The Chronicle PUBLISHED DAILY. LEVIN. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1915. THE WAR.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 11 February 1915, Page 2

The Chronicle PUBLISHED DAILY. LEVIN. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1915. THE WAR.

The news from the western ami 'ms „ been scrappy for a fortnight. It would j he interesting to know just what the position i&- beyond Niuuuort now that i the Allies have obtained a footing on , the great dune. Niouport should no t I longer be in the zone of the German artillery fire, and by this time it should he possible for the Allies to work '-he mouth of the Vser with small boats and barges, giving then another sale line of communication for bringing up supplies. Hitherto, it seems the wholo of this work has had to be done by land over a route that is partially flooded. The news regarding other portions of the front is equally scrappy. That there has been very severe fighting iu the neighbourhood of La Bassee is evident from British communiques, but it is probable that tin's fighting has been passed over in the French reports, except on those occasions when the battle resulted in a substantial dvanoe. A little artillery work on the Aisne and some close trench fighting in Champagne are about all the French efficials arc able to report. That this is not the whole story, may lie gatuerel indirectly. The German official report mentions that before tbe Kaiser departed for the eastern front he telegraphed I

his congratulations to the troops that 3md stormed the heights of Craonne. It is curious, if nothing more, that Craonne hn.s not lately been mentioned in the Paris communiques. Craonne is rigbt on the edge of the high ground beyond the Aisne. and it stands on a small p!ntrian for the possession ,>f which tliei-o has been persistent fightinosinoc the middle of September. " Fortune has favoured first one side ,md thou the other in these encounters. ,ut tor some time past the French appeared to have firmly established themselves on the heights. The German -„_ port suggests that the coveted pla.te.an has once more changed bands, and f that is the case the exchanges in tfca last month have been distinctly in f,he German favour. Tt is quite' possible of course that the Kaiser's telegram ■eferred to the action of a fortnight a-o-o ' and indeed it is difficult to bejieve that fighting of the importance and severity that would be involved in the Oorrnim capture of Oraonne would be quite overlooked in the French communiques.