CONSTANTINE AND NEUTRALITY

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 200, 21 September 1916, Page 5

CONSTANTINE AND NEUTRALITY

I MORE ATROCITIES. I A BARBAROUS AND REVOLTING ■ ; STOEY. I INCREDIBLE FIENDISH CRUELTY. I (Received 9.15.) I NEW YORK, Sept. 20. I A most barbarous and revolting I story has been published of the TurkI ish atrocities against Armenians. It I was printed by the “New Tork I Times,” which is in full possession of I photographs and original documents. I The faculty of the German High I School at Aleppo, in Turkey, lodged a I protest with the German Foreign I Office, wherein it was stated: “We I feel it our duty to draw the attention I of the Foreign Office to the fact that I it was impossible to carry in the school I work unless Germany ends the brutaliI ties being inflicted here on the exeiled I wives and children of murdered arI menians. Owing to the horrible I scenes daily near the school, our work I is absolutely valueless. Girls, boys* I and women, practically naked, lie on I the ground amid coffins waiting to reI ceive them. ' Of three thousand healthy I peasant women, driven here from UpI per Armenia, only fifty are left. They I axe reduced to' skeletons. The goodI looking ones, were decimated by the I vice of the gaolers, and the ugly ones I victimised by beatings, hunger and I thirst; those lining the, water’s edge I were not allowed to drink. The EuroI peans are prohibited from distributing Jread, and over one hundred corpses re taken daily from Aleppo. All this ■" is witnessed by high Turkish officials. I reduced to skeletons, are I' lying in a heap near the school; they I are practically insane, and have forI gotten how to eat. The natives dcI dare that the Germans arc responI sible, and educated Turks and Arabs I shake their heads sorrowfully when I they see brutal soldiers drag through I the town pregnant women, whom the} I beat with cudgels. The scenes we I have witnessed are degrading to manI kind, and' unless stopped, will be a I terrible stain on Germany’s honour I for generations to come.” I Dr. Graetner, in an accompanying letter,, says this is not only a massacre, but an attempt to exterminate the Armenians in Turkey. Talaat Bey’s officials cynically admitted this to the German consul. Of eighteen thousand Armenians driven out of Charput and Sivas, only 3po reached Aleppo. Many of those were driven to the Syrian Steppes, where the survivors spend a miserable existence. There have been seen many corpses floating down the Euphrates or lying on the steppe. With few exceptions the Germans’ witness these things imperturbably, saying they afraid to interfere lest they offend 1 ttie Turks. at Urfa, seeing the fate of their compatriots, refused to leave the town, whereupon Count Wolf Von Wolfskel ordered a bombardment. After a thousand Armenians had surrendered, he hadn’t power to prevent all being massacred. _ the cheese output. BE COMMANDEERED. LONDON, Sept. 20. The British Government’s intentions regarding cheese have not yet been announced, but there is a growing impression that the Government is likely to take over all arrivals of Australian, New Zealand, and Canadian, and. possibly also the Home output. 100,000 MEN NEEDED. A GOOD OUTLOOK. SYDNEY, Sept. 19. •' The Hon. W. H. Hughes, in the course of his Town Hall speech, stated that- they required 100,000 men to maintain reinforcements until the end ; of ■ Wuly, when, he believed, if the }■'■ penjli& proved resolute, a decisive vie- - tory Would bo in sight. To meet this - demand they had 152,000 fit single men without dependents, besides numerous exemptions, and others classed as engaged on industrial aecSfeities. -y

AN ULTIMATUM TO GERMANY SERVIANS PUNISHING BULGARS SEVERELY THEM FROM MCNASTIR ROUMANIAN SUCCESSES IN DOBRUDJA a fierce battle still racing RUSSIANS THROW BACK GERMANS DESPERATE FIGHTING ROUNDrHALICZ

