WAR IN THE FAR EAST.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 42, 23 February 1904, Page 3

WAR IN THE FAR EAST.

THE CENSOR'S WORK. PORT ARTHUR PREPARED FOR A PROTRACTED INVESMENT. A BRITISH VESSEL CHASED. 0 SENSATIONAL RUMOURS AND THEIR EFFECT A VEILED THREAT AGAINST INDIA. ANOTHER ARMAGEDDON. (Unitetf Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.)

Events Day by Day. THE I'UESS CENSORSHIP. IjONDON, Feb. 21. Rigid censorship is l>eing maintained, alwl there is no war news. War corres(>oiKlents are still at Tokio, not a single permit having been granted. READY O'HIXESE SOLDIERS. LONDON, Fob. 21, Central Ma telegraphs to Pekin that he has great difficulty in restraining his troops at Hsin-nim-ting from crossing the Liao River and atitiaukiilg the. Russians at Mukden. THE WEAKNESS OF THII SI- ] BEIUAN RAILWAY. ' A VALUABLE CAPTURE. LONDON, Feb. 21. The Yiedomosti, a leading Russian journal, publishes a remark- ' able Irank commumejue, stating that the Silx-JNtin i-iiilway cannot be guarded, tlmt there are few troops at Prince Alexiell's disposal, while tiiw concent ijat'ion of a sulßcient number will take three months. 111 rejjaixl to the Port Arthur disaster, it says that the Japanese torpedoers were attached for ycMrs., an<l the watchers grew tiiwi. It l-Micuiea tl« idea ol' the nation losing its self-control over small *iatters whill much larger are prUlJable. The New ■> ork Herald states that the eargo of tlie steamer Manchurian, captured by the Japanese, included one i*imlrefl quick-brers and inuclnlyibniiite and ammunition. BAIKAL DISASTER MODIFIED. A CAPTURE BY COSSACKS. LONDON, Feb. 21. Tlie L*ak« Baikal disaster has been reduced to a. troop train, 'dashing into a snowdrift. 'lhere werw several casualties. Cossacks at Wi-ju capUired a Japanese major and live soleiiers. AMERICAN PRECAUTION'S, LONDON, Feb. 21. Admiral Evans, admiral in comimand of the United States Asiatic fearing a rising 'in China has advised that lifteen hundred marines !>-' held in reu-diness in the Philippines. RUSSIAN SICK AM. ,U)UNDED FUND. LONDON, Feb. 21. Funds in aid of Russian sick and wounde-d have been started in Eng*land. . . . Later Newei NEW RUSSIAN COMMANDEK-IN-CH'IEF, BESIEGED PORT ARTHUR. AC'JKVITY AT A FRENCH ARSENAL. (Roceivefl feb. 22, 10.20 p. 111.) LOXDON, Feb. 22. General Kuiopatkin has resigned his portfolio as Minister for War, and has Ijccii gazetted ConunanderinrChiet' of the- Russian iorces in Manchui'ia. Port Arthur is accumulating provisions, aibd tlie gairison professes its ahilil.v to withstand a two years' siege. A Russian battleship, several cruisers and a dozen destroyers are stili at Jibutil. Tlie authorities at Tokio aro much conceme-d lest they snould be allowed to coal event (tally. It is rc|*>rti'.i that there is activity at Chei-bourg arsenal. Tori>tdo- . boats and submarines ure daily ex- ■ ercising, aaul t'l.e mines at the en.trance to the harbour ate Ix-ing •ovei'hauled. AN OCEAN LINER CHASED. HOW RUSSIAN WARSHIPS MAY COAL. LOXDON, Feb. 22. 'The Peninsular steamer Moiugolia, tjutwaed bound to Australia, 011 Saturday encountered a battleshij) and four destroyers in the Red Sea, 400 miles north of Aden. The mail steamer was fruitlessly chaseid, 40 the belief that she was a Japan- 1 itse vesjel. When signalled the Monk Tolia stopped ami satisfied her jiurs 'l.'i's that a mistako had lx?en made, 'pi, e officer in command of the aq u adron lx>g'gt<l to be e.\cus«d. fft.d w reports that a collier is lying 1 * .8 Reel Sea island with coals for h ships. " IN TI <K E VENT OF COMPLICATIONS." CANADTA. V MIUTIA STRENGTHEsm (Received. Feb. 22. 10.26 p.m.) <<TrAB'A, Feb. 22. The Domifciioff Government Ititends ! to increase the ffiiJitia to ono blind- j rei l thoius and—rcmderinK it possible to lnobilieo Sixty thousand men (juicklv in thf event of coinplications prising from the j»Hitiom in tto Far JEaat. «. -. .

