RUSSIA'S TASK.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 May 1916, Page 5

RUSSIA'S TASK.

THE ENEMY BUSY THEIR OFFENSIVE REPULSED. THREE GERMAN STEAMERS SUNK. Received May 23, 10 p.m. Petrograd, May 23. A communique states that all enemy efforts on the offensive north of Lake Marocz were repulsed. South of the lake a large gathering of Germans was dispersed. One of our submarines sank three German steamers in the Baltic. In new of the activity on the Russian front a rectnt message from Dr. Harold Williams is particularly interesting. "We are on the eve of what is called, in Russian, 'The wayless time'—'"hen roads become sloughs of mud," he says; "when rivers overflow their banks in the effort to carry down the melting snow; when swamps become lakes; and when lakes become inland seas. Both sides will, as far as possible, have to abandon the lowlandjt, and must secure themselves on whatever vising grourd there is. Russians have forestalled Germans in this effort on the important. Dvina front; and that is die meaning of the recent Russian advance, The Russians will have accomplished their immediate object if they li'ivc come to the point of thrusting back the Germans from those positions that stand out like islands in the inland seas of the spring—positions whose dominance should enable them to resume their p' escnt lines when the waters go down. But in the Jacobstadt region—where the German front follow.' the south-to-north, and where the course of the tributary Pixtern crosses the Mitau-Kreuzberg railway, nnd .\l>ero the country is comparatively free from forest and swamp, the invaders might possibly have held their lines if the Russians had not made their strong elVort to dislodge them. The Russians d'.d succeed in cutting into >he German front between .the village; of Augustinov and Epkun (to the north of the railway), and by a southward advance towards the railway expostd to a danger of collapse this particu'ar German sector—which projects :n horseshoe shape towards the east. The Gel mans, despite their fierce counter-attacks, have not been able to recover what they lost; and now they are hurrying up troops by rail, and, pushing northward from, the railwir,' to the of the Pixtern positions, are trving their utmost to prevent the filial catastrophe. Meanwhile, the Russians a''e pushing out in the neighbourhood of Lake Sventcn, and on the front south of the Dvina are maintaining their initial advantage; and are Iniding .he Germans hack in the swamp between the likes, which will soon Hood them."