■ - J..V ' DENMARK MAY COME IN. HOPES FOR STOLEN TERRITORY. BULGARIA WANTS SEPARATE PEACE. NEW YORK, Sept. 20. The New York “Globe” gives great prominence to a message from Paris that Denmark may enter the war with the Allies to recover the Danish portion of Schleswig-Holstein. The ‘Globe’ also says that Bulgaria has made overtures for a separate peace. Great Britain was willing, but Russia declined, saying that she proposes to make peace with Bulgaria in Sofia. BRITISH SHIP TORPEDOED. TWO AMERICANS WERE ABOARD. (Received 11.20) WASHINGTON, Sept. 20. The American Consul-General in London reports that two Americans were amonfe; the crew of the British steamer Strathgay, torpedoed in the English Channel on September 6th by a German submarine. DECLARATION BY THE POPE. \ ■ :: . ( ‘ ” ■ • ; . - AT THE NOVEMBER CONSISTORY. ON WAR AND PEACE. (Received 11.20) ROME, Sept. 20. The United Press learns that the Pope intends to make an important declaration on the war, and the ; prospects of peace, at the Consistory in November, when several new cardinals will be created. , Italy has informed the Vatican that she does not object to Austro-German cardinals attending the Consistory. .ANGLO-FRENCH CO-OPERATION. ITS GREAT MORAL VALUE. ALLIES SWIFTLY MOVING TO VICTORY. LONDON, Sept. 20. A statement from' an authoritative source points out the great moral value of the perfected co-operation of the ’Anglo-French army on the Somme between July Ist and Sept. Sth, 53 Gorman divisions were engaged, whereof :28 have been withdrawn quite broken. Eleven., others have been withdrawn, and the rest are under the Allies’ artillery fire and infantry pressure. The average life of a German division as a fit unit is about 19 days. Over two new German divisions have been brought to the front lino weekly since the end of June, and replaced those shattered and exhausted. The figures show, even more than the ground Avon, how steadily and sAviftly the Allies are moving towards the accomplishment of their chief strategic aim, Avhich is the destruction as a fighting force of the enemy’s armies in the field. Of '53 divisions, 28 Avcre used wholly against the British and twenty Avholly used against the French,- and later against the British. On September Bth seven German divisions Avero facing each of the Allied armies_ The comrade armies thus -evenly shared the burdens and achievements of the struggle. If one shows more ground Avon, the other may claim larger forces annihilated. In any case, neither army seeks separate glory in the tremendous conflict, which the German general staff describes as the decisive battle of the Avar. THE DEUTSCHLAND SUBMARINE. FOB THE KAISER’S FLIGHT. (Received 9.4.0.) * AMSTERDAM, Sept. 20. It is reported that a court martial at Sirasburg. punished a German for saying that submarines of the Deutschland type were built merely for the purpose of enabling trie Kaiser and Crown Prince to flee to America, ,

GERMANY’S GROWING EXHAUSTION. TREMENDOUS SOMME LOSSES. LONDON, Sept. 20. The “Westminster Gazette’s” military expert says: The 29 divisions Avhieh Sir Douglas Haig reports to have been Avithdrawn exhausted represent 550,000 fighters. At least twothirds of the effectives must have been lost before the Germans retired a single division. Therefore the enemy’s losses on the British front must have been about 370,000 since .July Ist. Probably the Germans lost another 150,000 on the French front of the Somme.. The limit of German endurance must be drawing near. THE HUNS OUT-HUNNED. ORGIES OF SCIENTIFIC SLAUGHTER. GERMAN CORRESPONDENT’S LAMENT. LONDON, Sept. 20. The war correspondent of the “Frankfurter Zeitiing’’ says: The Somme offensive is most terrible. There is continuous fighting. The enemy only pauses to hastily prepare new attacks, his crushing artillery and infantry superiority, indulging in perfectly horrible orgies of modern scientific destruction. German soldiers arc fighting in hell, making the most gigantic sacrifices for the Fatherland. Hoav long can this slaughter last The correspondent points out that the enemy is immensely strong, Avhilc Germany is compelled to hold, the whole of the west front, the greater part of the east front, and to support her Allies in the Carpathians, Transylvania, Dobrudja, and Turkey. THE DOBRUDJA CAMPAIGN. RUSSO-ROUMANIAN SUCCESS ’ ENEMY POSITION CRITICAL. BUCHAREST, Sept. 20. Skilful Russo-Roumanian strategic movements in the Dobrugja resulted in such shortening of the rront that the enemy position is critical. The arrival of reinforcements has improved the situation. A battle is imminent. Hitherto there has been only minor actions resulting in our favour. Latest reports indicate that Mackensen is increasingly pressing the RussoRoumanians twelve miles from the Constanza railway. BULGARIA’S HANDS FORCED. i LONDON, Sept. 19. Mr Bouchier, cabling from Bucharest, states that Mackensen initiated the Dobrugja offensive before Bulgaria had decided to declare Avar againstRoumariia. It is probable that Berlin instructed him to compromise Bulgaria at the earliest moment, as Bulgarian parties had expressed a desire to maintain friendly relations. Bulgar ian aviators dropped manifestoes declaring that Bulgaria was favourable to Roumanian occupation of Transylvania. Roumania did not desire to fight Bulgaria. ROUMANIANS DEFEAT AUSTRIANS. AT MERISOR DEFILE. A TWO DAYS ’ BATTLE. (Received 9.40.) LONDON, Sept. 20. Bra inn, reporting from Transylvania, states that Austro-Hungarians fiercely resisted the Roumanians at Merisor defile. In a two days’ battle positions were repeatedly taken and retaken, and the Roumanians were ultimately , victorious. SUNK IN THE DANUBE LONDON, Sept. 20. A Bucharest communique says. On the southern front, Danube artillery sunk several troop boats. * FIGHTING IN GALICIA. DESPERATE BATTLE NEAR HALICZ FIGHTING RAGES FOR THREE DAYS. GERMANS FORCED TO RETREATPETROGRAD, Sept. 19. The poverty in the information in Russian communiques indicates the importance of the desperate battle in the Halicz region. The Russians, since Saturday, have been engaged in a general attack on the Austrc-Ger-man trenches. Several villages, hills and woods were taken and retaken ajgsain and again before the Germans fell back. The fiercest fighting took place on the banks of the Narinvka. The Germans, instead of awaiting the Russian infantry, threw their troops against the Russian lines. The attack ended in a. retreat. The Russians pursued until the enemy’s first line had been captured and consolidated.