| Tlie Latest. SOME SENSATIONAL RlitOlIHS. j EFFECTS OX 'CHANGE. VEILED THREATS AGAINST IXi) lA. COMMA XI >EF.RI X G CARTS AT MI'KDRK. (Received Feb. 22, U'.•' p-tli ) LONDON', Fcl). 22. Summational rtimoti] s are afloat I ifcigtyesting till' t,'iiibroilmc*nt ol' neutral i'owvrs, ami t tomliimd with a re-action from tlie previous optimiMii, have ca,u;\ J a s;'e\ere panic on the I'aris Bourse. Rentes it'll to 5)3.55. Russian .set'ulilies (ell rather lees l'.t'avily, as the Russian Government .supported them. liunng tlie past fortnight securities on tile French market have (lepieciati J forty millions sterling. The Kieti' military ' stall declares that the ai mil's oi the Caucutus a nil Turkestan are to he iinmediatel.s mobilised. Tlvis is regaiiJal an a veiKxl threat against India. ill- Ueiuikrtl lliu-ldgh, Daily Telegraph coiTCupomlviil, states tlnat the Russians lva.ve cuiiiiunthlrer. il a thousand carts at Jluk'd™. AN UXCOXFIRIIED REI'ORP. HUSSIAXS I.O«H 2500 MEN AT THE VA-LU. LONDON, Fr.li. 22. The New York Herald's SI. Petersburg corrtspoii'di lit says that in an outpost frontier, -the Jtus.iians were I'epulswl, losing two thousand live luuMred men, but the report is not conliipiavl. AN OBSTINATE COMMANDER. WliL NOT QUIT WHEN ORDRKED TO DO SO. I'REFEHSTO REMAIN AS A "XMXCOMUATAX T." (Received Feb. -J'2, 1u.:!5 p.m.) LOXDOX, Feb. 22. Admiral Taoti, ol' Shanghai, at Japan's instance, ordered the gunboat Alandjur to leave within '24 hours. The commander of the \iandjur refused, that il. J.essar, Uussian Minister at I'ekin, liad obtained China's permission for the vessel to re*iain as a non-combat-ant. Japan replied that tie vessel's pix-sence in a neutral port stops the resumption of Japanese mcrcantilo trade. Japanese cruiser Akitsushima remains at Woosung. THE ATTITUDE OF CHINA. A few days ago a cablegram related biieily the fact -tlia-l Chine:,v forces were U-ing mobilised. Not lon-g since it was stated tnat 2<JU,600 Boxers weiw being sent to Manchuria, and alt'lioug'li this was denied telegrams to recent I-lnglisli jiitpers show tiliat the attitu.le of China was alVor.Mhg Jiussia some anxiei.s'. According to a St. 1 eter.-il/ui g coriv.spo\idciii, «*no wrote 011 hec. 22 consv;:e. nine altentioii was beitiL' paid in St. J'eie.si/uig, both in Go\eri.iiiei„lai ciic-ie-M aii'J ainony the gvnerul iniblic, to tlve matter. "The Amurskaya Ga/.eta publishes in this connection information wMeh seems to prove tliat the Celestial Empire *s making hasty preparalions for war. Ilie bulk of these luej.aration:. are IxMig made in the province 01 Pe-shi-li, lutvler the direction of the Vice-Governor, Yuan-shi-kai, and and tl.e Military Covei-nor, General Ma. It is pi'oposeil to open n t , xl .viar, in that province, schools for 11011 - coimnis»ionud ollicers, aid at I'ekin a higr,oi- school for olllcer:,. A sd.'jnie of ihilitary conscriphcii is being drawn up. it will be lir.-t ti ii.i.l in the pimine'e of l'e-clii-li, ai/J is culcid.ttu.i lo result in a force 01 i:i« battalions lor three year's service."

