NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

Taihape Daily Times, 10 September 1918, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

SHIPPING WAR RISKS. COMPENSATION SCHEME DEMANDED. WELLINGTON, Sept 9. The Merchant Service Guild to-Gay resolved that, owing to the present war risks, the Merchant Service Guild demands that all ships’ articles he endorsed before the Ist of October with conditions of an Imperial compensation scheme, and that companies be held responsible for dependents in the interval of time occupied in fixing up business alter an accident. /

BURGLARS IN AUCKLAND. ■ ANOTHER SAFE EXPLODED. I * [With four entries to their credit within the past few weeks, the Sykes fraternity added another to , the list during the week-end, this time the business premses of the Electric Construction Co., of N.Z., in the heart of the city, falling to their exploits. The premises, which, are situated in. High Street were entered through . folding doors at main entrance. A lock which served to hold both doors in position ' was wrenched off and direct access given to the passage from which all the offices have entrance. In one of these, placed rather conspicuously in j a corner, underneath a desk, stood I the safe. This engaged the attention of ; the intruders, for this morning it was j found to have been operated on with a i charge of gelignite, which while suffi--1 eiently strong enough to jam the lock i failed to open the consents to the j spoilers. Enclosed in the safe was £2O j in cash and a number of cheques. Sov- | eral small cheques in an open cashbox were passed over by the burglars.

LABOUR MATTERS. THE COST OF LIVING QUESTION*. AUSTRALIAN SLAUGHTERMEN. WELLINGTON, this day. The Trades and Labour Council, as a result of.a letter from the New Zealand Locomotive Engineers and Firemen’s Association has decided to convene a conference of Trade Union rep. resentatives next week to discuss the question of the cost of living. The locomotive mbn point out the necesashing the Government to check: the ever-increasing cost of the necessaries of life. The New Zealand Freezers’ Union views unfavourably the advent of Australians to take the place of conscripted New Zealanders in slaughtering and other branches of the freezing industry. The Union has resoiutioned that Australians should not be employed in future in freezing works. While New Zealanders have to leave their families and take up military service their places are often being filled by single men from Australia under safe conduct and a guarantee they will be exempt from military law for six months. A case was cited of an Australian having a contract in fellmongery, earning ’£22 fortnightly. The man he brought with him earned £l2 a fortnight. When his permit had nearly expired the first man sent for a relative in Australia, and the latter came and carried on the work while the man went back to Australa, avoiding liability for military service. Now he is coming back at the beginning of the new season to take up the job kept warm by his relative on a six months’ permit. Titus no New Zealander is able to secure this profitable job.

NEW SEAL ANDERS ’ PURSUIT OS FLEEING FGE. New Zealand Headquarters, Sept. 3, “This morning I really lived.” The words were spoken by one of our fighting brigadiers in . headquarters under a bank hear a broken village, into which ho had just moved. He was referring to the hurried retreat of the enemy away beyond Haplincourt and Bertincourt, in the direction of the famous Hindenburg line. The long limbed New Zealanders were i chasing them, eager to get in contact again. The Germans had had enough of this severe fighting, and had taken to their heels. The back of resistance in this sector was broken yesterday when at 1 a.m. this brigadier’s men —South Islanders advanced in conjunction, with the troops on both flanks under a magnificent barrage. Both officers and men said they had never seen a better barrage. As a result of this the Otago and Canterbury men went right through the Hun positions with slight casualties, taking over a hundred and fifty prisoners and twentyfive machine-guns. They estimates that they killed about a hundred.

Between two and three in the afternoon machine-gun fire was directed on our new position from the edge of the wood, south of Haplincourt, but the artillery was turned on to these t»nemy iufe'chin/-gunncrs,| and their 1 firing ceased. Later, about 9.30 the enemy fired f.2’s on to our trenches. That was his final effort tvith artillery and later the Otagos and Canterburya added further to their toll of prisoners.

ENEMY DUMPS GO UP IN SMOKE,

All yesterday we could see dumps going up in smoke and there were fires well behind his line. At night the sky was aglow with them. At break of dawn this morning our gallant men pushed on again. The Boche had gone from Haplincourt and the New Zealanders streamed through the wockieil village like a pack of hounds. hot upon the scent. In the morning some of us went across the battlefield, and where the Otagos fought so splendidly we found the ground liTtered with German dead. They were lying about their hastily-dug machine-gun positions, at the entrance to their dugouts and in old huts left by the British in the last German push and since occupied by Germans. Retribution swift and sure had overtaken enemy here. All about were rifles, maehineguns, ammunition and equipment hurriedly vacated tw T o days ago. It was furnished with old beds and bedding left by the British in their last retreat. Two wounded Germans still on stretchers w r erc loft behind. There was even a sorely wounded German on the operating table. Nearby were the graves of Germans recently buried.

SEPTEMBER 5,

Early this morning the enemy could be seen trekking away to safer ground There was no artillery fire coming back from the German guns, but our own artillery was quickly on the move following up the retreat. The infantry, pushing on, reached Bcrtincourt, pushed through it and on the further outskirts of the vilage again got in touch with the enemy. They had marched 7000 yards a magnificent feat for troops that had been in battle all the previous day. Before noon the brigadier and his staff were riding forward to the new headquarters. In the afternoon' the Now Zealand PrcJP representatives, who had arrived -• at Divisional Headquarters, were able to go over yesterday’s batlefield and get a glimpse of war as few, if any, civilian visitors have obtained of the western front. They were able to push on to the fringes of Bortin -ourt, to see villages well behind the German lines, and to watch tlie enemy’s shells bursting over positions taken up by their stalwart countrymen. ARTILLERY DEALS WITH THE MACHINE-GUNS.

Fresh Otago and Canterbury troops continued the advance to-day. They got through the little village of Euyaulcourt without opposition, and pushed on in front of the big Havrincourt Mood. At intervals they met with slight machinc-gun opposition, but this was dealt with by our artillery and they continued the advance. They were opposed by a new reserve division that was rushed, down from Ivcmmcl. During those stirring days headquarters are continually on the move seldom staying more than- two or three days in one place. Our artillery followed close on the heels of the infantry, and have been doing splendid Svork getting their ammunition up by horse transport. They have even taken supplies well forward on their guns under the enemy’s machine-gun fire. To-day there has been little fighting.

September 5. Last evening Otago troops still pushing forward, assisted in the capture of the little village of Bourjonval and took twenty-five prisoners. To-day other troops from the same district rushed cast of the same village, taking trenches and capturing between sixty and seventy prisoners.