WESTERN FRONT.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 11 May 1917, Page 5

WESTERN FRONT.

FIGHTING TOWARDS ST. QUENTIN

..HEAVY GERMAN CASUALTIES... LONDON, May 9. Marshal Haig states that during the local fighting in the neighbourhood of Bullecouxt a party of the enemy attempting to advance in the open were caught by machine-gun fire and suffered heavy casualties. There is considerable reciprocal activity at intervals north-westwards of St. Quentiu and in the neighbourhood of Bullecourt, Wancourt and Arleaux. CANADIANS DO GREAT WORK. ENGLISH INFANTRY VACATE DEATH-TRAP. LONDON, May 10. Mr Philip Gibbs pays a high eulogy to the Canadians for capturing and holding Fresnoy. The Germans held Achcville to the north and Oppy to the south, so that Fresnoy jutted out like a square bastion in the enemy line. The Canadians had to fo.rm defensive flanks against the Germans for several days. Strong counter thrusts on each side finally brought the German Guards to Achevillc and Oppy, while the fifteenth reserve division were stationed before Fresnoy. The Canadians had been relieved before the Germans in dense column formation charged like a battering ram upon the South County English lads holding Fresnoy. The Englishmen held on, despite a frightful fire served from machine-guns, to the last. It was impossible to avoid occasional set-backs now that the Germans hud decided to give battle.

FRENCH TRIBUTE TO BRITISH CANDOUR.

PARIS, May 9

"Le Petit Journal" pays a tribute to British frankness in admitting a setback at Fresnoy, which is less important owing to the British maintaining all their positions south-westward, and north-eastward. Therefore the Germans at Fresnoy will find it difficult to hold the salient.

GERMAN COMMUNIQUE

LONDON, May 9

A wireless German official message states: The Bavarian regiments which stormed Fresnoy held the village against counter-ataeks. We have repulsed the British advances on Roeux and Bullecourt. We repulsed the French after a hand-to-hand struggle between Winterburg and on the Corbeny-Bcrry au Bac road. We repulsed the Russians northward of Kirlibaba and southward of the Valcputna road. The enemy attacked at numerous points between Lake Prespa and Lake Doiran. Repeated assaults were heavily .repulsed after the bitterest fighting on the Cerna salient. FIGHTING SEVERE AND CONTINUOUS. STILL HOLDING GAP, IN HINDENB'U.RG LINE, , Received 11.10. LONDON, May 10. General Haig reports that fighting at Bullecourt is severe and continuous. We progressed despite the enemy's repeated costly, fruitless efforts to shake our hold on his positions in the advanced line eastward of~Gricourt, southward of Souchez river. At the latter place we captured a portion of the German front support lines. French communique: The enemy at night attempted infantry reactions at various points at Chemin des Dames, all of which were broken down. Minor operations enabled us to extend our gains on the northern slopes of Vauelere plateau, where Ave took prisoners belonging to fresh divisions recently arrived. , An artillery duel continued fairly lively in all these sectors.

FRENCH PROGRESS.

LONDON, May 10, High Commissioner reports:

French official. —At Chemin des Dames several enemy counter-attacks failed under our fire. In the region of Chevreux Rompt Enin counter-at-tacks also failed. We further progressed, taking a fortified point d'apui, prisonering and capturing machine guns. At Vauclere plateau we carried the slopes in detail, the operation enabling us to improve our positions. ON THE SEA. THE DESTROYER FIGHT. HONOURS CONFERRED. Received 10.20. LONDON, May 10. Among the honours for the naval action described on April 25, the Distinguished Service Order and promotion to captain has been conferred on Commander Evans; the Distinguished Service Medal on Stoker Charles Williams, of the N.Z. Naval Reserve.

BRITISH POLITICS STRONG STATEMENT BY BONAR LAW. GREAT DECREASE IN CASUALTIES. LONDON, May 9. In the. House of Commons, Mr. Bonar Law, referring to the West front, said the rapidity of our attack forestalled the enemy, who had to fight in the open with heavy losses, before the trenches, which he had not had time to prepare. Since the first of April we had taken 20,000 prisoners, 257 guns and 227 trench mortars. While in the first twenty-four days of the Somme advance we advanced 3£> miles on a six-mile front, we had now i advanced 2 1-5 (?) miles on a twentymile front from where we were. We had twice as many Gorman divisions against us as there were on the Somme, and half of them had to be withdrawn. Our casualties in the present offensive were from fifty to sev-enty-five per centum less than on the Somme. Our success was largely due to our distant artillery superiority. If we wished to realise how much had been done on the Western Front, let us picture our feelings if in the same period as was occupied by the E'attle of Arras we had lost 20,000 prisoners and the number of guns the Germans had lost. In explaining the apparent increase in the cost of the war, which he said was the sum of thirty million sterling during the period under review and which could not be regarded as real expenditure as the expenses of the Dominions' Governments were paid here, and were reimbursed by the Dominions' Governments in April. We paid out, but we did not receive. There was, therefore, no reason to suppose the Budget estimates of expenditure for the year would not be approximately correct.