Tlw \ luuiivo.stok corrr.sj» :.r;.iir ol the Xovoe \reinya rejprtiil that the number of Kli'iingu.ses in Alancisuria lili'l Rlissiun po.s.s.-.wioas in the l-'ar East, \va:; iiiereit.-.iiig ioiLvi.iei-alily, alf.l that tlr.y were luan*! «ith excell. ill. Willi r rilli.'*, ',||„l uere iK.t al'i ai.l of altai k'ii(» Rus.siali troojis, win; hail a diilicnll task lo clear tliv country oi Ih'.-.ii' l,im'nn.ls. \ iian Sl,ih-kai, the V iceroy of Chihli, was reported from I'ckvn (wi Dec. 28 to have been holding nrgvnt neg'otiat';ons wilh tlw .lapn.nese nuthol ilies lor till' supply of arms an.! uininunition ainoniuiiig in \alne to one million taels. Ihe .lajiane.':e. although de.si; oils of undertaking the contract, were unable to delher Ihe amount lt'iiuirvd irnl.-"., ti... Chinese were wi 11 in» to accept obsolete niodels of the .lujuuK'ne arniy. Ten tlioiisjind lifle.s ai.rl two million rounds of iimmuuition liought by the Chinese (io\ei Jimint in August lasl, to replace the obsolete weajrf>ns oi Yuan Sliih-kai's urniy, were stjll un. delivered. It was thought that Yuun Sliihliai wonh! resoit to Aus'trian and Oeriimn makers unless the .Ja|miiesv Ooverinnunl comsented to the exjiort 01' some of its res>'r\e :aip'pties. Tlw Japanese mjlita>.y jnithorilius, it is said, ctwrsii.'l,-;...1 Chinese inobijlisation impi-acticable, und iegai<lcd tlw Chinese Ooveemiiem's activit\ as belated. According to info'rmai'iim received ill Berlin in llecember from I'ekin Wio Chinese Ktiite oilicials at Jirst gave no serious attention to the report of Hie erection 0 f forts at I'^g'a. the copjtiil ol Monguliji. J literon inoie iinportituce was attached to Russia's action, uhlcli was rel\X das a sei iinis .'dgn of tho steady advance of Russia in Mongolia. , It is remarked thai lor years pasl ♦e Cljinesy 'loveiniiin-nt luis allowed ' the Uits«iaiie to do as they pleased i at I'rga, und that now the Mandarins pretend to be astonisheid, and are 1 endeavouring to utilise the present circumstances in d.\ler to contest the '■defensibilitj- of procedure,

