ATTACK ON KAIO-CHAU.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 143, 11 November 1914, Page 8

ATTACK ON KAIO-CHAU.

BRITISH GUNS SPtiAK WEST. NATURE OF DEFENCES. EIGHT MWS OF [MINES. When Japan, avowedly in accordance \vi in tlw terms of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, declared war on Germany ana expressed her determination to drive that country out of Kiau-Ghau, the world assumed it an affair between Japan and Germany, and had suspicions of .Japanese aggressions in China, wrote tne Toldo correspondent of t.ie -Sydney Morning Herald early in September. Now it turns out that the taking of lviau-Oau is being participated in by all the allien—Russia, France, Britain and Japan—so that Japanese predominance iu the outcome is to a largo extent precluded. In fact, in tlie first saot on the attack on Tsing-tau was fired bv British guns, when the iirii -h torpedo flotilla from "Woi-hai-wei stole into the entrance of Tsing-tau harbor on the night of August 23, and would have done considerable damage nad it aot been detected and shrilled by the forts, the distance being too great t» permit any effect. The Gorman replied with similar results, and for the same reason of distance. The Germans', as soon as trouble threatened in Europe, mined the harbor of and approaching water?, so that no fillips of any sine could really pet within firing distance of the place. The only safe distance at present approachable is yet eight miles off Tsing-tau. Since the blockade the Japanese have been busily engaged in clearing the sea of mines.

' -SWEEPING THE SEA. These imins-clcarinjg (operations sirel. regarded by fciio Japanese as the most terrible in naval warfare. &nall superannuated craft, with wire nets of some 300 yards in length stretched between them, sweep the sea, an extremely dangerous proceeding, as the munes thus caught knock together and tuns explode, with terrible results if they happen to be near either of the two ships engaged. As soon as this hazardous operation is completed, and larger ships may safely venture within range, of the forts, it 'is expected that Tsinsrtau will suiter a combined attack from warships of the four allies. The. Germans, however, do not view the attack from the sea with as much concern as that from the land side. They have sunk their y.g floating doe!:, the largest in the Far East; and the only two warships in the harbor; small gunboats and the Austrian cruiser Kaiserin Elizabeth, have been dismantled, using Mie guns for land defences. These land defences are something to cause the allies much thought. Indeed, they are far more formidable than at first supposed. The fact that a combined attack of the four nations, it expected, against' the land defences proves the truth of this assumption. The onslaught from land will be a task of extreme difficulty and danger, resembling the dangers the Japanese had to meet with during the siege of Port Arthur.

GAUTUSON OF 8000. Tsing-taii, the. capital of the German colony of Kiau-cliau, is a business c'.t.y a few miles from the border of the leased territory, it has wide, modern streets, many line public buildi.ug.'j, and well-attended schools. Both from land and sea it is situated safely from attack, provided the defences are not taken by the enemy. Qn the land side ,it is protected by three lines of .powerful defence works. Approaching these defence; works and between them the forests and fields are everywhere mined. TCven stray Chinese that have wandered into this zone have been blown to ato"ms, several such incidents having already happened. Thus a whole region for a radius of eight miles, is thoroughly jninedb with innumerable barbed*wire entanglements charged with, electricity as well, and the whole commanded by the most powerful guns of modern warfare, and a garrison of expert fighters, i It was at first assumed in Japan that the garrison at did not amount to much, and that its fall would onlv be a matter of a few weeks. This is now discovered to he a mistake. Not only is the place unusually well.fortified, lint there are at 1. - i 8000 trained soldiers, of whom a: '.cast GUOO are f-xperls with rifle and gi.n. ¥oy weeks thousands of Chinese have been pressed into service by the Oermans strenirtliening still 'further' the ,tli-fi'iicp«i. The neutrality of the surrounding districts lias hei'i! practically ignored in bringing into IVug-laii all manner of contraband of war, (.'specially in the way of .provisions.

THE KATSEU'S MKSSAGK, for some time it was ho)Ml that the. 'Germans, in the face of such hopeless odds would make an early eapiti'Jatiou. but since the arrival of the lvais"-'s message, ordering the colony of Tsinglan to hold out until the last mail, this hope 'has been abandoned. T'-' Japanese are indignant at the attitude of tile German .Emperor which t.iev regard as r grave example of human it--. ,Tn fact the vernacular 'press is loud in condemnation of the examples of tierman brutality which are being telegraphed here from Kurope. Tlie •Tana nwe are counting the lasting of the. siege of Tsing.tau as at * least two months. The preparations at that place indicate that the Germans expect to hold out much Jongrr than tnat."