GENERAL ITEMS.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 February 1916, Page 5

GENERAL ITEMS.

'i NOTES FROM THE TIMEB* " 6PMTUAL MUNITIONS. Times and Sydney Sun Service*? London,- Feb. 17, ' The Convocation of Canterbury wan a large gathering.. The Archbishop >a!4 the clergy were exempted from active service because they were entrusted witU ' the important task of rallying and strengthening the spiritual forces of tha nation, on which victory depended Hft less than on men and munitions. ) ANOTHER GERMAN STORY, Berlin asserts that after the Arabic incident British warships ran away when German destroyers appeared, whereaa the reality was that our ship abated thej Germans all the way home.' RESTRICTIONS ON* FRUIT, It is stated that the restrictions on the importation of fruit do not apply to the dominions, WEST FRONT, Colonel Rousset, the noted Tarlatan critic, points out that the Germans delivered twenty attacks in strength, on the West front, two against the "Yaw between Ypres and the sea, eight Ij«i tween Lens and Arras, three between Fri.sc and i)ompierre, two at SolsaiM, three in the Champagne, and two in Upper Alsace, and the »-»"lfc waa ?r*£> tically nil. THE QUADRUPLE ENTENTE. The Petit Parisian, in an inspire! article, states that undoubtedly th( Quadruple Entente is on the eve of s new phase. A conference of the Alllec commander-in-chiefs will soon be heb; in Paris to compute the men and material at the Allies' command and draw up concordant plans and regulate tht> mutual interchange of men and material, Such interchanges will be Tondered easier, if necessary, by fiscal and cn*> toms conventions. This means practln ing the principle of fighting the whole war for one end and one only. It should be waged on one front with one arm and one stock of arms and munitions. The day is not far distant when fyalj! will take vengeance on Austria by sinking at Germany. ,• SOLDIERS DISHEARTENED. •- A telegram from Rome states that % neutral diplomatist who was recently in Sofia estimates the Bulgarian losbcs at 150,000. The army is reduced to 180,000, which is insufficient for a movement against Salonika. The soldiers are un« dcrfed, disheartened, and tired. titUfi accuse King Ferdinand of Selling thfe country to the Germans. King Ferdia- . and is increasingly unpopular. He went to Vienna and Berlin to urge an tocreased German garrison in order, to JHJK> vent a revolution. * -. EAST AFRICAN CAMPAIGN, "V Sehwatz, the cricketer, baa bee» twice wounded in the African lias been appointed to the headquajterg staff. General Botha is re-forming t*§ famous Second Mounted Brigade under Colonel Hrits for £Ue East Afjijaj gJJM pa'S"- ..!._... - i C -- MORE BLASPHEMY.. '.' , ' ■A German wireless says that' wjbjejl King Ferdinand and the Etapc<sr Frajf Josef were breakfasting in SchuSpWdS Castle they prayed for Ctegfc The Emperor Franz Josef ingly to the trusting sympuC'T iOligfy)a between the Austrians and tie **ifeffl?- '■ ans, and King Ferdinand replied <%s Bulgaria woe standing against a bydfa ' of enemies, and prayed for a lasting ani > honorable peace to compensate them for their enormous sacrifices.

DISSATISFIED ARABS. .... Received Feb. 18, 5.5 p.BL London, Feb, JT,, A correspondent at Cairo states tfal the Bedouins are fleeing into Matruii. Hf reports a recrudescence of fighting be> tween the Eastern and Western Arabs The Grand Senussi failed to maintaH the compact by which these heredHarj enemies combined against Egypt. Five sheiks headed by AukSali havt petitioned the Grand Senussi to dismiss Turkish agents and officers who vilely treated the Arabs, Prussian-like sending Arabs into battle before themselves. The Government has accommodated friendly Arabs witty an encampment ** , Haunnain. '. GRACEFUL FRENCH TRIBUTE, Paris. Feb. 17. Le Figaro, describing the BritisU ■ colossal efforts and g?eat successes in the outer war theatres, states tbat th( destruction of the German colonial Em- .; pire was almost entirely British work,. ; England alone, with the aid of the Au»-- ,• tralian Navy, blotted out the ln?t ye»- n tige of Germanic power in the Pacitic. *j