WAR SUMMON REVIEWED.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14711, 17 September 1918, Page 9

WAR SUMMON REVIEWED.

SI MMAIIY OK WEEK'S OPERA-

I'IONS

(IVr Pi-ess Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. . Th-> Acting Prime- Minister has re. eeived from the' liiifish Ministry of information the following telegraphic, summary «*f war news for the week ended September 13th :-rr-. The situation shows little change since September sth, where the enemy commenced to withdraw from the line of the Vesle. « . . In the l.ys sector ho shows no inclination' to give up the Passchendaele Wyt-.»chuete-.\!cs.sim\H ridge, 'ahd much new work is being carried out m the rear of i the lines m this area. Southwards he has straightened the line from Havrincourt to I'hc ■' Oise. while north of Li Fere to the Ailette he is now hack on j his old front' Hue and maintains an approximate straight front to the Vesle near Breuil, using the Aisne as far as possible.

He retired methodically; though forced to abandon much material. Tins withdrawal shortened his front more _than 70.'mil?s, economising 30 to 40 divisions. He now occupies a highly defensive zone f.nd no further - withdrawal could ' coun-ter-balance its loss, except m the case of a very -big -retirement. He now begins to flood the country, and shows that he intends to ..stand firm.

Before the Hindonburg system can seriously be attacked much reconstruction is necessary-, as regards communications. Already much work has been doiie m le-esiablishing bridges. The effioiency of- our transport is "shown Ly the fact that last month the ; British artillery fired at least 10 million .rounds. Counter-battery work resulted m the destruction of enemy on a scale more than ten times greater than our own losses from a similar cause.

The Bolsheviki, now seeing their end rpnro-.iching, report- to the most extreme measures of terrorism. Scores of Russians m every part are executed untried and many British subjects at Petrograd and Moscow have been arrested, inelud. ing even their diplomatic representatives. The conditions are most terrible. Protests against this criminal policy of bloodshed have been made by the representatives- of aill neutral countries. Even Germans and Austrians join m the protest. The Bolsheviki hold on desperately, only through the support of the Lettish Guard and connivance of the < iermans. Peasant* m various districts, maddened by the Red Guards' campaign of violence and spoliation, constantly rise and aro. praying for deliverance. Tlie* Siberian situation changes quickly; but at present, shows improvement. Different detachments of Czecho-Slovaks aro seen to be m touch with one another, and the Bolsheviki forces m the region' of Habarovsk appear to be melting. The Czecho-Slovaks appear to' hold the entire trans-Siberian railway. Control oi tliig solitary ■ trunk system and of the telegraphs is of first rate importance. Mili. iary apd 1 economic relief are being brought up as". quickly as possible, and it is hoped that the ' arrangement now progressing may meet the difficulties of the winter.

'••' 'The- Allies' victories are producing a "jirtturAl effect on the . internal political situation m Oorniany and Austria. It is razored L tbnt'Dr. Solf, formerly Colonial ' Seljn^aA'.V.. may replace Count Hertling as Charico_oi% ' also- that the Reichstag will be convened. These storie.3 luive *«o diplomatic .hnportanoe, • yet. reveal dissatisfied and unquiet public feeling. Bucli exhortations- as. those of Hindenburg- show liow anxiously- the German a irthority regards, these changes m the ""German 'spirit." . .Supplies of ham and bacon are coming sin satisfactorily and the quality is improving. Suggested modifications, 01. the potato distribution scheme put forward by tt»c International Federation of WhoiesalevMerchanta have been accepted, so it is'certain the difficulties have, now been overcome. .There is general satisfaction at- the. arrival on. the market of ■excellent quality of home-killed meat. The failure of" the fruit crop* involves the rationing of jam when the next .ration books are issued m November. A most successful Meek was marked by strejnioiis British' air fighting 011 tlie bat/tie front m Francci, also by sharp local 1 encounters m the coastal area and over Germany itself. Possibly fearing an extension 'of the present battle to wards the .coast, the enemy's scouts have I'jeen . vfery aotive north, of the Arras*7nmbvai Vnad'| hnd many fierce conflicts Slave taken place over the Scarpa valley", but tlie enemy's main air resistance has' been 4>et ween Marejuion and the railTray from Equancourt to Epehy, where British airmen encountered -an v usually forge enemy formation and , engaged theni' constantly over their -own- lines,- inffictiiig the heaviest losses iit a price of 51' Britidj jnac3tine» reported missing. Clrie hundred and one enemy aircraft *-»«■_ destroyed. 57 driven down helpless, and IB kite balloons were brought <\>wti m flames.

