CALAMITY FOR BRITAIN

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 196, 23 September 1914, Page 7

CALAMITY FOR BRITAIN

THREE HUGE CRUISERS SUNK i __ ' . _ _ tORPEDOED IN NORTH SEA BY GERMAN SUBMARINES HORROR OF THE HIDDEN DEATH. j ALLIED ARMIES MAKING GOOD PROGRESS. RUSSIANS WINNING-JAPANESE SUSTAIN REVERSE,

A" message received this afternoon announces the torpedoing of three British cruisers by German submarines in the North Sea.

An official statement of the operations of the Allies announces a further advance on the left, and that elsewhere along the line the German attacks hav« been repulsed. A great storm caused much suffering to the soldiers in the trenches.

' Later accounts state that the bombardment, of the famous cathedral at Rheims by the Germans was deliberately-planned. Hundreds of civilians have perished. Heavy fighting has occurred in Belgium, the Germans, in attempt;ing to capture a strong fortress^beingrepulsed with great lops. The German cruiser Emden continues her deadly work, her latest victim being the British ship Olan Matheson. Late cables -announce that the French left has been reinforced, by heavy artiUery, with Vhich they are doing great damage to the Germans. Fresh German arriving from Belgium. The rapid retreat of the Austrians from Galicia continues, and details are given of a fierce engagement on the river San. The cables also contain interesting[digests of speeches by Mr Winston Churchill and the Marquis. of Lansdowne, delivered in connec,tion with the great recruiting movement in England. A German cruiser is reported to have sunk a -Japanese torpedo boat outside KiaOfChaU. '<.'.-.'.'.:■

By Cable. — Press A

isocidtidn.—Copyright.

CRUISERS TORPEDOED.

Metz district are burying the dead* There are thousands of bodies of French and English and 3000 Germans. THE RAZING SENLIS. WHAT CAUSED THE BOMBARD- '.-..<•'' - MENT. TURCOS. PUNISH INVADING BARBARIANS. "Timor' .and -"Sydney Sun" Services. (Received September 23, 8 a.m.) LONDON, September 22. A brave tobacconist at Senlis, exasperated at the insolence of the Germau invaders, declared: "I will serve me.»i, not--bullies."

CALAMITY FOR BRITAIN., '■'■".-■ - * SUNK IN NORTH SEA. '.....'[Tims" and "Sydney Sun" Services^(Receiyei LONDON, September 23. The armoured cruisers, Aboukir, Cressy, and Hogue, have been torpedoed by German submarines in the North Sea. [Further details of the disaster,' if any come to 'hand> will be found on page 10.] [The Aboukir was an armoured cruiser of 12.000 tons, built in 1902, at a cost of £751,000, and carried-a complement of 755-officers and men. She carried' two 9.2-inch guns, twelve 6-inch and twelve 12 pounders, besides the usual armament of lighter guns. The Cressy, a vessel of the same type and displacement, was built in 1901, and cost £749,324. She carried the same armament aSKthe' Aboukir, and the same number of "men.

He was hurled to his knees, and his wife rushed out of the shop shrieking "Mercy! mercy!•'' Both of them were shot, - and the townspeople, becoming infuriated, fired oli the soldiers. »" '

The big guns were then turnedupon the town,-killing men, women, and children.

From the shattered houses the people ran,, wounded and terrified, but the horrible bombardment continued till the town was wrecked. Within an hour the Tureos arrived and pursued and punished the barbarians. *

The Hogue was a sister ship to the above two, built in 1902, and carrying the same number :of guns and men. The commanders of the ships as given in the last "Navy List," were —Aboukir, Alexander P. Davidson, captain, and Walton. G, .Buxtoiv commander; Cressy, Herbert G, T. Marshall, captain, Bernard N. Harvey, lieutenant; Hogue, Reginald A. " Norton, eommand.er, Kichard B. Ward, lieutenant.]

RUSSIA AND SETTLEMENT.

ALLIES MAKE PROGRESS.

WHAT MUST BE GUARANTEED. TSAR'S SISTER WITH THE RED '.CROSS... ' ''limes".end "Sydney Sun" Services. (Received September 23, 8 a.m.) , LONDON, September 22. The Pctrograd Press says that 'Russia is in no mood to accept any settlement which will not guarantee the future inability of Germany to disturb the peace of Europe,., and, the guarantees must enable Belgium to independently defend her integrity against Germany. Russia does not require any German territory.

FIGHTING NOT SO SEVERE.

AN OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

(Received September 23, noon.) PARIS, September 22.

It is officially stated that the fighting has been less violent. The communique adds: We haA'e made appreciable progress, particularly between Rheims and the Argonne. .

GERMANS EVACUATE ARRAS. REINFORCEMENTS FEOM BELGIUM. ENORMOUS CONVOYS AT CAMBRIA. (Received September 2."., noon.) LONDON, September 22. The "Daily Mail'' states that fresh German troops are arriving from Belgium, via Peruwelz (Hainant) and Minoveath. Strong reinforcements have arrived at Cambrai, and enormous convoys are gathered there. The Germans have hastily evacuated Arras. .

The Grand Duchess Olga, sister to the Tsar, has joined the Red Cross, concealing her identity. An officer, recognising her, requested that he might kiss her hand, but the Grand Duchess 01.ga placed her finger on his lips and commanded him to address her simply as. "Sister."

NAVAL EXPENDITURE.

THE POWERS COMPARED.

BRITAIN'S PROUD STANDARD,

"Tim*D" and "Sydney Sim" Serviets. (Received September 2.1, S a.m.)

FRENCH LEFT REINFORCED.

LONDON, September 22,

HEAVIER, GUNS PROVIDED. PARALYSING THE ENEMY'S TRENCHES. * (Received September 23, 9 a.m.) PARIS, September 22. The French left has been reinforce.l by heavier, guns capable of reaching the huge German ordnance, and they are.now searching the enemy's trenches with paralysing effect. A large number of civilians in the

The Admiralty's the Naval Expenditure for the current year gives details as follow:—•

Britain .. .. 52,000,000 Germany ' ... .. 23,000,000 France .. .. 25,000,000 Russia , .. .. 26,000,000 Italy ,; v .. .. 10,000,000 Japan '"_*.- ... .. 10,000,000 Austria "4 - >.. .. 7,000,000 America .... 30,000,000 [The personnel of the Entente is

280,000 ami of Germany and Austria i.102,000. ; The personnel of the British Navy in [the 1913-14 returns was given as [146,000.]

