WESTERN FRONT.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 15 August 1917, Page 5

WESTERN FRONT.

! RAIDING IN FLANDERS. GERMAN LINES PENETRATED. Received. 11.35 LONDON, August 14. Sir Douglas Haig reports that the British made raids northwards of Gouzeaucourt and eastward of Vermelles. We repulsed a raiu uorttiward of Rouex. The enemy's artillery is active between Ypres and Lombaertzyde. A fresh communique thates that artilery on both sides is active in Belgium. Reconnaisance parties penetratedthe German lines at different points •northwest of Rheims. FRENCH MAKE GOOD PROGRESS. LONDON, August 13. A French communique says:—Artillery duels continue very lively. Attempts to eject us from the trenches, captured south of Ailles were repulsed. We appreciably progressed to the eastward. , BIG GUNS AIRCRAFT LONDON, August 13. Sir Douglas Haig reports.—There is increased hostile artillery fire southward of the Arras Cambrai road also in the Nieuport sector. The enemy aircraft is aggressive. We downed seventeen and seven of ours are missing. GERMAN COMMUNIQUE SUCCESSES CLAIMED EVERYWHERE ■ i LONDON, August 13. Admiralty wireless: German official —We repulsed strong French attacks north of the Laon Soissons road and south-west of Ailles. , Our aviators, attacking the English bombed with good effect military works at Southend and Margate. One aeroplanes is missing. We extended our gains southward of the Trotusul valley and captured Panciu, overcoming a desperate defence. We repulsed attacks between Buzeu and the Danube. Our adversaries lost in July thirty four balloons and 213 aeroplanes. We lost sixty aeroplanes. TRAINLOADS OF GERMAN WOUNDED' AMSTERDAM, Aug. 13. The British fire was intense during the week-end, and windows rattled day and night in the south of Hollana Trainloads of wounded are traversing Belgium, arid the hospitals at Ghent, Bruges and Brussels are full. Reinforcements, including youths of 18, are arriving to fill the gaps. A regiments of B'avarians at Blankenberg suffered grievously at Westhoek. Only SO were not wounded. TO FORCE THE Dx\RDANELLES. ANOTHER ATTEMPT PREDICTED.

ROME, August 14. The Idea Nazionale reports a lively panic in onstantinople following reports that a British fleet, supported by land forces and a powerful air squadron, is about to resume operations to force the passage of the Dardanelles. THE POPE AND PEACE. PROPOSALS RENEWED. Received 8.45 ROME, August 14. Tho Pope has renewed proposals for peace.

BRITISH POLITICS . HENDERSON'S EXPLANATION. . LAME AND IMPOTENT. WHINE ABOUT TREATMENT. LONDON, August 13. In the House of Commons, to-day Mr. Arthur Henderson, speaking from the Labour benches, said that he intended to speak at length owing to the unprecedented dangerous Press campaign anent his position in the Cabinet and his actions at the Labour Conference. It would be almost impossible to find a precedent in the history of Ministerial resignation for the conduct of the Premier and his colleagues during the week-end. He received the first intimation of the acceptance of his resignaton from the newspapers, though he was still working at the War, Cabinet's office. Mr. Lloyd George, after conferences wtih members of Cabinet, informed him that his position as sectary' of the Labour party was incompatible with a seat in the Cabinet. He chose to retain the former post, and lie only wished Ma Lloyd George had emulated the character and spirit of his (Mr. Henderson's) letter of resignation.)

MR. HENDERSON'S RESIGNATION. SPEECH IN HOUSE OF COMMONS. MR. HENDERSON'S VERSION. LONDON, August 13. In the House of Commons, Mr. Henderson, speaking from the Labour benches, said he intended to speak lengthily owing to the unprecedented and dangerous Press campaign anent his position in the Cabinet, and his actions at the Labour Conference. It would be almost impossible to find a precedent in the history of Ministerial resignations for the conduct of the Premier and his colleagues during the weekend. He received the first intimation, of the acceptance of his resignation from the newspapers, though he was still working in the War Cabinet's Office. Mr. Lloyd George, after the Conference's decision, said his position as secretary of the Labour Party was incompatible with his Cabinetship, and he chose the former. He only wished Mr Lloyd George had emulated the character and spirit of his letter of re-' signation. The full story regarding the Stockholm Conference could not be told at present. He would wait the time when it, would be possible, to state all the facts without injury to the national interests, but the press attacks had foi> him to deal with certain events regardless of the consequences. He advised the Labour Party on the 25th June to accept the invitation to Stockholm The day before his departure he wired the Labour Party's decision to Mr. Lloyd George, who was then in Paris. Mr. Lloyd George, and his colleagues stood convicted of having intimated to the House that the arrangements for the Paris visit were made without their knowledge. Mr. Lloyd George.interjected: The only wire I received said you were coming to Paris with the Russian delegates and Mr. Ramsay MacDonald. Mr. Bonar Law also interposed that Mr. Henderson's colleagues gave no intimation of his intention to visit Paris until the arrangements were made and they clearly expressed their disapproval of the visit.

