NOTES FROM LONDON.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 144711, 21 June 1915, Page 2

NOTES FROM LONDON.

AMERICAN MUNITION CONTRACTS DT ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH. —COPTRIGUT. (Received June 31, 8.45 a.m.) LONDON, June 20. Air. Lloyd Goorgo has appointed Mr. D. A. Thomas, coal owner, to go America and Canada to organise munitions contracts. AIR. LLOYD GEORGE’S WORK. THE PRODUCTION OF MUNITIONS. LONDON, June 19. Air. Lloyd George’s power, officially defined, is to organise tho sources of supply and the labour available to supply munitions, of which the supply is wholly or partly undertaken by the transfer to him as may be agreed with the department or authority concerned in the functions in the matter of general ordnance, or those connected with Woolwich, other Government arsenals, or small arras factories. Tho -Government is in favour of tiio present Parliament being extended for a year, and holding no municipal elections in Noveniber. The production of Scotcli malt whisky has decreased by a million gallons for tho season. BRITISH CASUALTIES. LONDON, Juno 19. Casualty lists published to-day show eighty-one officers and 25i6 men in both services. In the fifth battalion of South Lnncashircs forty-six were killed; 2nd Northumberland Fusiliers, 21 killed and 2(57 missing; 2nd South Staffordshire.-;, 189 wounded; 2nd Royal Lancasters, 405 missing and 119 missing reported to be jirisoners. EAST AFRICA. SUMMARY OF OPERATIONS. LONDON, Juno 18. The Press Bureau summarises the operations in East Africa during March, April and Alay. At the end of February information was received that a German detachment of three hundred Askaris, including a considerable proportion of Europeans, under Captain Hexthnuson, was marching northwards to invade British territory in Karunga district, oast of Lake Victoria Nyanza. A small force of the King’s African Rides, with artillery and mounted scouts, under Lieut.-Colonel Hickson, was dispatched to meet the enemy, who were encountered on Afarch 9. Stiff fighting ensued and tho Gormans resisted bravely. After several hours fighting, often at close quarters, the enemy retired south of the Mara River, disorganised and demoralised. Our casualties wero twelve killed and fourteen wounded. The enemy s losses in native troops wero believed to be heavy. ’ On March 11 one of our armed steamers on Lako Victoria Nyanza engaged a German vessel and drove it ashore disabled. A detachment of Indians and tno King’s African Rifles attacked the German 0 post at Salaita on tho £6th and, despite the arrival of reinforcements, the encmv was driven off. Owing to the liight of our native porters wo lost two machine-guns, and our casualties wero five killed, nine wounded, and seven missing. In an affair with patrols, on April 11, near tho Noltaosh River, Major Walker, of the Punjabi Regiment, was killed. „ Between Alny 9 and 22 two small expeditions were successfully carried out, one to clear tile country south of the Sixnbe and the other to capture fbo steamer Sybil, which was wrecked earlier on Lake Victoria Nyanza. lh o country thirty miles south or Sinibaon.i was cleared of tho enemy, who mitred across tlr> frontier. [The Ey'bd

was refloated and docked.. Our casualties were five killed and three wounded. The enemy lost twenty. NATIONAL SHELL FACTORY. (Received June 21, 9.15 a.m.) LONDON, June 20. It has boon decided to establish a national shell factory at Birmingham.