KING ALBERTS NARROW ESCAPE.

REWARD FOR HIS CAPTURE. HAS TO SHOOT HIS CHAUFFEUB. (Received September 23, 9 a.m.) [ LONDON, September 22. kA Lille newspaper states that King ■Libert of Belgium had a narrow escape ffuring a tour of inspection. His chauffeur made towards the German lines, and the King ordered him., to stop, but the chauffeur continued-, at full speed and King Albert shot him; : A document was found in the chauffeur's pocket offering him a millio'i Francs for delivery of the King.

REMARKABLE GUNNERY.

ACCURACY OP GERMAN FIRE. I .. .- BRITISH HEADQUARTERS IN > • PERIL. I (Received September 23, 9 a.m.) I LONDON, September 22. • M* Phillip Gibbs states that the accuracy and rapidity of the Germajt gunners was particularly remarkable at feoissdns,.'<and they were assisted by I aviators, who drop scraps of paper, arid bombs, acting as smoke; signals.,, In one case oil Friday an llin gun dropped a shell- close to the British headquarters, and several members,of the staff had, ; narrow -escapes: Headquarters were immediately shifted, and within half- an* hour 50 sliells had dropped or. the same spot.

DISAPPOINTED GERMANS.

LOSS OF FOREIGN TRADE. PEOPLE -BECOME DISCONTENTED. (Received. September 23, 9 a.m.) NEW YORK, September 22. Cablegrams from German sources indicate the existence of widespread disappointment at the course of events. The people are becoming discontented, particularly, in tlie manufacturing ,districts, which are realising that Germany V foreign trade is lost. AUSTRIA'S RAPID RETREAT. FIERCE FIGHTING IN GALIOIA. GENERAL DIMITRIEFF DECORATED. (Received September 23, 0.55 a.m.) PETROGRAD, September 22. The Austrian retreat from Galicia was so rapid that the Russians had to cover twenty-five miles a day to keep in touch with them. The Austrians turned back at one point on the San, and the Russians, throwing three pontoons over, dashed across. A fierce hand-to-hand struggle followed, and though the cavalrymen's horses were shot down and the men's legs shattered they continued to fire as they lay ' on the ground; 'until'at length a bayonet charge put the Austrians to flight. General Dirnitrieff has been decor-

ated for a brilliant and successful resistance. /

Army (of 80,000 men), and in that capacity took part in the battle of Leliolu. His principal task during the campaign in Thrace, however, was the reduction of Kirk Kilisse, an important depot and road centre guarded by two modern forts. The Bulgarian Comman-der-in-Chief, General Savov, had intended to delay this enterprise until the investment of Adrianople was sufficiently far advanced to secure; it from interference,, but General Diinitrieff pushed on so vigorously that the Turks suffered a severe defeat and were compelled to abandon Kirk Kilisse, with its forts and its inrmense supplies of material, as well as iifty field 'guns. From the outset General Dimitrieff was. regarded as-the most brilliant troop leader in the Bugarian Army and soon after the battle of Kirk Kilisse both the first and third Bulgarian Armies were placed under his tactical direction.

The Austrians attempted to recapture Lembcrg, and he, for four days and nights, continued fighting them against odds of four to one.

General Radko Dimitrleff was,,-prior tothe outbreak of hostilities, the Buigarian' Minister .to Petrograd. He decided to serve with the Russian army and was dismissed by Bulgaria. He was the "hero of Kirk Kilisse, aj>d has had an eventful military and political career. Born in 1859 in the Balkan village of Gradetz, near Kotel, he entered the Eastern Rumelian Militia as lieutenant.'" in 1579, and in the following year was sent to Russia in ' * order to pursue his military studies. Returning in 1884 he took part in the revolution of the following year and was subsequently appointed' Chief of Staff in the Eastern Army Corps. He wits present at the battles of Dragoman, Tzaribrod, and Pirot, and was decorated with ■ the Order of. Bravery by Prince Alexander, in whose capture and expulsion from Bulgaria he played a leading part. After the counter revolution he fled to Russia, where he remained till 1898, when'he returned to Sofia, receiving a staff appointment in the Bulgarian Army. In 1904 he became Chief of Staff, and in the following year he received the ralik of major-general. It is stated that he attained much success in training the younger officers of his staff, and dias done good service in the general preparation of equipment. In the Balkan War General Dimitrieff at first commanded the Third Bulgarian

"NO NEED TO BE ANXIOUS."

MR. CHURCHILL'S GREAT SPEECH. THE GRAVE FOR PRUSSIAN MILITARISM. -(Received September.23, 9.55 a.m.) LONDON, September 22. The Right Hon. Winston Churchill, addressing a meeting of 15,000 at Liverpool, appealed for a million men to join General French's gallant army. '' We have," he ..said, ''no need .to .be anxious about tlie result. God has blessed our arms with unexpected good fortune, and the British Empire can, unless its resolution fails, finally settle the as it chooses. Our Navy .has been unable to fight while the enemy remains in :port, but we 'are enjoying, without battle, all the advantages of the command of the sea,- although we had hoped that our Navy would have a chance of settling' the question with the German fleet. "Unless our enemies come out and fight they will be dug out like rats in a hole."

Continuing, Mr Churchill said he had hail an opportunity of learning the extent of German espionage in Britain, •where bribery and subornation had been employed to obtain information about Britain's navy. Every dirty little German lieutenant on leave in England thought to curry favour/with his superiors by supplying the details he discovered. Well, if they liked to coine, they knew the way. Britain had not sought for the subjugation of Germany or Austria, and, however complete her victory, the worst that could happen to them after peace was that .they would be set free to live, and let live, fairly and justly. Peace might be arranged in good time, but not with' Prussian militarism. There would be no peace short of the grave with that violent tyranny. (Cheers.) A GAME WORTH WINNING. NO " DECLARING' ' THE INNINGS. . .■ ; :_ '; \ ... ~.;.. ■; ■ ■ . ■- RUTHLESS, AND PITILESS GERMANY. (Received September 23, 11.10 a.m.) LONDON, September 22. The Marquis of Lansdowne, speaking at Nottingham, said the Germans' aim was to establish a military despotismfrom tlie North Sea to the Mediterranean and the Adriatic by means of aggressive and unscrupulous diplomacy, on a basis of complete disregard of treaty obligations whenever these, inconvenient'to Herself. He added:— We were aware when Germany

declared war, that she meant to wage it ruthlessly and pitilessly, and although- Germany has suggested the declaration of a drawn game, there is no question, so far as we are concerned, of declaring the innings closed. The game is worth winning, and, under Providence, we mean to win it.

