The Latest News.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 104, 6 May 1904, Page 3

The Latest News.

CABLE NEWS.

United Press Association.—By Telegraph.—Copyright.

I RUSSIAN VERSION OF THE ! HEAVY LOSSES SUFEREP. BRAVE JAPANESE CADETS. (Received May 5, 10.39 p.m.) LONDON, May 5. General Kaslitelinsky reported that painful but glorious circumstances surrounded the light. The 12th Regiment, assisted by machine, guns, arrested the Japanese advance guard until noon, when after the routing of the 22nd Regiment the Japanese began to turn the Russian left. The 12th Regiment, with the third battery and quicktirers, were ordered to retire, being covered by t lie 11th Regiment. The Japanese advanced so close that the third battery were unable to retire and lost its colonel. A fresh company with quickfirers tried to rescue the battery, but lost half their men and horses and returned to their orfginol position, where they received the Japanese attack. The 11th Regiment held the ground for another two hours with heavy losses, and then forced a passage with their bayonets, saving the colours. It lost its colonel, forty ollicers and two thousand men. The Russians testified to the unparalleled bravery of the. Japanese naval cadets aboard the iiresliips. When these were sinking many ran aloft to lire their revolvers before plunging into the sea. None were saved. HACHSULUCII CENSURED (Received May 5, 10.54 p.m.) LONDON, May 5. It is reported in St. Petersburg that General Kuropatkin severely censured General Sachuluch fcr not retiring earlier. His orders were not to take any undue risk. Russia demands permission to station forces temporarily outside Shanhaiwei. China has not replied. RUSSIAN LOAN TAKEN UP. (Received May fl, 1 a.m.) ■ LONDON, May f>. A French banking syndicate has taken up the first Russian loan of sixteen millions sterling with the option; of a further sixteen millions previous to January. It is unlikely that the loan will be issued to the public. PORT ARTHUR ABSOLUTELY CLOSED. (Received May 0, 1.8 a.m.) LONDON, May 5. Bennett Burleigh, telegraphing from Tokio on Wednesday afternoon states that on Tuesday afternoon during a dense fog the Japanese sunk nine merchantmen, absolutely sealing Port Arthur. The officers who twice made the previous attempts, were granted permission to conduct the third enterprise. The casualties are unknown. THE RIVAL ARMIES. PROBABLE PLANS OF CAMPAIGN. ■'• When the preliminary operations now in progress are concluded, and the Japanese are firmly established on the mainland, a strategical problem of the utmost importance and

complexity will deinund solution." This is what the military correspondent oi the Times said in the middle of March. From the news now to hand it would seem that the lime of preliminaries lias ended, that serious land lighting has begun, and therefore Hint the strategical problem now awaits solution. If the Russians have decided lo fall back upon Harbin and I here await Hie assembly of an army " worthy of the dignity and might of Russia" before- moving forwaitl to drive the en-

emy into the sea, the question arises, What will be the best course for | the Japanese to pursue ?It is the turning point of the war, and weighty results attend upon resolves. According to the Paris newspaper Figaro, General Sakharoff—who succeeded General Kouroputkin, as Minister of War when the latter assumed the important duties of Commander-in-Chief in the Far East—puis down the Japanese active army at 150,000 men, considers the reserve formations of little account, and does not believe that Japan can place more than 200,000 men in line of battle. Nevertheless, he thinks Russia must endeavour to assemble -100,000 at least, which is certainly a compliment to Japan, and, when asked if the transport of such numbers will not take time, replies airily that it will take months, mid adds that it does nol mutter. The February number of the Revue Militaire di' l'E-l-ranger, however, gives live strength of the mobilised active urmy of Japoliicers and 331,300 other ranks, with 70,000 horses, ami, adding the figures for the depot und territorial armies, shows that the mobilisable resources of the Japanese army figure up to 520,000 men, 101,000 horses und 1308 guns. Now Hie Times correspondent considers it doubtful whether 400,000 Russians can be put in the field in ICast Asia before the end of the year, and when the navigation closes again on the Amur, at the end of the autumn, it is more than doubtful whether this army can be fed. There are plenty of sheep in .Mongolia, and Ihure is corn in .Manchuria,while the millet stalks are good enough provender for horses ; but an army of ■iDO.oiio strong, and constantly enKageil, requires, as we have lately had irond occasion to learn, an im-

nicnsv stock of supplies, and stores of uli kinds, let alone fuel for the t'ngin.-s, for warming each carriage in the winter, and for keeping the ships in condition to fight. No one, in Jupan certainly, believes that, it is materially possible for Russia to keep an army of thus strength in Manchuria, and the entire military policy of the last ten years in Japan .has aimed at making a certaintv of the defeat of Russia, taking into consideration not only what Russian force there was in East Asia but

what reinforcements could lie brought up and fed after war was declared. The Japanese calculations may proveto have been right or wrong, but. such as they are they represent the reasoned opinion of the best men in the country. After various calculations and allowances for guarding (he lines of communication, the correspondent estimates the Russian strength eventually available at Harbin (an important railway junction in Manrhu--ria, where the Russian head-quarters have been established, and which place it is considered the Japanese will make a determined attempt to capture) at. say, I.ID.QUO by the middle of May. In order, then-hire, to made sun; of victory at Harbin, and in view of the (act that she might have to carry out costly attacks against entrenched positions, .Japan must be in a position to place a quarter of a million combatants at this point by the ;middle/ of. this month. These estimates are necessarily only an approximation. But the J'eal question is, will the presence of 250,000 victorious Japanese at Harbin compel Russia to make peace and abandon the contest'? There is nothing vhatever to show that it will, and there is every reason to think it will not, Harbin,

Insignificant in itself, is tho Moscow of East Asia, mid all the lessons of Moscow apply. The greatest possible success at Harbin, even entailing the annihilation of the Russian army, would settle nothing ; it would simply mean that so many hundred miles further west a larger , army would be collected, and that a fresh advance would be made next year, or the year after, when Russia was ready. ] If Port Arthur, Korea mid Vlailiv- V ' ostok fall into Japanese bunds, the dominion of Russia in Must Asia is ended. its riiison d'etre vanishes, since the outlet upon the sea is lost. Established at these three points the Japanese can make themselves so strong that, so long as they retain command of the sea and hold their army in leash, they can consider thu position impregnable. Port Arthur, in Japanese hands, is unassailable by land ; Korea can be defended for the greater part by a chain of defensive works across the 100 miles of tho narrowest part of the peninsula on the principle of Torres Vedras ; even if Vladivostok cannot be held indefinitely against the'mightiof Russia, it can be stalemated and rendered use- ; less by the. occupation of the islands * commanding the entrance to the | port. Here then Is the. vital cord severed, and here must Russia fight, 5000 miles from her true base, and with every moral and material disadvantage, or not light at all. It is 1812 reversed, and it is Russia cursed by nil the disadvantages of Napoleon's fatal ambition. The Japanese army remains intact, the nation unspent, and take what course Russia may, she remains exposed to an offensive return, along all the wide frontage of the sea. by the concentrated weight of her enemy's arms.