TRANS-SIBERIAN RAILWAY. A PASSAGE OF i'ERJL. It is possible that at the present juncture the Trans-Sibvrinn railway will be.onie a source 01' <vnc of the ! gjt-ati st dillieulties to th»> UussiatiK. A military oll'ieer. wh'o has had considei able experience ill Manchuria and the Ear East. reivnth contributed suint' informing particulars of tlvis aspect of the sit nation to a London journal. Amongst other things he saw! Tui) points of importance ill tlvis connection uiv, first, the protection ol' tin- line, ami seeo'ii'.lly, its capaIriliin .-i I'or transporting troops aiul material of war. In the first place, it is be.wrnd a doubt 'that the Chuncliuses, or Chinese roiivbors, who are mostly di-sjbai.'dcd soldiers, many of Llivm i'oivign-drilU'd, well armed with M'annlirhe: s anid repeating Winchesters, and provided with ammunition, would on every available opportunity li-aras:; the liuss'ian troops, anil, if permitted, destroy and take up Ihi} line, burn the rolling stock, and lire volleys into the boilers of the engines, as they did in IiKM). 'l hen. uguin, the railway for a considerable distance to the north-east of Port Arthur is commanded from tlx* k< a. l itis, slioukl the Russian Jleet meet with disaster, would mean practically the cut-tin# oIT of supplies I'rom Port Arthur. Hence the protection oi tlve line will absorb, and keep to a certain degtve inactive, a very coii' iJeialv'e portion of th« Russian fouvs now in Manchuria.

Secondly, the of t lie line for transporting troops and material of war arc oxtreimely doubtful. The eugineK are mostly constructed to burn wood, but there is none available in the country. Thvsv engines are frequently breaking clown, owing' to the state they are kept in. At many parts of the lin-e the earthworks are wry lia'hl« to he al'fectul by thv wenthor. The Russians started coal mines at VYhafnefgtien, halfway between Ncwrhwang and Port Arthur, also at few miles from Loiwang and ten from Mukden, but these can he of no material assistance, as what coal they yield is not of the best nature for driving 1 engines, owing to the accumulation of clinker, Most of the coal in the pioWnce is surface. As to the military position in Manchuria, the Russians hold all the large towns, but, on the other hand, the .Japs have fought, and know the country, with all i 1 s weak an I stioug points, as well as, if n;.t better than, the Russians. Tlve ,lapani>v will have the sympathy of ali tlw? Villagers, I'or they well know that upon a town being taken by the daps, tl.ey iinuu'.iiately protect all the wealthy men from plunder, as they did in tl.vir quarter of Tientsin', when it was captured in 19(H), and Newehvvang, captured by them in the Chinese War.

Again, tht> Ohunclmses, who are goo-d sii-ots, -did much damage to ti.e railway line generally anid lo the coal, mines fit Mo-clii-wni ai?d WaiVmgliin dining tlie tiouble in 1000, an\i aie quite <Api.al to g'iving' tlie JapaneS'.' veiy material axsislance. AlounUd Chinese mililia were l'ormud by the Itus.vians to cope with these rcdjbers and protect the villa,g.s out.iide tlie splveiv of the railway, which sphere was at one time thirty li on both s-ldt* oi the line, but now, us we all k'now, very consi'derably uKlemUil. More than half these tnilitia weru rolibers, and under lids guise further carried on "squee/.e pi'dg>on" on the unfortunate \illagers. d APAXESE MOI.UL-1 S ATI OX. A pamphlet entitled "dapan's Military and Na.val I'owcr," by Major vr.u Ursyn, was lately iswiuvl in \ ieitna, widfrii at the present tiinepio\id«'s some useful infoi ntal ion. The malerial is chiefly drawn from Kus.';iau sources, which, in the author's opinion, are remarkable for impartiality. According to the writer mobilisation will he carried through without dilliculty, owing to the territorial system of the Army, tlw small ■distances, and the patriolis'iu of the Japanese. Tlie •dellrlenry in horses will alone ca.use incon\enienre. The work of transjjorting tioojis to certain hai<;.i;>ui-s for em--1 baikation will work less smoothly, owing to the almost exclusive aclopj tion of the single-line railway system, tlv currying capacity of which is, at a mu.vimujn, twenty - four liai'ns a day. Incomparably better j is 'ho transport fleet, numJU'ring 010 I stunners, wit'h a total tommge of ! :>«IU>OU tons. Jt can concenti-ate 200,000 tonnage is any large harbour of da pan within a week, which is enough for two compete Infan-ti-y 'divisions of :i:].oi;o men, 8000 horses, and 108 guns, amd 7000 t(/ns of sufjplies for three months.