REVERSE FOR JAPAN.

GERMAN CRUISER ACTIVE SINKS A TORPEDO BOAT.

(Received September 23, noon.) PEKING, September 22. Advices, from Tsing : tao report that a German cruiser has sunk a Japanese torpedo boat outside Kiao-Chau.

IN SOUTH AFRICA. SUPPORT FOR GOVERNMENT. OPERATIONS AGAINST THE GERMANS. (Received September 23, 9 a.m.) CAPE TOWN, September 22. A crowded meeting at Bethlehem—a strong Hertzogite centre- —overwhelmingly .■ supported the Government's operations against German South : we'st Africa, ,

DESTRUCTION AT RHEIMS.

RED CROSS ON CATHEDRAL. GERMANS' DELIBERATE BOM- . BARDMENT. PARIS, September 22. The bombardment* of Rheims was continued on Monday. Only a few walls of the Cathedral are standing. The Hotel de Ville and the Museum and other official buildings are almost completely destroyed.

The Germans intentionally directed their artillery on the principal buildings. Several inhabitants were killed. During, the bombardment of the. Cathedral the Germans kill d a number of their own wounded, who were beingtended with-French]-wounded in the hope that "the flying of the Red C*k>ss would save the Cathedral.

The "Daily Mail's" correspondent at Rheims says the fire started on Saturday afternoon. At least five hundred shells fell between early morning and sunset in a part of the city several hundred yards square. These ignited and street .after street of houses ah'd shops were blazing. " Meanwhile a battery on the hill of Nogent l'Abbesse made the <athedral a deliberate mark, and shell after shell smashed its way into the old masonry and an avalanche of stonework thundered down into the street. . Subsequently the scaffolding on the east end of the cathedral ignited, and ; burning splinters fell on to the roof. " The whole of the old oak timbers caught and soon the nave and transepts were a roaring, furnace. Flames leapt up the towers to the western end, and blazing pieces of carved' woodwork crashed; to the floor, where= the Germans had aeeiumv lated great piles of straw, intending to use the cathedral as a hospital: These piles ignited, and "the flames devoured the panelled altars and confession boxes. •■-..-• v

The German wounded "would * have been incinerated but "for the French ilpctprs. As the Germans were earried out a crowd howled at them in uncontrollable passion, and.there were shouts of "A mort!" Some soldiers among, the crowd levelled their rifles, Abbe Audrieux sprang forward between the muzzles of the guns and the wounded, and said: "Don't tire, you will make yourselves as guilty as they." ( When day dawucd the famous monument was only an empty shell.

HUNDREDS OF CIVILIANS PERISH. SCARCELY A HOUSE LEFT.' (Received 23, 9 a.nu) LONDON, September 22. Scarcely a house round ;the- Rheims Cathedral was undamaged, but the statue of Joan of Arc in front of the cathedral was not touched. Whenever the French artillery became aggressive, the Germans shelled the cathedral. It is estimated that between-300 and 500 civilians perished. •

"KAISER'S INFAMOUS CRIMES." THRILL OF INDIGNATION IN ITALY. { . LONDON, September 21. "The Times," in a leader on the destruction of Rheims Cathedral, says the Kaiser has outdone his infamous crime at Louvam. , ROME, September 21. The" bombardment of Rheims Cathedral has sent a thrill throughout Italy. The "Giomale d'ltalia" described it as "a useless act of barbarism and a lunatic outburst of wounded vanity and cursed pride."

THE NATION REMAINS.

FRENCH WRITER'S COMMENT.

(Reeeh-ed September 23,' 9.55 a.m.)

PARIS, September 22;

M. Maurice Barres, the well-known French writer, commenting on the destruction of Rheims Cathedral, says:—

It is satisfactory that no shells fell on our battalions. At the present moment we prefer the humblest French infantryihan to the worthiest works of art. These we will recreate, but the essential thing is that our nation remains.. This is the only reply of our artists and o\ir patriots to this deed.

EYE-WITNESS TELLS HIS STORY,

SCENES OF HORROR

(Received September 23, noon.)

LONDON, September 22

An eye-witness of the bombardment of Blieims states that tlie shells'"killed' several of the -German wounded in. the Cathedral, and four Sisters of Mercy lay dead on the floor. Notwithstanding the entry of the shells the .women knelt round in prayer, aj>parently beseeching the intercession of J'oan of Arc, whose statue within the cathedral, like that outside, was unharmed. The shells-reduced the statue of the Virgin to dust. The clergy remained within the building, comforting the frightened people until the lire started.- The belfry fell with a tremendous crash, and presently -the cathedral resembled a gigantic set-piece of fireworks. Jfis estimated that the German visitation caused damage to .the extent of £4,000,000.

THE POPE'S HORROR,. . \ CIVILISATION PLUNGED BACK:. (Received September 23, 9.55 a.m.) RQIVTE, September 22. Pope Benedict XV. has -expressed his horror at the destruction of the Bhehns

Cathedral. He remarked: "It is scarcely credible that in the twentieth century wo should be plunged back into the davs of Attila.''

[The reference to the "days of Attila" - by his Holiness the Pope is of interest. The Huns originally occupied the regions to the north and north-west of China, and were of Tartar stock. At one time they reduced the whole of,CJhina to a state of vassalage, but in a later century were driven out and forced to emigrate westward. Classical writers - speak of their deformity, stunted height, broad shoulders, flat faces, and beady eyes. They were incomparable horsemen, and fought from horseback mostly with bows and javelins, and their ferocity and- bravery still linger* . as a -tradition in Europe. The Cossacks of the Don are largely their descendants. Attila, the King, who laid waste half Europe, .reigned in the fifth cen- • tury, and extended the supremacy of the Huns from the..Caspian Sea to the Rhine, this at the time when .the Roman power was in its last declining days. Attila several times attacked the Byzantine Empire, and exacted, heavy tribute from the Emperor. He marched over that territory which is now called Hungary, and founded.Buda as bis capital, the origin of the amalgamation o£ cities now called Budapest. He, with : ' his* hordes of barbaric horsemen, laid waste Thrace and Illycia, - and then, with an army of three-quarters of a mil-, lion men, the scourge of God, as he - styled himself, marched on Gaul, ex-" pectirig that the King of' the Visigoths would sever himself from - his alliance . with the Romans. But Goths and .Rb- « mans combined to repulse* him, and At- ; tila was forced to retire to Chaions. The Romans, not being of the old order, did* not follow up their advantage and the - '' Scourge of God'' was enabled to .get 4 , his forces together, and in' th*j. succeeding year over-ran the north-' pf "Italy;' ' and even threatened Rome. .'He is 4sup-, posed to "have died on the night of marriage with Hilda, Brincess of Bur- - gundy, a year later,, about 453. For" a couple of centuries Ithe Huns'occupied a ■ " great part of Southern Europe, but^were. driven out by the -Magyars; who*.are now the dominant race,in Hungary.]

