THE WAR.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 November 1915, Page 6

THE WAR.

EARLIER NEWS. ON THE SEA. THE BALTIC BLOCKADE. By Cable—Press Association —Copyright. Copenhagen, Oct. 29. The Berlingsl;e Tidende says that British and Russian submarines in the Baltic are extending their operations northward in the area near Skaergaarden and Lulea, at the head of the Gulf of Bothnia, with the object of cutting off the enormously increased Swedish ore exports to Germany. German vessels at Lulea have been ordered to remain in port.

AUSTRALIA. GERMAN DRUGS. Melbourne, Oct. 30. In the House, Mr. Hughes said he had decided to allow aspirin to be manufactured and sold under that name pending the question of wiping out all German names. MAKING OF SHELLS. Sydney, Oct, 30. A number of firms have agreed to .supply in the aggregate five thousand shell bodies a month. The Colonial Sugar Company is supplying a thousand, the any profit to the war funds.

NO NATIONAL MINISTRY. Melbourne, Oct. 30. In the Federal House Mr. Hughes stated that he did not intend to consider the formation of a National Ministry. Asked whether, in view of the facts revealed by Mr Ashmcad Bartlett, it was not time the Government came to some arrangement about the Gallipoli campaign, as we were apparently sending men to useless slaughter, Mr. Hughes replied that he knew we owed the Imperial. Government- the duty of refraining from criticism. - The duty of the Government was to mina its "own business and send, effectively equipped, the quota of men asked for,

GENERAL ITEMS. FROM THE TIMES. Times and Sydney Sun Services. Received Oct. 30, 5.5 p.m. London, Oct. 29. A Roumanian deputy, M. Iliesco, has published an article threatening M. Bratiano if he does not assist Serbia. The Frankfurter Zeitung asserts that fifteen thousand French troops, with one hundred guns, were landed at Salonika. The Kaiser has appointed General 'Mackensen a member of the Chapter of the Cathedral of Merseburg. The position carries an income of two thousand pounds a year. General Mackensen has no personal fortune, and he holds every possible military decoration. Toronto reports that "200,000 Canadians are under arms. Twenty new battalions have been organised 'during October. ° Lord Rosebery, at a recruiting meeting in Edinburgh, said: "We are asking for another three million men.''

BRITAIN. OUR CASUALTIES. NEARLY HALF A MILLION. London, Oct. 29. The British casualties of all kinds in the fields, are 493,294. UNITED STATES. THE RAY PLOT. EVIDENCE OF A GREAT CONSPIRACY. Received Oct. 30, 5.5 p.m. New York, Oct. 29. Secret Service men have discovered that the bombs used by the Fay conspirators were exactly similar to those used to cause fires earlier in the. year.

ROLL OF HONOR. SATURDAY'S LIST. Wellington, Oct. 30. Admitted 2nd Southern General Hospital, Bristol, Southmead section, sick (not severe): —Auckland Battalion: Privates G. E. Burswell, P. H. Chandler, C. E. Dagger. .Wellington Battalion: Privates A. C. Aldridge, 11. N. Crawford. Canterbury Battalion: Lance-Corporal W. V. Cairns, Private D. W. Goodall. Medical Corps: Private J. Comrie. Admitted to Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford:—Auckland Mounted: Troopers W. R. Carter (gunshot wound in the leg), J. Cleland (enteric). Canterbury Mounted: Trooper E. A. Beck (suffering with teeth). Field Artillery: Gunner I<\ W. Collins (dvsentery). Auckland Battalion: Private W. Caplin and Sergeant R. Chambers (dysentery), Private E. Connolly (gunshot wound in the back). Wellington Battalion: A. A. Close (dysentery). Admitted to 2nd Southern General Hospital, Bristol, sick:—Wellington Mounted: Troopers R. E. Mason and J. H. Reeves. Canterbury Mounted: Trooper L. J. Ivinzett. Otago Mounted: Trooper F. Watson. Engineers: Sappers J. A. Lcary, T. S. R. Schaw, and R. S. Wylic. Auckland Battalion: Privates A. G. Fish, W. J. Mabcy, J. H. R. Mabey, and F. W. Watson. Wellington Battalion: Privates E. L. Allen, H. Fletcher, A. T. Gaskin,-J. A. Greene, F. M. Marshall, and Corporal E. 11. Kivell, Canterbury Battalion: Privates W. T. Faithful, J. F. Gibson, and J. 11. Y. Hughes. Maori Contingent:—Admitted 2nd Southern General Hospital, Bristol: Privates E. J. Edwards, R. Wiketene, W. Pulia, M. Marsh, E. Pullen, J. Taliitahi, and T. Whitau. Dangerously ill at Egyptian Government Hospital at Port Said: Private H. Kaipara. Admitted to 2nd Western General Hospital, Manchester: Private H. Rukingi. Admitted to Military Hospital at Tooting, London: Private H. Ngakanau. Sick and wounded recovered and leaving for the front: Privates H. Anaru and H. Tuaawhi and Sergeant H, Delamerq,

THE DARDANELLES.

