WESTERN FRONT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11947, 5 March 1917, Page 6

WESTERN FRONT.

BRITISH LINES EXTENDED. ' The Tim« " Sexric*. (Received March 5, 2 p.m.) LONDON, March 4. The British front has been extended ho ftbye.

FRENCH FRONTS.

AIRMEN BUSY. Anttmllfca »ad N.Z. C«bl« Atfiodaiioa. (Received March 5, 1.30 p.m.) LONDON, March 4. A French communique says:—Parties penetrated enemy second line trent ches south of Nauvron, between the, Oise and the Aisne, and did great damage. There were violent artillery duels north and south of Etain railway. In the Woevre a French air squadron bombed hangars id Orescans, a powder ■ factory at Bons les Hauts. blast furnnces in the Woelfling district at Sa»urebruck, and the railway station at J)elme.

IN PERSIA.

RUSSIANS ADVANCING. A«tt»!i»a *ad N.Z. Cl»bU AMOtaatian «*d ?;'■■./■" Sent**. (Received March 5, S p.m.) LONDON, March 4. ;f i wireless Russian official message ;£;jjiig»:—-Oar Persian detachments eon. ianiw the offensive in the direction of f-Bfe|gSary and occupied a village two *ttule? to the south-west. > We captured Hamadan on Friday.

i DESTROYER LOST. I I StTNK WITH ALL HANDS. Avstr&liaTi *tid N.Z. As*ooi«tioii sJid R*ut«r. (Roceivftd March 3. 1.26 p.m.) LONDON, March 4. The Admiralty reports that a destroyer was sunk with all hands in the North Sea on March 1. It was probably mined.

NEAR GORIZIA. ENEMY DRIVEN BACK. AuctTftJiaLn and X.Z. Oabfo Association R<utfr. (Recent March 5, 1.25 p.m.) LONDON. March 4. An Italian official message soys that after a violent preparatory firo the enemy attempted to storm positions* eastward ot Gorizia, but wfi-s driven back Avith heavy loss.

HIDEOUS ATROCITY. ON RUSSIAN PRISONERS Reutwr'i Telegram*. (I! waived March 5, 2.30 p.m.) LONDON, March 4. A Prirogrnd tolcgnvm states that Senator Kr'utsoff, president of tho Commission of Inquiry into Gonr.ian atrocities, vouches for the following story:—Sixty Russian non-commission-ed officers imprisoned at Manheim in i Ociohrr last refused to go north ' to? | Franco to do military "work. Thereupon, by the order of officers, German soldier* heax them with rifle hutts for half an hoar, till they w«-a- merely a maps of bloody flesh. An officer mounted his borer ;«ncl R-alkfd it about on tho. bodies.

WAR'S DESOLATION. 'DESTRUCTION IN FRANCE. A««Sri,]i»Ji »ad K.Z. C*bl* Awocixtior*. (Received March 5, p.m.) PARIS, March 4. An officii) 1 jo«rna! --trues that in 754 communes :i-ed I nun the enemy 4<3,20.'i houses we re partially or <;oi;> pletely destroyed. excluding over 1300 churches and oilier public buildings. In 147 communis between 50 and ]OQ per j cent of the houses were destroyed.

ENEMY CONFERENCE. Australian »ad N.Z. C*.b!» A*iioci*tion. (Received March o, 2.<10 p.m.) BERNE, March 4. Newspapers state that the German General Staff, including the Ka-wser, von Hindenbun;, von Ludcud.orft :thd von Falkenhayn, are assembled.

PRISONERS OF WAR. ENEMY ALLEGATIONS. ] >j Australian unci N.JS. Oablo Association iJ«o j Router. [ (Received March 5, 2.30 p.m.) LONDON. March 5. A wireless German message .'says that the Minister of War, in the Reichstag, alleged that German prisoners in Franco were ill-treated and forced to work in tho shell fire zone. He declared that his offer to negotiate was unanswered, therefore ho announced reprisals. It is officially explained in London that France replied to tho German Note refuting tho accusation.'; and oij fering on a reciprocal basis to permit the American Embassy to visit prisoners, and to refrain from employing prisoners in tho fire Bono. Germany did not reply to this note. Documents show thai tho Germans first compelled the j French prisoners to work within the ■ range of the French guns. Her pre- j ent. threat of reprisals is evidently in- j tended to cover her owu misdeeds.

POTATOES. SHORTAGE IN BRITAIN. AvMtfftliftii »nd N.2. Cfcbls A»«ocidtioß, (Received March 5. 1.30 p.m.) LONDON. March 4. Tho potato crisis is unabated. Many markets, including Covcnt Garden, arc almost without supplies. Retailers in many towns have restricted purchases to the smallest quantities.