THE DEADLY EMDEN.

CAPTURE OF BRITISH SHIPS.

WARSHIP SETS OUT IN PURSUIT.-

CALCUTTA,,September -21. L '. - The cruiser Emden, assisted by misty - weather and the intercepting of-wire-'less messages, sank between- the'-10th . and the 14th two colliers, two empty .- steamers, and*-the steamer > Diplomat"*'with cargoes worth .-£350,000, including. 40,000 packages of tea. .- • ; All the captured "'■crews were tranr.-' iferred -to the Kapinga, which was bound for America. The Kabinga arrived at Calcutta on the 16th.

A British -warship is pursuing tho Em den, which escaped to ' the southward. All sailings" in the Bay Bengal have been temporarily cancelled. . The Emden has caused British owners and underwriters a loss, of three-quar- . ters of a million. The Germans treated the crews well. ~,,, , ' ANOTHER VESSEL SUNK. ——. "»- CLAN MATHKSON CAPTURED. (Received LONDON, September 22. The Emden sank the Clan Mntheson in the Bay of Bengal. The crew were^ landed at Rangoon. [The Clan Matheson" is one of the well-kii]own "Clan" line, which con- ' sists of some sixty ships Cay- ' zer Irvine and Co., of Glasgow. The , vessel which has now been sent to the "• bottom by the Emden was a steel screw " steamer of 4775 tons, and was built by Withy Furness and Co., of West Hartlepool,'in 1906.]

ARMED MERCHANTMEN.

GUNS FOR DEFENCE, UNITED STATES'REGULATIONS. (Received September 20/9.5S LONDON, September 22. Reuter 's New . York correspondent states that the United States has decided thai merchantmen of the belligerent* nations entering her ports may carry guns not exceeding 6-inch for their defence, without acquiring the charter for ships of war. -The guns must not ;be mounted forward, and only a little ain--munition is to be carried, while the ves-. sel is to be manned by the same number ~ as it was before the war.

REPULSED EVERYWHERE, ,- GERMAN RESISTANCE OVERCOME? PROGRESS OF THE ALLIED FORCES. PARIS, SeptembM.^. The following official statement is issued: — On the loft Aving, on the left bank of the Oise, we have advanced to the heights of Lassingly. On the east bank of, the Oise, anil the north of the Aisne, the. Germans have manifested renewed activity, "Violent combats, ending in bayonet charges, ensued in the .region of Cvaonne. Everywhere the enemy was repulsed. Round Rheims the Germans have not

attempted infantry but have limited themselves to cannonading our front with heavy artillery. We have taken Mesnil. In the Woevre the enemy continues to hold Thaincourt, and has cannonaded Hascon Chate'L There are.no new>reportsi from Lorraine or the Vosges. The Germans are fortifying themselves on the Delme side/ and to the south of Chateau Salins. BRITISHERS AWFUL EXPERIENCE. GREAT iSTORM RAGING. GRAPHIC STORY OF GALLANTRY AND. SUFFERING.

; LONDON, September 21, Mr' Phillip Gibbs, telegraphing from Chalons on Saturday, said that when the great storm wag raging at Soissons xm Thursday and Friday, flooding the trenches, the British had the most trying time, of the war.. It'tried

their nerves and souls to the last point ef human endurance. Several of the men who had left the trenches on a special mission, looked as if they had been through a torture chamber. They

suffered nameless horrors, and were chilled to the bone, and shaking in every limb. Nevertheless there was no "grousing." The army is an army of dirty! mudlark's, unshaven and tat-

teredi but still as,confident and ready ' . ■ . * for a joke as ever.

The strength of the German position has made it very difficult for the British to cross the marshland, which is intersected by rivers and canals. At present it is utterly impossible for in-

iantry, cavalry and heavy guns to cross' the swamps. The German llin

guns on the surrounding hills are giv-

ing a lot of trouble. British gunners have been ,engaged in an incessant artillery duel for days, under cover of which both sides have been entrenching and rushing over open ground with xifle fire and in order to.obtain advantageous positions and make further entrenchments.

The British showed superiority in the battle of trenches, and gained good ground, though at a heavy cost. With the experience of the Boer War they are far better than the enemy at taking advantage of every scrap of fcover. Fighting in open formation on several occasions they took trenches which, by all the rules of war, were impregnable. The British were assisted by the Zouaves, who repeatedly charged under ~ deadly fire, and reached the enemy's - position. * The Germans fled, but not until the trenches had been filled with corpses slain by the Frenchmen, who tossed them out of the pits, ''as though he had been haymaking," as one cf them said. General von Kluck, on Friday night,

•rdered a general advance of the infantry from Chavingny and ■■ Naizye Chateau upon the foremost v British

trenches round Soissons, while the ar- /: iillery again searched the position, endeavouring to unnerve the British. The wind was howling and the rain lashing down, and the British needed all their courage. The shrapnel killed many, but the Germans were not of the right

.stuff to turn . out entrenched British and they retired more quickly than .•"they. came. The British guns pounded them, and the rifle fire laid them in heaps.

FOR THE FRONT. v REINFORCEMENTS LEAVE BORDEAUX. DESTINATION NOT SPECIFIED. LONDON, September 21. M. Millerand, /Minister of War, is dispatching heavy reinforcements from a large body of Turcos and Senegalese, who entrained at Bordeaux for a destination not specified. Every evening trains, crammed with ■Wounded, crawl back from the front, thirty coaches 1 eomprise a train, and they are packed more fully than excursion trains. The worst cases are lucky if they <san lie at full length.

FIGHTING IN BELGIUM.

GERMANS FIERCE ATTACK ON

FORT.

DEFENDERS. DEVASTATE THEIR

LINES.

LONDON, September 21.

