GENERAL WAR NEWS

Southland Times, Issue 17791, 21 July 1916, Page 2

GENERAL WAR NEWS

EARLIER CABLES 1 A QUIET NIGHT. (By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright) (Australian & N.Z. Cable Association.) PARIS, July 19. A communique states: The night was calm on all the fronts. BIACHES FOBT. JDABING FRENCH BUSE. PARIS, July 19, A lucky French ruse captured Blaches Fort on July 9. It was so well concealed and protected that the French bombardment failed to destroy the works. A German company held out for 24 hours. Thqn a French sub-lieutenant with eigltf mgn found a vulnerable spot, and they entered the fort unseen. The officer and » man rushed forward, throwing grenades and shouting: “Charge with bayonets.’’ On this 123 Germans came out of their shelter without resisting. Six other Frenchmen at once sprang forward with great fury and utterly deceived the enemy, who flung down their arms. Thus Blaches Fort was captured without the loss of a Frenchman. FRANCE AND THE COLONIALS. PARIS, July 19. M. Gustave Herve, writing in L’Aviatolre, says: “Our popular instinct from the first taught us to reserve a special place in our hearts for these Australasians, South Africans, and Canadians who came from the other end of the world to fight at our side.” EIGHT FOB LONGUEVAL. LONDON, July 19. General Haig reports: An enemy attack, the beginning of which has already been reported, was directed during the night against our new positions east of Bazentin village. Very largo German reinforcements collected for the attack. After intense artillery fire their first assault was delivered in dense masses at 5.30 p.m. The fighting continued particularly violent at Belville Wood throughout the night. After suffering very heavy losses the enemy succeeded in recapturing a portion of Belville Wood, and also obtained a'footing in the northern outskirts of Longueval. Elsewhere the attack, including three separate assaults on Waterlot Farm, completely broke down under our fire. From the rest of the front the news is unimportant. BRITISH RECOVERS LOST GROUND. LONDON. July 19. Sir Douglas Haig reports that most of the ground lost at Longueval and Belville lias been recovered. THE GERMAN ACCOUNT. AMSTERDAM, July 19. A Berlin communique states: We recaptured the village of Longueval and Belville Wood during the night, after fierce fighting by the Magdeburg 2Gth Infantry Regiment. In addition to other sanguinary losses, the English lost 8 officers and 280 men taken prisoner. They left a considerable number of machine guns. Our curtain fire dispersed enemy attacks north of Ovillers and the southern border of Pozieres. The British havenot had the slightest success anywhere. French local attacks north of Barleux, near Belloy, failed. The enemy continue to make fruitless efforts against the German lines at Tcrrefroide, on the right bank of the Meuse. THE HUNS’ DESECRATION. I.ONDON, July 19. I Mr 11. Warner Allen, with the French I Headquarters on the Somme, describes j the sacrilege of the Germans in making fortresses of the Curlu graveyards, J emptying graves and vaults and using i them as dugouts. They destroyed and (lung out coffins and corpses, uprooting headstones and railings for barricades, and linking up the whole with subterranean passages, forming elaborate defence works full of concealed shelters and machine guns. When the Germans were driven from the village they finally took refuge in these dugouts, compelling the French to concentrate their artillery, and lay the church in ruins before the position was conquered. THE EAST FRONT. BERLIN’S VERSION. AMSTERDAM. July 19. A Berlin communique states: Von liindenburg’s troops south and sontb-we.st of Riga broke up repeated Russian attacks with extraordinary high losses. There, is lively artillery activity on the Stokhod. Elsewhere all is quiet. THE RUSSIAN OPERATIONS. PETROGRAD, July 19. German aeroplanes bombed Reval. Floods on the Dniester are demolishing Austrian bridges. We are approaching the mountain passes south-west of Kuty. The Caucasian army advanced considerably south of Treblzond and westward of Baihurt. everywhere dislodging Turkish rearguards.

