THE WAR

Levin Daily Chronicle, 1 March 1917, Page 3

THE WAR

(AustraLa-New Scalane Cable Service) | BRITISH ADVANCE. London, .February 27. Sir Douglas Haig reports:— Our advance has been . maintained on both banks of the Ancre and extends on a eleven mile front eastward of Guedecourt to southward of Gommncourt to a depth of two [miles. We have occupied the Butte de Warlencourt and the villages of Warlencourt, Eaucourt, I'ys and GYliraumont and have reached the outskirts of Le Barque, Irles, and Puisseauxaumont.

We repulsed with loss an attack on a British post southward of the Somme.

We successfully; raided trenches in the neighbourhood of Arras, Monchaubois and Loos.

(Received This Day 8 a.m.) THE .MESOPOTAMIA CAMPAIGN. London, 'February 28. The High Commissioner reports: — Official.—Our close pursuit of the enemy was steadily maintained on Monday. We engaged the enemy in the afternoon, on the left of the Tigris, 30. miles north-west of Kut, the enemy fleeing and abandoning quantities of material. They thew many guns into the' river including five 4.9 in. howitzers which the British gunboat Firefly lost in the (retreat from Ctesiphon. One Turkish ship was captured and another sunk.

(Received This Day 8.30 a.m.) NATIONAL SERVICE BILL. London, .February 28. In the House of Commons on the debate on the National 'Service Bill, many members Purged the necessity for an amendment clearly preventing application iof compulsion in aniy farm. The Government have submitted an amendment in this form since which it was finally adopted: preventing compulsory service and preventing the transfer of labor from one industry to another. By an Order-in-Council on the Defence of the Realm Regulation the House of Commons refused to omit Ireland from the scheme. The Bill has passed the committee stage.

TORPEDOED. Amsterdam, Feb. 28. Seven Dutch steamers, which were torpedoed were insured in Holland chiefly ,by German >at eighty guineas per cent. English underwriters had quoted ten guineas wad- risk from Falmouth to (Holland, but the owners declined. THE AUSTRIAN WAY. Amsterdam, Feb. 28. The Austrians executed 150 Bosnia(who 'declared (themselves Serbians) including members of Pailiiament, clergy, teachers and doctors. (Received This Day 9.15 a.m.) SEATS IN THE COMMONS London, iFebruary 28. The Government has allotted the High Commissioners permanent seats in the House of Commons, behind the Ambassadors' benches. DRUNK IN LONDON. London, February 28.

Lieut. Malcolm Pastley, a New Zealander, pleaded guilty before a courtmairbial to charges of drunkenness and resisting the military police on the evening of February 17th, after having attended an officers' entertainment at Buckingham Palace. He enlisted with the New Zealanders in England, and served faithfully in the Dardanelles. Sentence was deferred. BRITISH ADVANCES. Philip Gibbs, telegraphing on 27th February, said: —Our troops still have advanced all along the line to positions whencc the enemy are withdrawing. "We are meeting with resistance here and there from bodies of men left behind with machine guns in order to delay the pursuit, llhjere is outpost lighting in the neighbourhood of Vaux Wood and Hossignol Wood. East of Gommecouxt the enemy's guns pub loveir a shrapnel barrage, but did not succeed lin checking our men for long. We captured ground in -Northern Puisieux. Thus far, Puisieux has not been heavily bombarded. Many ruined houses still stand, • forming good cover for the enemy's machine guns. Apparently lie is determined to sell the place as dearly as possible. Early on the 27th February a party of Brit, ishers established themselves securely in a corner of the village, and now are routing the hornets' nest from Puisieux. Thence our line is thrust out far beyond Miraumont and Beauregard. The enemy before retiring ■ built many obstacles. The wire en- ! tanglements in some places are thick and unbroken,' particularly in the trenches south of the low part of the I wood. In one case the 'outpoists found belts of wire twelve feet thick, with German gunners hidden on the other side. Heavy explosions were heard in the direction of Bapaume, where there 'has been great destruction in order to hamper our entry.

THE TWOPENNY POST. ■London, February 28. The Morning Post is increasing its price to twopence. PORTIA'S OPPORTUNITY. The House of Lords has read a second time the Women Solicitors Bill. NEW ZEALANDER KILLED. London, -Feb. 28. Second-Lieut. F. G. Russell, of the Flying Corps, formerly of the New Zealand Mounted Rifles, was killed while flying. His brother (L. D. Russell), educated at Wanganui Col-

legiate School, was killed while aeroplaning in Sept. 1916. The surviving brother, Lieut. H. B. Russell, is a flying corps prisoner in Germany. THE LAOOMA. New York, Feb. 28. Austin Hoy has cabled to President •'Wilson demanding that the deaths of his mother and sister be avenged, and requesting the privilege of being the first to volunteer for the American army. He adds that the offer is not mock heroics, but as an American business man he cannot expect other Americans to offer their 'lives to avenge the Laconia outrage unless ho does.

U.S. AMBASSADOR. Madrid, February 28. ■Mr Gerard and a party of forty, in addition to newspaper correspondents and American refugees from Germany, have embarked. Mr Gerard states that he is immensely pleased with the reception given him in Spain, including that of the King, the Government and the populace. 'Before he left Germany many mysterious "warmings were addressed to him on the subject

of his homeward voyage. He decided to ignore the warnings, though obviously they were most seriously nieeant. The vessel carries \I7OO Spanish immigrants to Cuba.

BELGIAN DEPORTATIONS. iNtew York, Feb. 28. The New York Times's Bordeaux correspondent interviewed the American Consul to Belgium, who returned with Mr Gerard. He writes that the most significant statement made was as to the Belgian deportations. These were the greatest horror of the war, and when the real reason for the

deportation _ was iknown, which was not the case now, the whole world would shudder with horror. THE [GERMAN DEFEAT. ■ Paris, February 28. . The Petit Journal states that the retreating Germans blew up a number of large-calibre, guns; in fact the Germans abandoned .strong positions and stopped on a mediocre line. This indicates a forced retreat, not a strategic operation. GREEK MUTINY. .Lausanne, February 2S. During the recent mutiny in the Greek internment camp, Gorlitz's soldiers accused Hatzoppoulos of having betrayed them in having promised their return to Greece via Monastir, instead of which they were deported to German}'. Hatzoppoulos, fearing consequences left the district.

(Received This Day 10.30 a.m.) GERMAN: POISON-GAS. . Petrograd,'Feb. 28. The newspaper Novoe Vremya publishes an appalling story of the use of German poison gas, exterminating the entire population of a Galician village. The populace and the Russian troops posted in the village barely had time to put on masks before the attack was launched. The Russians readily repulsed this, but' the civilians were wiped out. Women were driven mad by terror at the sight of the oncoming greenish -vapour, ; bringing death, and they killed children with their own hands to save them from torture. Some took refuge in the church, but the fatal cloud killed them. Russian soldiers returning after the fight were confronted ,by a ghastly spectacle. The bodies of men, women and children were found in attitudes testifying to the unspeakable sufferings the victims had undergone. MR GERARD DEFIES GERMAN WARNING. Madrid, February 28. Mr Gerard sailed from Corunna in the Infant Isabel, although he was specially warned by Berlin not to embark on a Spanish ship. GERMANY AND CHINA.

Pekin, February 28. 'Germans are making an effort to prevent a rupture' with China. They unsucessfully attempted to distribute substantial bribes, and offered to wipe out financial claims.