The"Daily Chronicle's" Antwerp correspondent says the Germans made three i desperate but unsuccessful attempts on Saturday and Sunday to capture Fort Wallhem, between Malines and Brussels.

The first was a night operation, with the -heaviest artillery covering an infantry attack upon the entrenched Belgians.

For a short while the issue was doubtful, tint when the defenders of the fort realised their danger they devastated the : German lines and the attacks were finally repulsed with a loss of a thousand.-

OSTEND, September 21.

It is reported that all the Bavarian troops have left Brussels. Some were court-martialled and shot. It is stated that all the Germans there have been sent to France or the East Prussian frontier, and forty thousand Austrians are occupying Brussels, accompanied by seven heavy siege guns.

GRIM INSTRUMENT OF WAR.

WONDERFUL SIEGE GTTN.

THE *TRAIL OF THE GERMANS.

LONDON, September 21.

The German 17in siege gun discharges a projectile weighing 21001b, which describes parabola covering 12 miles, rising to a height of 1200 yards. It is discharged electrically from a considerable distance, the operator not daring to remain in the vicinity. The shell, in exploding, generates deadly gases.

This is a teetotal war so far as the Allies are concerned, while the trail of the Germans is marked by myriads of empty bottles.

German newspapers announce that a Russian general named Martos, who was captured, will be eourt-martialled for burning German villages and shooting the inhabitants.

PURELY SELF DEFENCE.

GERMAN OPINION OF WAR.

LAND VICTORY CONFIDENTLY

EXPECTED.

LONDON, September 21.

An Englishman who has returned from Germany says that Berlin opinion persists in maintaining that Germany is warring purely in self-defence against the wicked ambitions of the Entente, which is anxious to crush its strongest rival. Educated Germans confidently expect victory on land, but are prepared for a naval defeat. They assert the impossibility of famine in Germany, as the crops are extraordinary. Germany claims that war bonds amounting to fifty millions have been over-subscribed, and subscriptions ,to an unlimited loan have reached sixty-three millions.

THE KOENIGSBERG DASH.

LOSS OH H.M.S. PEGASUS.

OFFICIAL REVISED LIST.

CAPE TOWN, September 21.

The official revised list of the Pegasus casualities is 25 killed, 52 wounded, 10 missing. [The Pegasus was surprised by the German cruiser Koenigaberg while undergoing overhaul at Zanzibar.]

"LONG LIVE BRITAIN."

EXCITEMENT IN ITALY.

PRESIDENT WILSON AND TALK OF PEACE.

ROME, September- 21.

A hundred thousand people held a demonstration at the British Embassy on Sunday. There were deafening cheers} and shouts of "Long live Brithe friend of Italy!," Troops specially guarded the German and Austrian Embassies.

WASHINGTON, September 21.

There is little doubt that President Wilson realises as clearly as any European statesman that talk of stopping the war at this juncture is mere mischievous nonsense, the product of inept diplomatic intrigues developed by purblind and spineless pacificists and nervous financiers, who have bet heavily on a speedy German victory.

BOMBS AT TSING-TAU.

JAPAN EMPLOYS WATERPLANES. LIFE IN THE GARRISON TOWN. \ TOKIO, September 21. The Japanese are employing waterplanes to drop bombs in Tsing-tau, the machines subsequently returning to the warships. Some of the forts are bomb-proof. The garrison is granted one day in three for liberty in the town. Reservists are living in deserted private residences. Shops and restaurants have re-opehed, and there are music and picture shows nightly.

IN THE COMMONWEALTH.

CABLE COMPANY'S CONCESSION.

PROGRESS OF WAR RELIEF FUNDS.

SYDNEY, September 22

The Eastern Extension Company notifies that with a view to the reduction in the cost of cabling during the existing censorship, from to-morrow international messages will be charged on a basis of ten letters for each word.

The Lord '* Mayor's Fund totals £IIB,OOO.

The New Zealand and Australian Land Company has decided to distribute £15,000 to the War Relief Funds in the several Australian States where it carries on business.

IN N.S.W. ASSEMBLY. AUSTRALIA AND THE MOTHERLAND. (Received September 23, 10.25 a.m.) SYDNEY, November 23. In the Assembly Mr W. A. Holman stated that he proposed to introduce a Bill to permit of loans being raised at a higher rate of interest than four per cent.; also a temporary measure for the retrenchment of the public service. Regarding unemployment, he said that only three per cent, of the population of New South Wales were unemployed, and that the Government contemplates building canvas houses during the summer for families without homes. MELBOURNE. September 23. The Rt. Hon. Andrew Fisher, Federal

Premier, speaking at the show luncheon, took the opportunity of assuring'those present of the co-operation of Parliament with the Mother Country, and said that Britain knew that her Dominion was with her in her success and her difficulties. Australia would tell her again and again that her enemy was Australia's enemy, too, if she cared to hear it, and that Australia was prepared to be sacrificed with her, if the necessity arose.

GERMAN TRADE. NEW ZEALAND AFFECTED. Press Association. WELLINGTON, September 22.

Hollow ware and enamelled ware, the latter more especially, are two lines that have been seriously affected by the war. The reason is that Germany does a large export trade in hollow ware, and has practically captured the whole of the enamelled ware trade. Other German lines, such as carpenters' tools, and cheap gate fasteners, are also cut off. The manager of one ironmongery establishment today informed a reporter that his firm had had two years' contract with German and Austrian manufacturers for the supply of certain goods, the arrangement being that shipments should be sent forwards once every three months. Two shipments had been sent, but the contracts, of course, would never be fulfilled in their entirety. The manager stated that already some of the up-to-date English manufacturers were seizing the opportunity of manufacturing lines which had hitherto been exclusively confined to the Germans. One of these was cheap gate-fasteners. The British manufacturers had never been able to compete against the Germans in this particular article, and the result was that the latter had the trade practically in their own hands. Since the outbreak of the war, however, English manufacturers were quoting for gate-fasteners. One feature which would seem to indicate that German business people knew that war was inevitable is that this year Christmas stocks of German goods have in some instances arrived earlier than ever they have previously done. One firm which expected to receive its Christmas supplies about October and November this year, received them as early as August.

EQUIPMENT COMMITTEE.

CONTRACTORS' PROFITS.

