ENEMY'S OFFENSIVE FAILS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 80, 28 December 1917, Page 7

ENEMY'S OFFENSIVE FAILS

i FEARFUL SLAUGHTER OF. AUSTRIANS THE IUSMEMAN CONFERENCE NEGOTIATIONS LIKELY TO BE BROKEN OFF It is anAounced that Sir Jtohn Jellicoe has resigned the position of First Sea !Lord of the Admiralty, to be succeeded by Rear-Admiral Sir Rosslyn SVemysß. Sir Jolno Jellicoe has been raised to the Peerage in recognition of his very distinguished services, and his appointment to another important position is foreshadowed. A heavy snowfall is reported in Italy, and it lis considered that the enemy's latest offensive, whiioh has entailed'vary heavy sacrifices, has railed. The Germans are (seeking to postpone peace negotiations with Russia, and x it is that the negotiations will break down. The enemy, it is stated, is passing huge forces on the southern section of the Russian front. 1 —i ■ THE STRUGGLE ON THE ASIAGO PLATEAU ENEOT OFFENSIVE CONSIDERED TO HAVE FAILED HEAVtY SNOWFALL THROUGHOUT ITALY Sy Teleer&Dh-Prelss Association-Copyright \(Rec. December 27, 5.5 p.m.) London, December 26. An Italian officSal report states: "The struggle on tho Asiago Plateau recommenced at dawai yesterday. The enemy is concentrated between Col del Rosso and Val Frenzela Maise. Hie is unable to advance beyond Sassoo. Wo recaptured Col del. Rosso and Mointe val Bella, but were unable to retain them. Our barrage checked the attack on the. loft bank of the Brenta River."—Aus.-N.Z. frable Assn.-Rieuter. FEARFUL SLAUGHTER OF AUSTRIANS 20,000 SACRIFICED USELESSLY ON CHRISTMAS EVE. (Rec. December 27, 8.25 p.m.) London, December 26. A wireless message from Rome says that snow is falling abundantly throughout Italy. Fielld-Marshal Conrad vou Hoetzendorff's offensive on the Asiago Plateau is considered to have failed._ The latest attacks wero fatal for the Austrians. Hoetzendorff marched, his troops not to attack, but to slaughter under showctrs of shells from hundreds of Italian guns. Approximately 20,000 wero saurificed uselessly on Oliristmas Eve. The impression created has been disastrous, even at tho Vatican, where such a 1 crime was unexpected from very C&vtholic Austria.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. GERMAN OFFICIAL REPORT. London, December 26. A' German official report states: "Violent Italian counter-attacks at tho Col del Rosso broke down: with heavy losses."—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.Reuter. RUSSO-GERMAIK CONFERENCE POSTPONED NEGOTIATIONS LIKELY TO BE BROKEN OFF GERMANS ADVERSE 'JTO A GENERAL PEACE < DISCUSSION (Rec. Decomber 27, 8.25 p.m.) Potrograd, December 26. The Germans have asked fho Leninites to postpone the peace negotiations until January 24. It is generally expected that the Germans at Brest Litovsk will absolutely refuse to discuss a general peace, and the negotiations will thus quickly break off.—lAus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. . ■' • * ~ • • ..'- t ,o ... •■' I '':■"■,.'' ' . COMMISSION TO ARRANGE EXCHANGE OF PRISONERS. (Rec. December 28, 1 a,.m.) 1 Amsterdam, December 27. Tho Gorman commission prbvided by the armistice is proceeding to Petrograd to arrange an exchange of icivilian and unfit war prisoners and the restoration of Russo-Gcrman rekvtions within defined ligiits.—Router. HUGE FORCE OF AU„STRiD-GERMANS ON SOUTH-WESTERN , '; FRONT. (Rec. December 27, 8.25 p.m.) Petrograd, December 26. The Austro-Germans have concentrated a huge force on the south-west-ern front. The German commanders confiscated the entire issues of the newspaper "Torch," which commissaries were distributing amongst the German troops. The commanders decline to allow the agitation of their ar-mies.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. .

THE DISLOCATION OF INDUSTRIES '•\ ■ i . THOUGHT-PRODUCING 1 SYSTEM OF RUSSiIA IN ABEYANCE. (Rec. December 27, 5.5 p.m.) London, December 26. ' Mr. Harold "Williams, telegraphing from Petrograd on December 25, states that tho People's Comjmissaries are forming a new calendar, abolishing the Christmas and Easter of the Gregorian calendar. The new system will be introduced on January 6u Thousands of former officers who have been degraded from the Army 'have formed a working union, and are unloading trucks at railway stations, and earning twenty roubles a day.. The Government lias evicted from the official quarters the Civil Servants who are striking against Leninism, and is arresting the leaders. The suppression of the newspapers has caused the linajority of the journalists to be idle. An army of municipal employees is vritlioufc work, and professors, lawyers, and notaries aro idle. The whole tlhought-prodiicing system of Russia is in abey-ance.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assnj. TRANS-SItBERIAN RAILWAY SEVERED. Pelting, December 26. The Traiis-Sibprian railwiiy has been severed near Irkutsk, where the Bolsheviki destroyed the locomotive sheds, round-houses, and workshops.— Renter. THE ENTRY OF CHINESE TROOPS INTO HARBIN, (Rcc. December 27, 8.25 p.m.) Pctrograd, December 26. Trotsky has ordered tho immediate arrest of tho persons who invited Chinese troops "to enter Har'bin.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. A NEW RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT ESTABLISHED N (Recj December 28, 1 a.m.) ; Vancouver, December 27. The Russian Consul at So/tttlo has been advised by cable, via India, of the establishment of a new Russi tin Government at Voronezh, on_ the Azov Sea. It is believed the leaders are lhembere of the. Kerensky Provisional Government who fled from Petrograd.f-Reuter.