NEW ZEALAND NEWS

Taihape Daily Times, 7 August 1918, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND NEWS

THOSE GERMAN BELLS. NOT MADE FROM GUNS. CHRISTCHURCH, August G The throe German bells supposed to have been cast from French cannon taken at Sedan in 1870 were molted dow to-day by the instructions of the 1 Government. The ingots arc being stored for shipment to France. The three bells weighed just short of IS cwt. and examination by experts showed they medc of bell metal, not gun metal. j LOST OVERBOARD. I WELLINGTON, August G. | John Burnett, aged 3G, scuileryman on the Mararoa, while emptying rubbish last evening during the trip from Lyttelton to Wellington, fell overboard and was drowned. A boat was lowered, and an hour’s’ search was made, but no trace of the man was found. THE COAL MINES. STATE OWNERSHIP SUGGESTED. CHRISTCHURCH, August 6. Hiram Hunter, secretary of the New Zealand Federatien of Labour, in the course of a letter to Sir James Allen in connection with the coal mines cHspute, says: “I desire, on behalf of organised labour in New Zealand, to make an urgent appeal to the Govern- ! ment to immediately take over control of the coal mines in New Zea. land. I make this appeal because we are of opinion that the coal-mine owners should not be allowed to precipitate an industrial conflict, which will cause an immense amount of suffering to innocent people, loss financially to all classes/*

AUSTRIAN NAVY. EFFECT ON THE BLACK SEA POSITION. (By H. C. Ferraby, in the Daily Express.) The Italian Navy has not given the Austrians much rest this year. One attack after another has been launched against Pola, Cattaro, and Durazzo, and the latest demonstration, of the offensive spirit has considerable importance. The Italian torpedoboats attacked an Austro-Hungarian battle squadron near the Dalmatian Islands and succeeded in torpedoing two of the enemy Dreadnoughts, one with two torpedoes. This means a severe crippling of the Austrian fighting strength at sea for some time to come. When war broke out she bad two completed Dread- | noughts and two more building, with, j three older battleships that could be ■ classed as fit to lie in the line. There 1 were also siiVmuch older and slower craft, whose use was questionable against the combined Frehch and Ital. ian squadrons. . • A' month ago Liq.ujt.-Commander Pelligrini made his way into Pola harbour in a hew Italian ““sea tank,” and his signals sent up after two explosions had been heard meant that he had torpedoed a battleship of Dreadnought type. Now two more have been put out of action for some t!m®, and the Austrian Navy will have to depend on its prc-Dreadnoughts if it wants to undertake any operations. This has a bearing on the position in the Black Sea. There, as I have < pointed out before, the Germans are likely to get hold of an effective fighting force that formerly belonged to the Russians. This, added to the Goeben and any other Turkish craft that may be seaworthy, could create a most unpleasant diversion for us in the Eastern Mediterranean if it sailed forth at such time as the Austrians showed fight in the Adiatic. The French and Italian forces would he tied to the Straits of Otranto by the threat from Pola, and one of the other allies would have to deal “with the ' amorphous Turco-German-Russian squadron from the Black Sea. The temporary removal from the fighting line of three of Austria’s Dreadnoughts oases the situation greatly, and the daring Italian officers in their .mosquito craft who have achieved these successes deserve the thanks of all the allies. -FINAL GALLIPOLI ATTACK. i , .< ( THIRD ANNIVERSARY. i .. ' . This week is the third anniversary to the final’ effort of the British forces to carry the Turkish defences on Gallipoli and take the Narrows. The attack,* which was commenced on August (5, 1915. by the Australians on the right of the Anzac position, synchronised with the Suvla Bay landing. By nightfall the Australians had carried the strong Lone Pine position. The second phase of the battle was the attack by the New Zealanders—mounted rifles, infantry, and Maoris —and some Indian troops, which was opened on August S agaist the natural fortifications on the left. Position after position was carried until finally, although at great cost, the crest of the Chunuk Bair was won, and the remnant of the force had a glimpse of the Narrows. After three days and nights of the sternest fighting, the colonials were relieved by a part of the Suvla Bay force, but sqon after the Turks launched a counter-attack by overwhelmingly numbers, and regained the crest, which was never again recovered, When withdrawn soon afterwards, the New Zealand Mounted Brigade could muster little,more than 200 men.