At a meeting of the Equipment Committee, held this morning, the Mayor presiding, the Mayor said that he was assured that there was no shortage of field-glasses, every man at the camp being supplied. With regard, to the Regimental Fund, the Mayor said that he considered that a pool of the £7OO provided in Canterbury should be made for the whole of the regiments from Canterbury, since one company might be wiped out, and in such a case it would-be absurd to differentiate between Canterbury men. Officers, had suggested that the fund should.be administered by two men, and the money forwarded by draft on the Bank of New Zealand, London, and thereby-made available at any bank in France. ,

Mr Hunter said he approved of the idea, but it would probably mean . the setting up'of joint committees in the various centres.

Mr J. H. Grierson also approved, but said the difficulty was. to get Nelson and Timaru to join in the scheme. Mr Tosswill said the difficulty might be got over by putting control of the money in the hands of the officer commanding the regiment and the officer and second in charge of each company. This would ensure that each district would have its funds devoted directly to their contingents, while little difficulty would then be met in the officers agreeing to donate portion of their separate funds to the relief of some less fortunate company.

It was decided to write to the secretaries in the districts concerned, putting this suggestion to them. It was decided to vote 10/- per man for the 51 Canterbury men now at Palmerston North, the 32 men in the Army Service Corps, and any other odd units of Canterbury men.

The expenditure of £lO for dental equipment in the troopship was approved, the Government to be asked to refund the amount later. It was decided that the officers in charge of companies should be supplied with letters of credit on the High Commissioner in London, as a means of getting the funds provided. The Mayor asked Colonel Chaffey if he had"heard anything of the offer to supply 3001b of honey to the troopships. He understood that the gift was refused, on the grounds that it would be conflicting with the rights of the contractors. Colonel Chaffey said that the honey, would be sent aboard in charge of the regimental quartermasters, and the contractors cobM not interfere. He would speak to the officers. The Mayor said it was scandalous the charges the* contractors were making. He had seen a li?t cf prices, and 1/- wa? Laing charged for a bottle of lemonade, 6d for a bottle of ginger beer, and 8/.for a pound of tobacco, which was received duty free. It was a pity the gifts provided were not sufficient to do away with the necessity of the canteen.

Mr Tosswill said that he was of opinion that the shipping companies, in conjunction with the contractors,, were making the most of the profit. It was decided that nothing could be done in the matter now, the whole scale of prices having been approved by the Defence authorities in Wellington, and the matter was allowed to drop. ITALY'S INTERESTS. WILL SHE COME IN? [By J. S., in Sydney "Daily Telegraph."] The declaration signed by Great Britain, France, and Russia not to agree individually to terms of peace has produced a profound impression in Italy, according to a message from Rome, which adds that the Italian public is beginning to feel that a protracted war cannot be of advantage to neutrals. WAVE OF ENTHUSIASM. A further significant message notes signs of a wave of enthusiasm in Italy for Britain, together with sympathetic Italian comments upon the dispatch of expeditionary forces by the British Dominions to Britain's aid. Indications that Italy is steadily tending towards participation in the war on the side to which she is summoned by her strong national love of freedom in general, and her historic hatred of .Austria in particular, are multiplying. Italy was partly tricked and partly dragooned into the Triple Alliance in 1882 by BismarcJfc,

who first estranged Italy from France by assigning Tunis to France at the Congress of Berlin, and then pretended that Germany would favour the restoration of the temporal power of the Pope unless Italy joined the Austro-German alliance, which had been ratified in 1879. France constructed a great naval base at Bizerta, in Tunis, which threatened Italy's southern coastline; and Italy, though with misgivings, was driven to join the opposite camp —the camp that included her traditional oppressor, who is still the possessor of the South of Tyrol and Istria, with Trieste, which formerly belonged to Italy, and which are still populated almost entirely by Italians. The main reason which was employed to bring Italy into the Triple Alliance was that it would protect her against France? which was then supposed to be working for the restoration of the temporal power of the Pope in the Papal States. That bogey has long since disappeared, and with it practically every other cause of estrangement between France and Italy. But the hatred of Austria, the brutal oppressor, the fiogger of Italian patriots in Lombardy, the robber of Italian territory which remains under the Austrian flag—still survives. Is it possible that Italy's hatred of Austria will remain to the end unexpressed in action, especially when Italy's interests on the western side of the Balkan Peninsula are in. direct conflict with Austria's position there?

PURELY DEFENSIVE. The treaty of alliance which Italy ratified with Germany and Austria in 18S3, and which has been renewed decennially ever since, was purely defensive. Therefore, Italy was not bound by any obligation to side with her partners in this conflict, which began' with a declaration of war by Austria upon Servia for non-compliance with an ultimatum which no nation that valued its independence could agree to. That being so, the question arises whether Italy is not just as free to support the Triple Entente as to maintain her neutrality. It was Bismarck himself who said in the Reichstag, "No great Power can for any length of time be tied by the wording of a treaty which is opposed to the interests of the people, and, if it has done so, it will eventually be compelled openly to declare, ;' The times have altered] I cannot dp it.'" ;He also "wrote in his *' Thoughts and Recollections": "All contracts between great. States cease to be unconditionally binding l as soon as they are tested i>y the struggle for existence." Also, it must be borne in mind that the states- ■ man who had himself brought Italy into ithe Triple Alliance foretold that Italy rwould turn against Austria-Hungary if she could feel secure from French aggression. "In case of a reconciliation with France, '' he said to Buseh, '' Italy might resume her Irredentist policy and -renew her claims upon Austrian territory."

ENTER, M. DELCASSE

It may well seem to lookers-on at the great game of diplomacy "that the contingency foreseen by Bismarck has now arrived. And here we* come' upon that vital element in the arrangements of diplomacy—the human element. While Bismarck spun his ingenious meshes that linked up Italy with her Germanic neighbours, and cunningly built up a wall to separate Italy from France, there was nobody in Germany capable of continuing his work after Ms retirement. So that most silent and secretive Foreign Minister that the Third Republic has ever known, the redoubtable M. Delcasse, happening to arrive at power after Bismarck's retirement, proceeded to unpick the | meshes that entangled Italy with Ger- | many and Austria, and to pull down the j wall that divided Italy from France.; This double operation has taken some time. It began when he engineered certain agreements between France and Italy respecting Crete and Tripoli in the closing ye&rs of the nineteenth century, it was advanced a further stage when, in an interview published in the Italian Press in 1902, he recommended that Italy should enter upon close relations with France and Russia for the protection of her interests in the Balkan Peninsula. There is no doubt that it progressed still further when M. Delcasse visited Italy a few weeks ago on a secret mission to confer with the Italian Government.' Shortly after that visit the Italian Premier announced that Italy would preserve neutrality.