Mr. Henderson replied: That does not alter the fact that the Cabinet at a special meeting discussed the visit. Proceeding, he said he announced at that meeting the Labour executive's' decision to recommend the acceptance of the Stockholm invitation. The opinion in the Cabinet was sharply divided. All his colleagues were opposed to him. He offered to resign. He explained to Mr. Lloyd George his opinion regarding a consultative conference at Stockholm. After his return, from Paris, Mr. Lloyd George invited him to a special Cabinet meeting. He was kept waiting outside a full hour and then Mr. Barnes was sent out to make a statement. He (Mr. Henderson) said to fMr. Barnes, "Do not do business in this way," and he added that he was either a member of the Cabinet or not. If he were, then he would talk to the Cabinet. Mr. Barnes conveyed his message, and Mr. Henderson was admitted to the room. Mr. Lloyd George explained that he had been kept waiting out of regard to his personal feelings. He protested at the treatment, and complained he had not been given an opportunity to state in the Cabinet his reasons in favour of accepting the Stockholm invitation. The Cabinet had already received the law officers' advice against participation, and he suggested the immediate announcement thereof if the Government proposed to act on it. He also said he would resign if the Cabinet acted on it. The other Labour Ministers considered a Labour conference should not be fettered by the law officer's advice, Mr. Henderson denied that he had been requested to announce the Government's position to Friday's conference and said lie would have resigned, first. Mr. Lloyd George, in a letter, said i

i he were committed to the Stockholm S Conference he ought to have resigned, : His speech on Friday was simply an impartial statement of the Labour, exe--1 cutive 'S view. He spoke as a Labour secretary, and he contended that he gave the Conference a correct summary of the Russian Government's position. He had been censured for not stating that the Russian Government was opposed to a mandatory conference. He impressed that upon the conference. If a telegram had been received from Kerensky on Friday he had not received it, but while waiting in the Premier's secretary's room, after the close of the conference, he was told that Kerensky, in his telegram, disassociated himself from the Stockholm Conference. He had received the letter from Mr Lloyd George on Friday, when quitting the platform. Mr. Henderson explained that he did not read Mr. Lloyd George's letter to the Conference because he had already informed the Conference that Russia's' position regarding the Stockholm had been notified. "Cabinet was aware," he continued, "that I resolutely favoured the Stockholm Conference. Mr. Lloyd George's letter suggests that I should have resigned knowing the adverse view of my colleagues. If I had resigned before the Conference the vote in favour of the Stockholm Conference would have been larger, enabling it to be said that it was not a vote on the merits, but on Mr. Henderson's resignation.

MR. LLOYD GEORGE'S REPLY. LONDON, August 13. Mr Lloyd George said he did not intend to reply to the trivialities comprising three-quarters of Mr. Henderson's speech. All the members of the Cabinet understood that Mr. Henderson had changed his mind and intended to strongly oppose the Stockholm Conference and state the Government's position. If Mr- Henderson had done the latter, he would have greatly influenced the Labour Conference, against the Stockholm Conference. Replying to Mr. Snowdcn, Mr. Lloyd George refused to state whom it was wrote the telegram received on Friday. His letter to Mr. Henderson on Friday was sent in good time should have reached him in good time. At all events Mr. Henderson could have read it to the Conference before the vote was taken, and it would have made a substantial difference in the voting of •the vast majority of the conference. Nothing was more fatal than such a conference with the enemy at the very moment when the Russians' \first step towards the restoration of discipline was to prevent the fraternisation of the armies at the front. The EnglishFrench and Italian and American Governments were agreed upon that and decided that peace terms, if discussed must be discussed by the representatives of the whole nation. He was the last man to disparage Labour's powers, but Labour was not the whole people. When peace came to be made it must be made by the nation as a whole. Britain would not be doing her duty to her allies, especially Russia, if she concentrated (contemplated) a sectional peace.

STOCKHOLM CONFERENCE. THE CONFERENCE BLOCKED SWEDISH GOVERNMENT'S OBJECTION Received 8.45 STOCKHOLM, August 14. An endeavour will possibly be made to hold a Socialist Conference at Christiania or some other Scandinavian city, as the authorities at Stockholm are declining to grant use of a hall for the conference. DUTCH EGGS HELD UP AWAITING GERMAN GOLD Received 8.45 AMSTERDAM, August 14. Millions of Dutch eggs arc delayed on the frontier, exporters refusing to despatch them to Germany in the absence of payment in gold. IN CHINA CHINA DECLARES WAR Reeevcd 8.45. PEKING, August 14, China has finally decided to declare war on Germany and Austria simultaneously. TAXATION IN ENGLAND LONDON, August 14 The War Loan Bill was put through committee. Mr Bonar Law stated that the pre-war taxation yielded 40 millions. In 1917 the yield was 570' millions, mainly froir> direct taxation. The Government had tried to get the utmost of taxation without destroying the power of mancing by loans. Tno r>ros r rr )' ,--„s intended to meet debts incprv?".