Mil. ASIIMEAD BARTLETT CONTINUES. THE WORK OF THE 20th. London, Oct, 20. Mr. Ashmead Bartlett, commenting on the paucity of references to particular units in his Dardanelles messages, says that in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred the censor was responsible, having excellent reasons for his action. Sir lan Hamilton earlier had relaxed the rule whenever possible, remarking that the composition of the whole force was known in Cairo, which was swarming with spies. Later greater secrecy was necessary owing to the arrival of drafts from Home for the great effort which began on August 0 and might said to have definitely come to a -tandstill on August 21. The forces engaged at Suvla consisted of the 10th and 11 til Divisions of the new army and the 53rd and 54th Territorial Divisions. The 13th Division of the new army landed secretly at Anzac and participated in the desperate lighting at Sari Bail'. > The young untried soldiers did extremely well alongside the more experienced colonial companies who helped to complete their training under fire. An excellent feeling of friendship sprang up between the Australians and the volunteers from England. The 20th Brigade and 10th Division also fought at Anzac, hut the time would come to do belated justice to the famous 29th Division in the Homeric struggle. The division landed under General Hunter-Weston anil has since been under General De Lisle. England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales are represented. All mention of the division's final eflorts to achieve success has hitherto been suppressed; otherwise a secret' strategic move would have been disclosed.

Tlie facts are that when the attempt on Anafarta had definitely failed it was decided to employ the 29th Division in a final effort to out the enemy's communications. Three brigades were secretly brought up by night in tra.wler.3 and landed at Suvla. Their arrival stimulated the whole army and also showed how seriously the leaders regarded the task. Everyone felt that if the 20th failed 110 one could succeed. Like the Old Guard at Waterloo, it was brought up for a last effort to break through the enemy's ever-strengthening works. The 29th Division will be for ever surrounded with the lialo of romance and glory which attached to Caeser's 10th Legion and Napoleon's Old Guard. Few of the veterans who landed at Seddul Bahr are left. Some have been wounded many times, for the division took the most prominent role in almost every, engagement. At least three times the orig-inal strength passed through the ranks 'before the middle of September. Here we see the value of tradition. No matter bow young and inexperienced are the drafts, they no sooner 'find themselves under the mysterious halo of No. 29 than they distinguish themselves and fight and die like the marvellous band of old soldier* who, the last of the original regular army to take the field, made the historical landing on April 25. The troops rested quietly in the trenches throughout the morning. They fully realised the responsibilities of the task assigned them, which was regarded as more difficult than any they were called on to make at Cape Helles, except the landing. They realised that the eyes of the whole army were watching for their signal. If it was dangerous, a great honor was conferred on them when they were asked to make this fresh effort. The Eighty-Seventh Brigade was ordered to attack Hill 70, and the Eighty-sixth Brigade Hill 112, while the Eighty-Eighth was held in reserve. The Inniskilling Fusiliers Border Regiment first attacked Hill 70 and had almost reached the crest when they were driven off by concentrated shrapnel and machine-guns. The BGtU made repeated efforts to advance, but failed with heavy losses. The South Wales Borderers' reserve was called up for one more effort and succeeded in digging itself in under the crest. Thus the brunt of the fighting on August 21 fell on the Twenty-ninth Division and failed. A brave and determined enemy had incalculable advantages of position. The division added to its fame by the failure.

llr. Bartlett points out that the chief credit was given to the Yeomanry in previous accounts, because this was the only corps the censor allowed to be mentioned, Really they were in reserve until late in the afternoon. They deserve every credit for their magnificent behaviour the first time they were in action. They advanced two miles amid a perfect hail of shrapnel over tare coverless ground.

A PRO-GERMAN VIEW. Times and Sydney Sun Services. London, Oct. 29. Captain Granville Fortesque, an American who saw the war from the Turkish side, has published a book about the Dardanelles. He denounces the appalling plan of smashing through the channel to the Black Sea as due to ignorance, misinformation, or absolute contempt of military or naval precedents. There was no chance of a battleship running the gauntlet of the forts in tile Narrows. The English people were sadly befooled when the English commander proposed to get astride the Peninsula. They forgot that the Germans were in touch. Early in June Sir Tan Hamilton's army had a gambler's chance of success, in view of the possible exhaustion of Turkish ammunition, but Germany sent trained munition workers to take over the lunmunitiin factories which were soon turning out sufficient to supply all needs. Ihe Balkan crisis comes opportunely, and would excuse the evacuation of the Dardanelles as a military necessity. He who pushed the plan cannot escape indictment for the folly of a gigantic failure which has lost 100,000 casualties It is certain that the German General Mafi know that the Mediterranean force must be withdrawn or exterminated. If the war is to end in more than a draw, Germany must be beaten in I'ranee and Flanders "