CLERGY AND THE WAR. STATEMENT BY DEFENCE MINISTER. [Pan Pbws Association.} AUCKLAND, March o. Sir James Allen says that, as far as the Defence Department is concerned it is not its desire to compel clergymen who are averse to combatant duties to go into the firing line. In the cases of two Roman Catholic students who recently were drawn in the ballot and whose appeals were dismissed, the Military Service Board recommeded that they lie given lion-combatant work. That, recommendation will bo respected, and the same course will be followed in all cases in which the clergymen who are called up prefer non-combatant to combatant work. Already in the noncombatant section at Awapuni camp there are three clergymen—Anglican, Presbyterian and Methodist.

RETURNEQJiOLDIERS, ARRIVAL IN AUCKLAND. [Pbb Pnass Aisociatxow.] AUCKLAND, March 5A. hospital ship arrived last night with 538 officers and men. Two days out from England she picked up a, lifeboat containing twelve n.en from the steamer Brookwooa, sunk five days earlier by a German submarine. On February 13 Private F. T. Bowell, of the Medical Corps, whose parents reside in Auckland, died ahd. was buried at sea. , The returned soldiers were officially welcomed this morning by Sir James I Allen, who presented four medals won i by members of the Expeditionary Force, ! Gunner R. Fleming, ot Devonport, Ixeinjj i»b© only. Jjae of the quwiet- alive*.

| THE TWENTIETHS. SECOND DETAOTMEXT ARBIVTB. [Pee Press Association.] AUCKLAND, March a. Sir Jamos AI lon has boon advised tlisvt the second section of the Tvroutiei'h Reinforcements lias arrived' safely at its destination.

| 29TH REIMSEBTS. I THE SHORTAGE. ! NO VOLUNTEERS FROM NORTH CANTERBURY. [Pki: ' Pre«s Association]. WELLINGTON. .Afarch o. The national shortage for the Twent) ninth Reinforcements, which mobilise-i I May, is 1501. The ballot for 4003 nam*; is now proceeding The Bay of Plenty escapes the bnllo for the third time. North Canterbury failed to supply on voluntary recruit.-.

MILITARY SERVICE. OTAGO APPEALS. (P*E PKSBS Absocu Trios.} D'FXKDIX, March r>. A sitting of the First Ota go Military Service Board was held to-day. It was decided in two cases. those of a jeweller and wartchmaEor and a farmer, to refer them to the National j Efficiency Board for a report. 1 L AN R'XTRAORDTX ARY POSITION. IH'NKDfX. March •">. , Before the Military Service Board Stevenson and Cook appealed on be- ' half of three, engineers' apprentices, " Harkneps, Green and ]>ingweil. It was ; stated that these men had left ?hr» ' firm'* employ and voluntarily enlisted. They were essentia] workers us long ;v----transport work was being done, at Port; Chalmers. The beard derided to recommend to the' camp commandant, that extended leave should bo granted, to the men to enable them to return to their work. On the hoard giving its decision, Green said be would rein he to return. Stevenson and (,'ook asked it the soldier could bo compelled to do civilian work. Green, who £.*s-)d he spoke for 'the other irx'n as well, appealed to the military representative, who advise*! him to go into camp and settle the matter rv it I: the commandant.

THE SEW ZEIffiBEBS, I complimented on thkih WORK. | (Special from me New Zealand Official War Correspondent.). [P*w Frjbs Association.) FRANCE March I. Tho Army Commander paid a special visit to inspect tho Auckland Battalion thai, carried out the recent raid, and complimented the men on their success. He said ho was more than satisfied with the result achieved. He also congratulated the division generally upon tho manner in which during tlio winter months it had carried oub raids and minor operations, adding that ho felt sure that whenever the Germans found New ZoAlaridcrs opposed to them ihey knew they were in lor a lively time. The division had the fullest confidence of the corps and army commanders under whom it had served. Re was quite sure it would carry out whatever it was called upon to do in the same spirit as that in which it performed its Inst- operations, large or sir, a 11.

A FALLEN SOLDIER. HONOURS WON BY A NEW ZEALAND HERO. [PBR PftF.HS ASSOCIATION] TE TvUTTT, March 5. A military parade was held at To Kuit' for the presentation of medals. Three hundred 'lorntomb paraded, and then> were about a thousand spectators. . T , Sir James Allen presented 1. rrost. or Te Kuita, with the French decoration of the Croix do Ouen-o and tho Distinguished Conduct, Medal awarded to the hue Se.ry;ejrit-ma.jor Frost, who was killed itf the, Sommo offensive Tho Minister gavo a stirring address. I He referred to the Territorial system as the primary school at which tho lessons were learned that enabled men to accomplish deeds similar to Frost's. It was a unique honour for him to have to present such distinguished medals, and while there was a .sad side to the presentation, tho lesson of solf-sacriii.ee by the lato ofheer was one. the nation as a whole could pro lit by.