HUNGARY PENETRATED. LONDON, July 19, The Daily News’ Petrograd correspondent states that General Letchitsky's cavalry penetrated a day’s inarch into Hungary, and now threaten the rear of the Austrians in the Kimpolung-Kuty region. ; RUSSIAN BLOW EXPECTED, AMSTERDAM, July 19. The Austro-German newspapers attach great importance to the Russian advance on the Lipa. The Russians, aided by splendid railways, swiftly concentrated large forces near Szklin. i Correspondents assert that these attacks are a prelude to big operations. BULGAR CBOFS RUINED. SALONIKA, July 19. Allied aeroplanes continue to fly over the Macedonian cornfields, igniting the crops. Thousands of acres of standing corn have been burned. ITALIAN SUCCESS. ROME, July 19. An Italian official report states that on Monday night there was intense artillery work in the Lcdro Valley. Strong enemy detachments made an attack on Pasubio, where they were repulsed with heavy loss. Yesterday enemy artillery fire on our position in the Lagarina Valley was effectively replied to. On the Upper Posina, after artillery preparation, the Italians renewed their attacks on Corn© del Dost, and the enemy batteries did not reply to the bombardments, afterwards, however, beginning a heavy “rafale” Arc. The Italians, however, succeeded in gaining new positions on the rocky slopes of the mountain, BATTZSTTB FATBIOTHH. <The Times.) ROME, July 19. M. Battisti, the deputy for Trent In the Austrian Parliament, was seriously wounded when fighting as an Italian officer, and committed suicide rather than fall into Austrian hands. The Austrians held a mock treason trial over his body and hanged it. Furious Indignation, together with :i demand for reprisals, is general throughout Italy. (It was first announced that Battisti had been captured alive by the Austrians, and had. been executed as a traitor.) The 1 cable sews in tala Issue accredited to The Times bam appeared In that Journal, but only where expressly stated is such news the editorial opinion of The Times. GERMANY FSOU WIT HUT CO BOSUN AL DINING HA^LS AMSTERDAM, July 19. Conflicting accounts arc to hand regarding the internal conditions of Germany. Though fear of defeat is growing the authorities arc making an intense effort to prevent the public from understanding the significance of the Somme offensive, and the public arc hypnotised by means of lying messages from newspapers in neutral countries which are in German pay. The general impression among politicians is that Prince Von liulow is about to supersede Von Bethmann-Hollweg as Chancellor. The food problem continues acute. Herr Bottocki (Food Dictator) has failed to persuade the southern German States to permit the exportation of foods in order to secure a more equal distribution The Prussian authorities strongly resent the action of the southerners. Owing to the failure of the kitchens on wheels, the problem of communal feeding in Berlin is being solved by huge public dining halls. The first kitchen has C 3 boilers, holding 30,000 litres of food. Hundreds of women are employed in preparing meals, using electrical potato-cutting machines, gas stoves, and other labour saving appliances. Specially constructed motor cars carry the food to distribution depots. The following is a week’s bill of fare: —Monday: Rice, potatoes. Tuesday: Meat. Wednesday: Beans and fat. Thursday: Meat, macaroni. Friday; Beans, potatoes. Saturday: Cabbage, potatoes. Sunday: Minced meat, potatoes. The portion equal to a litre is sold for fourpence, and 250,000 litres are sold daily in Berlin. The better class of people are willing to rub shoulders witti the humblest in the common dininghalls. EAST AFRICA HUNTING THE ENEMY LONDON, July 19. General .Smuts on July IS reports;— The enemy forces which endeavoured to operate against our communications northwards of Hamhn and the Bsuambara railway have now been driven down the Pangani River, abandoning a field gun. The clearance of this area ;tnd of Agrogn-p is progressing satisfactorily. On the southern shore of Lake Victoria Nyanza a force under Brigadier-General Sir C. Crewe disembarked at Muanza on Friday night. The enemy evacuated the town after a light resistance, leaving rifles and a portion of a supply column also a gun from the Konigsberg. The majority of the German Europeans embarked on a steamship and fled southwards by Stuylmaun Sound; they are being pursued by our armed lake vessels. WAX AND WEALTH LONDON, July 19. Replying lo & deputation from the Fnionisf Cmxrews rceardtng th<-

regulation of the prices of food and fuel, an increase in old age pensions, and the conscription of riches, Mr Asquith f said the Congress proposed fixing freight rates, commandeering Home crops and fixing the standard prices of food in various areas. It was true the shipping companies were making large profits, but much was taken under the excess profits tax and the interests of the country demanded that considerable reserves should be set aside to provide for new tonnage after the war. Germany had tried fixing maximum prices and he doubted whether it was successful. He was not disposed to attempt it in the United Kingdom. As regards conscription of riches the income tax was so high that he did not think any country in the world was exacting equal contributions from the well-to-do. jraißKß aCOBAZJOEEB (The Times.) LONDON, July 19. The Times’ correspondent at Amsterdam reports that the following passage occurred in the Kaiser’s spring sermon to the field chaplains: “We must show a stern front in this time of trial. This world war is .separating the com from the clteff. *** W? need practical Christianity. If the Lord walked into this room do you think we could look him In the face? You must show us the personality of the Lord, who is now assuredly walking through the world, perhaps to Judgment.” A BOGUS TBBBBOro HOME, July 19. The township of Ordu, on the Anatolian coast, has been officially re-named Trebrzond, In order to conceal the loss of the real Trebizond. CABADIA3T MJIIXXXOMB (Reuter's Telegrams.) OTTAWA, July 19. It is officially announced that new orders for the manufacture of 35 million dollars’ worth of Sin and Sin shells has been placed in Canada for delivery next year for Great Britain. BUBMABZHTH BEBTZCE LONDON. July 19, The Germans are preparing to run a submarine after-the-war service with the United States. The charges are high and parcels will not be accepted. State correspondence being given preference. 70ST7OBB1CBHT 07 JBCOLXDATS LONDON, July 19. After explanations by Mr E. S. Montagu, Minister of Munitions, a meeting of employers in the engineering, shipbuilding, woollen, hosiery, and bootmaking trades decided to postpone all holidays.