INQUIRY WANTED

Timaru Herald, Volume CVI, Issue 16283, 10 July 1917, Page 8

INQUIRY WANTED

DEMAND FOE, REPRISALS. Reuter's Telegrams. Mr W. Jovnson Hicks, M.P. for Brentford. 011 Monday will ask the Premier to appoint a committee to inquire into the cause of failure to cope effectively with the air raiders, and whether the Government will order punitive raids oil German munition towns on the Rhine. Mr Lloyd George, accompanied by Lord French., Lord Milner, General ■Smuts and Mr G. H. Barnes, to-night visited the homhed areas in the city and in the East End. Crowds gathered in the party's wake, cheering and shouting: I 'Don't forget reprisals." The Lord Mayor of London, in the course of an interview, said the raid ought to convince everybody that the case for reprisals lias been enormously strengthened and has become a' matter of urgency. Our air forces must immediately act in accordance with the demand of a majority of the citizens. Newspapers adopt a sterner tone of criticism of the defences of London. They draw attention to France's lead in the way of reprisals. They add that the soldiers will not tolerate their homes being thus ravaged. SYSTEM OF WARNING. CONCENTRATION OF AIRCRAFT WANTED. '(Australian and N.Z. Cablo Assn.) .At one time the hostile squadron was directly overhead of thousands of girl clerks who remained at their desks. Th e system of warning, at the principal workshops and warehouses enabled the workers to reach safety. The large hospitals made elaborate preparations nnd arranged to receive an- inrush of injured pensons. The first alarm was given at 845 and the "all clear" signal. was given at 11 30. ■Lord Montagu, of Beaulieu, in an article, ; states that- the best way of. shortening the- war is to concentrate upon tlie construction of aircraft and embark on a vast aerial offensive. REPRISALS APPROVED. GOVERNMENT RECONSIDERING ITS ATTITUDE. . Experts are of: opinion that the raiders' twin-engined Gotha, biplanes ai'e comparatively slow. They came with a brisk wind and were coiTespondingly slow in returning, henee it may be. said that the raiders were more daring and _ flew much lower than in previous raids. ' Members of Parliament favour reprisals. ' It is understood that the Government 1) us. reconsidered its attitude, Mr Lloyd George summoned a meeting of' experts after the raid. AIRCRAFT AT THE FRONT. Australian and N.Z. Cable Assn.' and Reut-er.) There was much aeria.l fighting yesterday,' chiefly between Lens and Ypres. In this area a large number of enemy machines were encountered. Despite the ©amy's promounced activity we bombed and damaged severalaerodromes'. We carried ' out successful artillery work and photography. The enemy dropped 144 bombs on our -side of the line. Our machines dropped three times that number oai the onemy's side. FRENCH .R AIDS. GERMANS BOMB HOSPITAL. A. French communique states The enemy made several air raids in 'the Nancy region on Friday. A hospital was bombed. . Three persons were killed and' four were severely wounded and several others wounded. At Epernay eighty-four French machines made a series ■• of brffliant operations on Friday night. ' Some machines attacked '-towns 'in enemy territory as reprisals' for. German honibardmeiics. ."Eleven machines dropped 2iy tons? of bombs at Trea-ves', causing many fires. Six machines bombed Ludwigshafen. The great Baden Aniline- works .were set aflame. KRUPPS BOMBED. ' , One pilot bombed tlie Krupp works at Essen. The raids started ,at 9.20 in. the evening ajid the machines returning at *! . !.'J next morning, covering 4.40 miles, and including raids on. military establishment® at. Coblenz, , and stations alt Hirson and f, Thionville. Bomber® altogether dropped J3~> tons of bombs. Two machines have " not returned.