LLOYD GEORGE SUMMARISES MILITARY SITUATION.

TRIBUTE TO GENERAL MAUDE

LONDON, May 10

In the House of Commons Mr. Lloyd George, in dealing with , the Mesopotamia success, said that no small part of the credit was due to* the.work of the General Staff at Home, which had made the arrangements. Part of the credit was also due to the splendid courage and' ardour of the .troops, but much .of the credit was due to General Maude, who had shown military ability of the highest order. Reverting to the operations on the West front, Mr. Lloyd George said it was inevitable that progress should be slow. One of the most .encouraging features of the battle, however, was the almost hysterical German communiques about imaginary victories, which they issued in order to keep up the courage of their peoples. The desire of the enemy—indeed the feeling of necessity on his part—-to prevent our advance, was shown by the extreme violence of his counter-attacks, one whereof last night resulted in our losing a position we had taken. But, regrettable as that was, this was only an "incident" in the kind of fighting that was now going ion. When we consider the original enemy artillery superiority, and how absolutely destitute we were of munitions, we had the right to be proud of our present distinct superiority over the enemy in these respects, and that superiority was also shown by cur airmen, who are the eyes of our long range guns.

AFTERiWAR CONDITIONS OUTLINED. LONDON, May 9. Mr. Lloyd George's speech to the Labour Party's deputation has now been published. He stated that the war afforded an unrivalled opportunity for the reconstruction of the economic conditions, as the whole of society was in a molten state. He said: "You can stamp upon it almost anything you like, provided you act firmly and determinedly. There is no time to lose. The country will be prepared for better things immediately after the war than when it is in a normal condition and the clash of selfish interests is resumed. Unless the present opportunity is seized it may pass. I believe that after the war the process of settlement will succeed in proportion to its audacity, if every class insists upon returning to the pre-war methods, you will get a really new world." BONAR LAW'S EMPHATIC EXPLANATIONS. LONDON, May 10. In the House of Commons, Mr. Dillon complained that the country was not being told the whole truth about the operations in Syria and Salonika. The position in Greece was going from bad to worse. He said "Le Temps" newspaper had accused the British Government of standing behind King Constantine and preventing adequate support being given to Venizelos.

Mr. Bonar Law said Mr. Dillon's statement that we had bullied Roumania into the war at the instigation of pro-German Russians, was a cock-and-bull story. He did not think any intelligent man would have repeated such an utterly unfounded statement. Regarding King Constantine, this was equally untrue. The Allies could not add to the number of their enemies by using troops to effect a revolution in Greece and put Venizelos in command.

GENERAL CABLES

ENGINEERING STRIKE SETTLED

NEED FOR DRASTIC ACTION

LONDON, May 9

In the House of Commons, Mr. Bonar Law stated that the Rochdale strikers hud returned to work. He admitted that there was still a considerable amount of unrest in certain sections of the engineering trade but the Government was satisfied that the trouble was mainly due to the activities of a number of men desiring to upset the authority of the trade unions. The great majority of strikers did not know why they were striking. Any action against those who were responsible for interference in the out put of the munitions which were so urgently needed must be taken without delay.

MUNITION-MAKERS' LOYALTY

APPRECIATION FROM MARSHAL

HAIG.

LONDON, May 9

Press Bureau: Marshal Sir Douglas Haig has written to the Minister for Munitions expressing the Army's appreciation of the workers' efforts, as shown by the supply of guns, rifles, ammunition, aircraft and tanks used in the recent operations. He says we can rely upon-the workers to ensure that the' Army will lack nothing in the future. The 'reduction of the number of "premature" cartridges proves that in their'manufacture and filling the inspection has reached a high standard. TRIBAL RAID IN INDIA. CONVOY ATTACKED AND MASSACRED. SIMLA, May 10. Mahsud tribesmen attacked a convoy between Nilikaeh and Khajurikach. Two British and two native officers and fifty-six Sepoys were killed. The Dorajat forces have«inee been strengthened. The militia and Gurkhas dispersed the raiders with losses. . .. AN INTERESTING CASE.

COMMONER SUED BY NATURALISED GERMAN.

LONDON, May 9

At the King's Bench, Mr. Gruban (details of whose cas.e.were. cabled on the 17th January) is suing Mr Handel Booth, a Commoner, for damages for depriving him of his business connection with Haigh and Gruban, of Oldham, whereof the plaintiff is chairman. The latter's counsel stated that the plaintiff was of German birth, and was naturalised after the war. Mr. Booth acquired his client's financial interest in the business without cost and by deliberate fraud, threatening him with internment and the deprivation of his property unless he handed it over lo the defendants. The defence denies the allegations.