MUST GOME IN.

Thus the work that Bismarck performed for Germany in 1883 lias been undone in 1914 by M. Delcasse, who has made a vietim, not by" Bismarck, certainly, but by the Bismarck tradition as carried on by Count von.Bulow, who caused M. Delcasse to be thrown overboard by M. Bouvier, the French Premier in 1905, "by means of a threat that Germany would attack France on the Morocco question unless the arch-enemy of Germany, as M. Delcasse was represented to be, disappeared from office. M. Delcasse, who had kept even the Premier, M. Eouvier, in ignorance of his plans, and who had woven his spells in complete silence, avenged both his country and himself for all the slights and insults inflicted by the German bureaucracy when, after his visit to Kome in the beginning of last month, Italy declared that she would not support Germany and Austria in the great war now raging. But still his success is incomplete. It will not be achieved thoroughly until Italy abandons her neutrality and throws in her lot with Great Britain, France, and Bussia, who are fighting now for the cause that thrilled the heart and nerved the swordarm of every Italian in those days, not so long ago, when Cavour Garibaldi and Victor Emanuel were fighting for the unification of Italy. The cause of nationalism —"the insatiable nationalism of Servia," as the Kaiser stigmatised it in one of his early proclamations—the cause of freedom and independence for the small nationalities as against the all-absorbing militant Ca;sarism of the Germanic powers, must appeal to the Italians still.

' SYMPATHY rOE^OPPEESSED._ It may be said that sympathy with an oppresesd nationality will not of itself suffice to make a great Power go to war in defence of a small one—as the histories of Poland and of Hungary demonstrate. Even the British sympathy for Belgium, when the soil of that neutralised State was invaded by the Germans, was solidly buttressed by the vital interests of Great Britain. Well she knew that the absorption of Belgium by Germany would pave the way for a new attack to be delivered on Britain herself by the conquerer of the little State. Britain's vital interests no less than her resolve to protect the small nation from spoliation drove her into this war. It might easily be shown that the interests —and, as many Italians believe, the vital interests —of Italy drive her forward upon the path that leads to the abandonment of her neutrality and to her participation in the conflict on the side of the Triple Entente. Italy is a country poor in natural resources, thxuich rich in love of freedom, as well

as in culture and the arts. She has scarcely any iron or coal, and very little timber. Her people are so poor that an increasing number of them every year are unable to find sustenance in Italy. She is the greatest emigrating country in Europe. Her sons are found doing the pioneering work in all the new countries of the world —in the United States and Canada, and especially in the South American Eepublics. She has an imperative need of expansion, and the region to which she has looked forward ever since she began her modern life as a nation is the east coast of the Adriatic —the western side of the Balkan Peninsula. In the memoirs of the late Francisco Crispi, a former Premier of Italy, extracts from Signor Crispi's diary are given, showing that Bismarck had discussed with him the question of Italy joining the Alliance some time before it was formally brought forward. And Crispi, according to the entries in his diary, then told Bismarck plainly that Italy regarded the east side of the Adriatic as her-sphere of expansion, and would do nothing to compromise that claim.. ITALY'S OPPOETUNITY. Now that the disruption of Austria is visibly impending, Italy's opportunity to regain possession of Trieste, Fiume, and Pola, and all the other splendid harbours that once were hers, is plainly approaching. From the Republic of Venice in former days the whole of the east coast of the Adriatic was colonised. Italy has territorial claims and interests there that cannot be gainsaid. Whether she has already obtained a privileged position in that' quarter—the reversionary interest in Austria's possessions —by means of a secret,, arrangement with the Tripe Entente is not known, though something of the sort may be guessed at. But, in any case, her reward for preserving neutrality could never equal the price that she might fairly demand for throwing her sword into the scale with the Allies. Great Britain wants no territorial gains from this war. All that she wants is to be free from the German naval menace, and that her oversea Dominions and dependencies may also be free. But France wants Alsace-Lorraine, and will get it if the Allies are victorious. Eussia will no doubt demand a large slice of territory in East Prussia, and in Galieia, where she has already installed a .Russian Governor-General. Servia will have Bosnia-Herzegovina, where she has already established herself. But all these nations will have paid in blood for their advantages —Britain for her naval security, France, Russia, -and Servia for their territorial gains. Can Italy expect to acquire the territory to which she turns her longing eyes—even though it once belonged to the Italian people —unless she buys it with the same red currency that the nations now in arms against the breakers of the peace of Europe have already expended so lavishly? By taking the risks of war with the other nation she will acquire, if victorious, the only claim that nations respect when the final settlement is under discussion. Whatever title she may gain as the price of her neutrality will be insecure compared with the title that she would certainly obtain :by boldly drawing the sword, as the others have done, and assisting to re-establish peace on a basis that shall not again be disturbed. POPULAR FEELING.

It may be that Italy will be. swept into this war by a rush of popular feeling that even the most cautious Government could not withstand. The very conditions in which the war is being waged are pregnant with potential "incidents." For instance, it has been reported that Austria has sown explosive mines broadcast in the Adriatic, following the murderous practice of "her ally in the North Sea. What is more likely than that an Italian merchant vessel or warship may strike one of those" Austrian mines, and be destroyed with all on board? Such an incident would almost inevitably precipitate Italy into the war. That it may occur is not only possible, but. probable, and if it,did occur war between Italy and Austria could no more be averted than could the war between* Spain and when, the American warship, the Maine, was destroyed at her moorings by an explosion that was attributed —though possibly erroneous —to the Spaniards. The task of the Italian Government in keeping Italy out of the war is becoming more difficult with every day that passes." It is likely to become more difficult still with every fresh advantage obtained by the Allies—who have just begun to improve their position. In war, as in every other sphere of human-activity, nothing succeeds like success. Probably it would shorten the duration of hostilities if Italy were to join in the struggle, and thereby hasten the decision of the issue that appears to be inevitable.

THE INDIAN CONTINGENT.

PICK OF THE ARMY.

GUEKHA, PATHANS, AND SIKHS,

[By "A Soldier," in Melbourne "Age."]

