WESTERN CAMPAIGN

Timaru Herald, Volume CVI, Issue 16230, 28 March 1917, Page 8

WESTERN CAMPAIGN

FRENCH POSITIONS MAINTAINED. " ADVANCE- BELOW THE OISE. (Australian and N.Z, Cable* Assn.\ and Router.) , LONDON. March 20. A French communique states '— ; We repulsed several fresli enemy jittaclcs last night on the Essigny-Beuay front, between the Somme and the Owe. ' Serious loss was inflicted on the enemy. , ■ Wo entirely maintained, the positions captured* yesterday. We continued to advance -south of the Oise, despite the state of the ground and bad weather. French, air squadrons dropped a tori of bomta on factories at Thionville and in the Briey Basin, also on the railway stations at Conflans and Montmedy. \ CERMAN CLAIMS. Admiralty—Per Wireless Press. A Herman' official message states:- — Wo attacked the French, who advanced across the Somme-Crozat "canal,' inflicting heavy losses. Three attacks east of tJie Ailotte resulted in a. cheek to the advance north , of the Aisne. Onr air squadronattacked Dunkirk and caused several fires. It claims to have down eleven aeroplanes on Sunday. FRENCH IMPORTS RESTRICTED. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Assn..) PARIS, March 26. A Ministerial Council's decree prohibits the importation into. France and Algeria all merchandise, except on behalf of the State, or goods specially authorised by the Minister of Finance. M. Ribot, Premier, states that Sach country in alliance must become, as fains possible, self-supporting. The' war has become very largely one of trapsport and finance, and any measures for •--aving tonnage and restoring exchange , brings victory nearer. The _ Government intends to encourage home production of foodstuffs. France, during 1916, spent £600,000.000. NEW ZEALANDERS IN THE ADVANCE. . SCENES OF DESOLATION DESCRIBED. j The following Gpouial message from" the New Zealand Official War Correspondent, Captain Malcolm Ross. dated Headquarters, France, last Thursday l night, has been received:—

"During the past few days I have' boon ia the area' of. the German retreat, j and fcave witnessed someof the most tragic neenes of the" war.' -,. The Germans in their retreat have destroyed, desecrated hud denied. From. ;Village to' village one 'goes from had to worse.' j "I was in Peronne the morning after j the. German retreat.'and made a minute examination,: enabling me to say that the .calculated destruction by .the retreating' enemy was diabolical in its thoroughness and vhidictiveness. AH .houses untouched''' by shell-fire were 'clown to bits .with high explosives, and all .furniture ; and hoiisehold gocds and treasures of the late inhabitants were smashed with axes, hammers, and picks., Even the. handles of the instruments of' destruction were then themselves' destroyed. . "The town was a scene of emptv j desolation. The trees of the beautifttl \ avenue .were hacked half-way through, and aill droha-rd trees sawn . down.'! Fires were still burning' to-day. ' J "I liave, visited other villages where woe is sdded to desolation,' and only women, old men, and children were left. The children, nalefaced and thin,, stared, at one with all their childish: merriment gone. There had been neither meat! nor milk in some of these villages for) months. The people , were virtually held_ in bondage. All the cattle and , provisionp wem commandeered. ' and evei young girls TPere made to work hard-a-t wood chopping and other tasks. "Much of the food sent from America find Svain for the inhabitants 'was taken by the armv, find children died through ill-nourishment.'

"An interesting fact - elicited was that the German soldiers nave' been, badly fed for the.past sis.months, but the officers bought food in Belgium and lived fairly well. -~W

"Behind one officers' mess I. saw a. pile of between 1500 and 2000 empty bottles that had held expensive wines and<iiqueurs Latterly some of the soldiers cried when sent forward to the trenches. Others refused' to go,'• and were shut in an attic without food for four davs. -

"The Germans expressed bitter hatred of Britain, and realised that they cannot now win. In private houses they smashed pia.nos, mirrors, and pictures, destroyed libraries, and carried off all the valuables they could lay their hands on.

"Tit the mortuary chapel of one chateau, they broke open the coffin of the owner buried in 1859, cut into the load .of the coffin, and left the "aody partly revealed. They also strewed altar vestments about. "For miles one went through, avenues and orchards in which scarcely a tree las been left standing.

"The scenes we witnessed were such as loft the saddest impression, and willed loudly for assistance from all civilised countries towards the punishment of the barbarous militarism that caused tlem."