn. She will at least have served her purpose. Maybe fortune will smile on the daring commander and gallant crew.