More than "a century and a half has passed since Indian troops, under British officers, faced a European enemy in the field, and India has seen many changes since Clive drove out the French with an army largely composed of native soldiers. »

The Indian forces have undergone many reorganisations as the Empire extended its boundaries, but the last, under Lord Kitchener, when Com-mander-in-Chief, finally eliminated the tribes, which had become effete and lost their military qualities, and ensured that the Indian regiments should be recruited only from the '' fighting races.'' Of these, the -Rajputs, the oldest fighting race in India, whose name means "sons of princes," and whose chiefs claim descent from the old gods, will probably not be drawn upon for the present war, as the hot climate in which they live would unfit them for service in the snow and wet of a German winter. The same may.be said of the Marathas, Jats, and Decannis, and we may conclude that the expeditionary force will consist mainly of Sikhs, Pathans, and Gurkhas. Of these the Pathans and Gurkhas are mountaineers, and used to intense cold, while the Sikhs inhabit the Punjab, where the winters are at least as cold as in France or Southern Germany. THE SIKHS.

The Sikhs, who number about 3,000,000, were originally a religious sect, under strict military discii>lme, which arose in the fifteenth century, and by the end of the eighteenth cerimy had become a powerful nation, under the famous "Lion of the Punjab," Rajit Singh. Tall, powerful meu, living chiefly on the land, they are good horsemen and make magnificent infantry. They fought two wars against the British —i n 1846 and 1849 —and were finally subdued by Lord Gough after many desperate battles. Gough was much censured at the time for his love of closequarter fighting and the bayonet, which led to very heavy losses, but since then the Sikhs have always said that we beat

them fairly, man to man, with the cold steel, and that they would stick to us while the sun shone in the heavens. The Sikh soldier is one of. the finest men to be seen on earth. Fully 6 feet high, broad-shouldered, deep-chested, and with a most stately bearing, he looks the ideal of a fighting man. His huge black beard is parted on the chin and carried back in two rolls, fastened behind his ears, and surmounted by an immense pagri (usually miscalled "puggaree') or turban, into which is folded a thin, flat, sharp steel ring, the f ' throwing quoit," an ancient weapon, with which an expert can kill a man at 50 yards. Nowadays it is no longer used for fighting, but is good to ward off a cut from the head. The Sikh is an excellent bayonet fighter, and loves a hand-to-hand combat. Those who saw the Indian contingent which visited Australia in 1900, when the present King came out as Prince of Wales, will not forget the martial bearing of the Sikh soldiers who formed part of it.

THE PATHANS,

The Pathans are of a different type. Tall, spare, and wiry, inured to hard living, cold and fatigue, in a country so poor that it hardly supports its population, they can stand extremes of hardship and privation. They are not as a rule fond of hand to hand fighting, but when worked up to a pitch of excitement they will charge home with the most desperate courage, and will take as much killing. as a wild beast. Fanatical Mohammedans to a man, their sole thought when fighting against "unbelievers '' is to kill as many as possible before they go down, secure in the belief that this gives them a direct passport to heaven. They live habitually in a state of war, in,the 800 miles of rugged mountain*range which forms the north-west frontier of India. Every tribe is at war with every other, often village with village, anil blood feuds are as common and as bitter as the vendetta in Corsica. Every man carries a rifle, and' his reaching the age of manhood is proof that he can use it. The Pathans are without doubt the finest rifle shots in the world, and the man who exposes himself within 400 yards of a Pathan has a small chance of life.

Many of them are also born horsemen, and, although the sword is less used than in the days before Tifles were known, they make light cavalry second to none. Their eyesight is very keen, and the training of their whole life has made them perfect in scouting and in every trick and artifice of war, ambushes and night attacks being perhaps their, favourite mode of fighting.

THE GURKHA. The Gurkha again differs widely from Sikh or Pathan. He is of mixed Hindu and Mongol stock, small, dark, and very muscular. He loves sport, where sport consists in the killing of any wild animal, and looks on fighting as the highest form of sport. He is a fair rifle shot, but as a crule better at game or at an enemy than on the rifle range. Each man carries, in addition to rifle and bayonet, the kukri, or kookree, the national weapon, a curved knife with a blade about 18in long, a very heavy back and convex cutting edge. This weapon he much fers to rifle and bayonet, and a Gurkha charge driven home is a terrible thing, for the Gurkha fairly revels in a hand-to-hand scrimmage, and the kukri will lop off a head or an arm with the greatest ease. Indeed, armed with his beloved kurki, the Gurkha fears nothing living, and will cheerfully attack a wounded tiger or a hostile battery. He is by nature a most bloodthirsty little man, and his great festival, the feast of Durga, goddess of death, is a wild orgy of blood. In a Gurkha regiment all the British officers who can take leave during this festival,, and those who are left' keep well away from the men's lines while the slaughter is going on.

INDIAN CAVALRY,

The Indian cavalry are .the.pick of the Indian army, and are perhaps the most aristocratic service in the world, every trooper being a gentleman of land-owning stock. Each man on joining pay a a considerable sum of money to purchase his horse and arms, and receives more than three times the pay of an infantry soldier, out of which he has to keep his horse. Direct commissions are often given, to men of good family, especially those who can bring a number, of their tenants or retainers as recruits. Otherwise'all promotion is through the ranks.

The moral effect on the Germans of being faced in the field by such troops as these will be great. In past- years various Germans have expressed to me their horror and dismay at the idea of France using her African troops, Algerians and Senegalese, against Germany if war should break out between the two countries. The. Indian troops are far better than any Africans, and will without doubt strike terror into the enemy. In the coalition war in China in in 1900-1901 the Indian soldiers developed a profound contempt for the Germans, who were then acting as their allies, and now these same soldiers, led by British officers, to whom they are devoted, and whom they love and .admire beyond measure, will face with the greatest confidence and an - unlimit-/ ed sense of superiority the best troops of the Kaiser. For years they have been madly keen to join with their' .British comrades in a great Imperial war, and now their chance has come.

CONTINGENT CONCERT. Mrs Loughnan reports as follows regarding the Contingent Concert and sale of "The Contingent March":— The net proceeds of the concert, and the sales of the March to date totalled £4P. 18/6.

The proceeds have been- devoted to the purposes of the band —a sum of £,'3o 0/4 having been expended in the purchase of music and instruments under the direction of the SergeantBandmaster, and the remainder (£l3 18/2) handed to him for the purposes of the band. Mrs Loughnan gratefully acknowledges generous help from Messrs Ful-ler-Brennans, Ltd., who gave the use of the Opera House without charge; Messrs Milner and Thompson, who lent the piano and stands used at the concert; Mr Bidgood, who gave his valuable services as accompanist; and the newspapers that advertised the concert gratis. All sales of the March having been made without charge the entire proceeds were devoted to the object in view. (Continued on page 10.)