THE WAR

Southern Cross, Volume 24, Issue 2, 15 April 1916, Page 9

THE WAR

Summary of Events. The censor has recently become more exacting than ever, and news is correspondingly brief, as well as vague. The leading feature in the week's , doings is the magnificent stand of the French at Verdun, which the Germans, despite repeated assaults, involving great losses, have been unable to capture. The British forces in France are also doing good work, and the gallant Canadians distinguished themselves at St Eloi. Little is to hand from the Russian front, but the Germans appear tofbe getting the worst of it. Progress in Mesopotamia is slow, owing to floods in the rivers—caused in some cases, it is believed, by the enemy. There have been stormy scenes in the Reichstag, caused by statements made by the Chancellor and the Minister of War as to Germany's position in the war. Recruiting is going on apace in N.Z.,.but it is i believed that conscription may be necessary to get at the men who are unwilling to .volunteer.''

HE MISSED THE PLUM DUFF. Private D. McPherson, late of Waianiwa, writing to' an InVereargill friend from "somew r here in ——," states that he has action twice —the first time on Christmas Day. "It was," he adds, "the most strenuous Christmas • Day I ever spent, and chewing hard biscuits and eating salt bully beef wasn't so, nice as the usual Christmas dinner." Private McPherson adds that all the. Waianiwa boys were well at time of writing except Ernie Ranee, who got a chill while bivouacking, and who is doing well in the Hospital.

AN r UNEXPECTED MEETING. Private J. B. Rooney, in a letter to an Invercargill friend, tells of a pleasant experience that he had while going through a camp in . He writes : "I dropped across an old mate of mine a couple of days ago—Bill Lennie an old dredge mate. We worked together on the Molyneux and in Australia and the last I heard of him he was on his way to somewhere in South America —the Argentine or Patagonia. I was looking through the lines of the -for .Frank. Carswell, who I heard was coming. In the second tent I inquired at, old Bill was sitting there alone fixing" his gear, You. can imagine the surprise of both of us. I did riot go any further that day -looking for Frank. We; had many jan old tale to tell one another. It is all right picking up an old friend like that. It is a wonderfully pleasant break in the rather monotonous run of affairs.'"''