OFFICIAL NEWS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2240, 28 August 1914, Page 6

OFFICIAL NEWS

PRIME MINISTER'S BUDGET

The Prime Minister yesterday ed tho following cablegrams from the High Commissioner: — , , London, August' 26, 5,5 p.m. Oflicial.—The Allies aro awaiting the German attack in a now position. During tlio last three days' battle tho enemy has Buffered tremendous losses. There is no news of the situation between Sedan and Nancy. Tho French have again taken tho offensive in Lorraine; they are evacuating Alsace and concentrating elsewhere. Tho . French have reinforced the. British at Mons. • . Tho; Russian advance is unchecked. ■ Austria .has declared war against Japan. Mr. Asquith, in the House of Commons, said that it was not proposed to establish national service. i . Tho German attack in force on the [ southern frontier last Tuesday was repulsed all along the line. [■ • 'London, August 27,12.10 a.m. , Reliable.—Four Russian, armies are invading Germany and Austria, the first in Eastern Prussia, the second in the direction of Posen, tho third in Western _ Galicia, and the fourth in Eastern Galicia. The Russians. have occupied Kopilstza and Tarnapol. 1 : Official.—Togoland has surrendered unconditionally. -• ' • . -

TAKING OF TOGOLAND

| / GERMANS SURRENDER. \ , London, August 26. Mr. Lewis parcourt, Secretary of State for the has received a message from the British commander stating that the German wireless station in German Togoland was destroyed, and that the German force offered to capitulate if allowed all the honours of war. • The British 'commander has replied that,the garrison must surrender. The Germans' reply is expected to-mor-row. $

, • Later. Official.—German Togoland ■ has been surrendered unconditionally to .the British. . Allied forces will enter. Kamina, Togoland, to-morrow. Commander Bryant said the British always respected private property, and there would be as little interference as possible with trade or private interests.

| _ Togoland lies between the Gold Coast Colony on, the west and Dahomey on the east, and was proclaimed a German protectorate in 1884. It is the smalleat of German, colonies, but the only one which exists without State aid'. It inc'udes Little Popo and Porto Seguro. The coast-line is only 32 miles long, but inland:the protectorate widens considerably. ; The area is 33,660 sq. miles, and the population 1,500,000,' of whom only about 360 are Europeans. The chief exports are palm oil, gum, and ivory.; Cotton is .being grown with very satisfactory ■ results. There are a few miles of railway in the Protectorate.

SLUMP IN SECURITIES

; DECLINE, OF' £187,992,000. (Rec. -August 27, 10.50 p.m.) London, August 27, morning. The "Baukerei'. Magazine" (London) states that during the. ten days prior to the closing of the Stock. Exchange on July 80, the 387 representative stocks deprecated £187,992,000, and British funds* show a loss for the month oI, ( £44,000,000; foreign Government securities £47,000,000. ■, .

BALKAN SITUATION

■GREECE AND TURKISH ATTACK. ' London, August 26. : It ;is .reported in Athens that in the event of Bulgaria and Turkey attacking Servia- and Greece, the Entente would warmly support the latter States.— ("Times," and-'Sydney "Sun" Services,)

STRANDED AMERICANS

. .. .j 'Washington, August 26. Owing/to the, regular steamship sailings. from France and Great Britain the Marine Department finds it unnecessary to charter special , vessels for th<s transport of stranded . Americans from En™™ ,j ; • ■ . , ■ ■ The United States has abandoned the proposal that belligerents should regard as neutrals ships chartered to convey Americans home.

A NOVEL PROCESSION

LOCALLY MADE ARMY WAGONS PARADE THE STREETS A good deal of excitement was caused . in the city between noon and 2 p.m. on Wednesday by an invasion from Pet-one. Some three weeks ago an' order was •suddenly received at the Petone Railway Workshops to . supply 24 ammunition wagons, and 68 limbered wagons ■were also needed for the Expeditionary Force. Not; being used to this typo of vehicle, and with only three weeks todo the work, it was a case of "speed up" for the .Empire, and so very enthusiastically and loyally did the men of the workshops respond that by .Tuesday the order was oomploted. Then one of tho boilermakers suggested that-by parading. Wellington with the. wagons .a good sum might bo raised for tho Patriotic Fund. The idea caught on. Tbe proposal went through Mr. C. T. Bargh (works manager) to Mr. G. A. Richardson (chief local engineer), and from him it was sent on to the district manager, who recommended it to tho favour of the general manager (Mr. B. H. Hiley). An-answer in the affirmative set the machinery in motion. It was decided that the whole of the workshops' staff should turn out, with a quarter of tho number of wagons that had been made. At one day's notice Mr. Roes Williams (one of the hands) painted a banner, taking Mr. R. Caton Woodville's heroic trooper as his cen•tral figure. Others rigged up flagstaflrs and made flagpoles, and still another section made a number of collection boxes (brightly emblazoned with the colours of tho Allies). The staff worked up till -10 a.m. yesterday, and then entrained for Kaiwarra,'where a procession was formed. At the Lambton-Station a full brass band from Petone put in an appearance, and on the. stroke of twelve (noon) tho curious cavalcade entered tho city. Crowds lined the footpaths along , the Quay, Willis, Manners, Cuba, and Vivian Streets. Thence it turned down Kent Terrace and followed Courtenay Place, dispersing finally near the Glasgow Wharf, where the wagons had to be deposited, for shipment. _ The limbered Some of the war vehicles supported banners with strange devices, .such, as "From Petone to Potsdam," "Not Made in .Germany," and such subtle aphorisms. ' Botween_soo and 600 men and lads took part in the procession, which was headed by Mr. G. A. Richardson (engineer) and.Mr. C. T. Bargh (manager). Along the route tho monoy-boxes jingled appeo!lingly, and some of tho men carried a huge New Zealand ensign, into which coin of overy denomination was--thrown; Others had canvas bags at the,end of long poles to collect money from -those on, balooniea and windows, j