FRANCE LOOKING AHEAD DYES AND CHEMICAL PRODUCTION. PARIS, Sept. 20. A national company is projected to manufacture dye and chemical products. The Government guarantees the company the use of the new war factories after the war, reserving power to order the manufacture of explosives and chemicals. A commercial understanding has also been completed between similar British and Italian concerns. THEY DON’T LIKE THEM. A GERMAN CRITICISM. ROTTERDAM, Sept. 20. The “Berliner Tageblatt” says England’s boasted armoured autos were invented because of the enemy’s terror of the German machine guns. THE GREEK .CRISIS. THE KIDNAPPED ARMY CORPS. ATHENS, Sept. 20. The newspaper “Imbros ” states that Greece has demanded that Germany shall promptly return the Kavalla army corps with arms and munitions. ALLIES SPURN THE TRAITOR. LONDON, Sept. 20. Mr Jeffries, at Athens, reports that the newspaper “Patras” announces officially that the Allies will no longer seek the co-operation of Greece. CONSTANTINE AGAIN. TALKS OF AN ULTIMATUM, i BEING SENT TO GERMANY. WILL DEPART FROM NEUTRALITY. (Received 11.50.) ATHENS, Sept. 20. King Constantine, the Premier, and the Foreign Minister, after examining the, situation,/ decided on principle to depart, from neutrality. With a view to allaying Entente distrust, an ultimatum to Germany regarding the interned army corps is spoken of. A BULGAR COMMUNIQUE. BIG BATTLE PROGRESSING. (Received 11,.p0.) AMSTERDAM, Sept. 20. 'A Bulgarian communique states that There is a great battle . progressing in the Dobrudja. A communique states that on the Caucasus front there is nothing of importance. ■ 'W; ROUMANIA REPORTS SUCCESSES^ IN THE DOBRUDJA FIGHTING. (Received 11.50.) i BUCHAREST, Sept 20. A communique announces Roumanian successes in the region of Enigla, Dobrudja, 19 miles south of the Constanza railway, and at Chernavoda. BULGARS EVACUATING MONASTIR ATHENS, Sept. 20. The Allies are within six miles of Monastir, which the Bulgarians arc evacuating, abandoning guns and ammunition. BULGARS FLEE BEFORE SERVIANS. SALONIKA, Sept. 20. Mr Jefferies, telegraphing from Athens on Tuesday, says the French have captured the ■ hills around Fiorina, taking many prisoners and quantities of munitions. The enemy are fleeing to Viglusa, preparing defences between the Dig marshes and Mt Barid on. SERVIA FOR SERVIANS. / . A BIG' TURNING MOVEMENT. SERBIANS NEARING MONASTIR, SALONIKA, Sept. 20. Servian cavalry are advancing towards Rosua. Mr Ward Price, at Salonika, says the Servian, Russian, and. French armies are making a great turning movement, wheeling from Fiorina north-westerly towards Monastir, Latest reports are that the Servians are fourteen miles from Monastir. ■ : I. , AIR RAIDS ON VENICE. ROME, Sept. 20. The Pope ?.ias written to the Patriarch of Venice deploring the Austrian air Raids'.

GERMAN RIOTS. CAUSED BY SOMME LOSSES. (Received 11.50.) AMSTERDAM, Sept. 20. Serious rioting took place at Chemnitz as the result of an announcement that many Chemnitz workmen had been killed on the Somme. Hussars and infantry charged the rioters, and continuous street lighting resulted in 40 being killed and 300 being arrested. Five Hussars were killed and 14 injured. THE GERMAN CROWN PRINCE. AMSTERDAM, Sept. 19. The Kaiser conferred the Oak Leaves (“Potir Le Merits”) on the Crown Prince. The latter, in announcing) the honour to the troops at Verdun, said: “Seldom in history,have such great things been accomplished by a single army. It required utter contempt for death, the boldest daring in attacks, and persistence in retaining gains.” TWO STEAMERS SUNK. LONDON, Sept. 20. The steamers Dewa and Lord Tregegar have been sunk. The latter was bound from New York to Bombay. BRIBERY PROSECUTIONS. (Received 11.50) LONDON, Sept. 20. Mr Lloyd George is making important changes in the Army clothing department, as a result of bribery prosecution# .