INTERESTING DETAILS

Hokitika Guardian, 31 March 1917, Page 2

INTERESTING DETAILS

The British Advance London, March 29 The most smnzlng spectacle of the British advance is the manner in which roads and railways cieep nr> under the hands of myriads of workers, and the promptitude with which guns and munitions ere brought, up. It is most, disconcerting to the Germans. Tee latter have abandoned much munitions and supplies, but the wices and cigars found in the dugouts are regarded with suspicion after long experience of the Hans’ dark ways. Officers oa the front state that the difficulty of bringing up gun*, is immense ; the smallest, requiring 20 horses , but the Petit Parision’s cotrespondent characterises the pursuit as a pursuit of gunfire. The infantry is used most economically, whilst the cavalry is reserved for the surer work hereafter. Mr Bsaoh Thomas, the Daily Mu I correspondent, Bays that it is difficult to avoid trampling' the bodies and limbs of ths dead Germans. The heavy rain is uncovering numerous dead which the enemy lightly and hurriedly buried in order to coocaal his losses. Our padres labored incessantly a few hundred yards from the German lines reading burial prayers for friends and foes alike. Mr Bsaoh Thomas says that all the heavy German guns have gone far

back. Rearguard actions are few, and at least 300 villages have been burnt to cinders. Artists in thievery despatched the loot to Germany. Not a ohickcm or dog is left. Our oavalry accompanied the airmen seven miles behind the trenches, which were held Btrongly yesterday. To the south the airmen saw the British and French cavalry join up and ride together to the environs of Neale. They were cheered by a relic of inhabitants. The Lancers, Yeomen and Light Horse are patrolling the country. Intelligence officers cycieri furiously for miles beyond Bapanme. The infantry dashed forward, hilarious with joy, sometimes without food. The o ily hard fight was in the streets of Bapaume. All tha German

machine-gunners were killed sav9 one, who was taken prisoner. An airman at Peronce used his machine-gua on a • troop of German horsemen, routing them and killing two. Tha destruction of Paronne is not thorough. It stilt remains a town. Bapauiue does not. An archipelago of beautiful villages is going up in emcke and flames throughout the country to the east. The artillery fire has ceased oa both sideß. Despite the excellence of new German aeroplanes all the scouting * 1-., —— , inhabitants are returning to the districts evacuated. There was never a moment when the French were more

furious against the German habits of cold, logical pluud&r and destruction. Thr German papers are laboriously explaining away tha reUeit. A Munich paper declares that tha Germans still hold tho initiative, as they can attack or retreat when they like. “ Hiudeuburg pursues his way undisturbed, leading our troops forward or backward, but certainly to victory.”^ Rsuier’s Paris correspondent says that affecting Boeues followed the entry of tbe.French into ths.reconquered town?, the inhabitants joyfully acclaiming them as liberators. Noyon was intact. Before tho war it bad C.OCO inhabitants, now it has 10,000 as the Germans concentrated the vil- , lagers from the neighbourhood in the town. The general entering Noyon was General Favoile, distinguished in the Somme offensive and head of the Sixth Army.

Reconstruction of RussiaLondon, March ‘2B The Times correspondent at Moscow states that 14 Duma commissaries have gone tc all the cities of the Empire, with a view to weiiding the whole country end to entrust Zemstvo municipal specialists with control of supplies, Satisfactory prices have been fixed at one-third the rates prior to the revolution. If the railways are not disturbed it is expected that the horrors of famine will be averted. The popular cry for the election of officials has been taken up by some of the railway men, who are proceeding to eleot their own boards of director^. The Turkish Rout. London, March 30 , Newspapers are giviDg prominence to the route of 20,000 Turks in Palestine and describe the new crusade as likely to result in driving the Turks out of Palestine during iha summer. General Murray is building a railway as he advance?. Along the tea coast the fleet is protecting tho army’s flanks. Already ihe Turkish position on the iJier-Sbeba railway is untenable. Newspapers suggest Britain ia likely to hold thia 50 miles wide of a highway into Egypt after the war, and allow the Jews to return to Palestine. Disgusted with America New lork, March 30 Austen Hoey, whose mother and lister were drowned in the Laconia, >as foresworn bis American citizanihip and the British Army be* lause his demand to President Wilson ;o avenge bis relatives’ murder revived no reply to his cablegram.