' j lost' success ful I raids were made by -'.he night bombing machines, espeoiaUy fioni.. September 6tl> to the ,Bth, when excellent results attended attacks on the enemy's railway connections at Arnien tieres. Lille. Douaj. Denain, Cambrai and.: ' St.. Quentin.-. Nearly sixty tons of bortibs were dropped behind the enemy lines during these raids, and all the Britiisli machines' returned.

The rapid British advance between the Sctfpe and' the Somme necessitated photygra phing many positions wtuch h!tver»)o iiad been outside the actual fighting /oiie. Numbers of British re, connaissarve machines Were actively engaged m ''tlfis work. • and took thousands "oi" 'most variable regatives of the ne\* battle lines irod the enemy's prepared jpositions m the' tea r*The storm v weatTfljr was most un favor-, able for coastal operations, yet successful raids were made on oterman military and naval work at Varasem_tt», Blanken. bnrge, Bruges and Ostend:. Many goo'; ■ bursts were observed and destructive fuc3 started among the dock buildings at Ostend. , During successive raids on the sth *ao _tli 'British formations were heavily attacked hi „the air oyer objectives. In severe fighting' six enemy machines were dcslrayed and four driven down. Four British machines failed to return. Tlie R.A.F. Independent Force once _t<sam proved their ascendancy oyer the tVnnan airmen by heavily raiding the Toofcv'rious poison : gas factory at MannSieinr m the;, teeth of the most obstinate' ♦Mieiiiv resistance. Shortly after leaving \ the aerodrome iv the morning tlie BntI -i- : h foliations met greatly superior num-. hers of the? -enemy air force. Battle was joined instantly, and for 70 miles a continuqus. running fight, was >waged, but without preventuig the Bntis.li from reaching their objective over which two tons of bombs were dropped.. On the return journey another running fight ■tf.ccari'ed." One enemy machine was destroyed and two driven down. Four British machines are reported missuig. Destructive raids also were made on tfh_ enemy railway • organisation at El-range,' 'Snarbrucken blast furnaces, fcvd liostile aerodromes at Buhl, Boulay, and Morliange. At Buhl iliree hangars were completely destroyed %nd very extensive damage done on aircraft establ;phm«nt-. at Morhange. which were atttacked three times m 24 hours. On the Balkan front seven enemy machines were destroyed and no British ■; are .reported missing.

The me of cartons is becoming in-creasingly-popular, a* a result of the . difficulty' or_«oimng tmplate. Auckland -merchants v?* now using these containers" for p'm&ing ■«■!» a - hrnc y>* ad :\ wide variety oi other commodities. They are reported be^iuite satisfactory for the purpose, and. tjie only point ie-nrding them that is',g.vuig cause for apprcheMisioii is tho fact- thai, even the supply, of cartons, most .d>f why* come fvom" England, is now threatened. Efforts are, being made to obtmji suppbes from America', m addition to those made m Auckland. There are certain articles, Buch as biscuits, which must be put up m% tins, however, and considerable enterprise m conserving the supply is be- , v >nV sheiwn' by Auckland firms. One laice firm is purchasing benzine tins i for -cutting iip.._nd even the tm bnirtg it packing oases, which was .orderly regarded as waste, is now being _**&- -ored up and sold, to be out into tins.