THE ANZACS IN FRANCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 May 1916, Page 5

THE ANZACS IN FRANCE.

IN THE FRONT LINE TRENCHJS (Special Cable from Official New ZeaV " land War Correspondent.) ' Wellington, Yesterday. I The New Zcalanders are now In the} front line, where they relieved British ■ troops. The men were keen to get Wto. the firing-line, and are enjoying their;. new experience. Up to the present there ; have been very few casualties oa~OUr side, and the New Zealanders have d> ready accounted for several Gennim,-',' snipers. Soon after we entered the" trenches the enemy fired forty-thrie. shells into one section, apd though the trench was much battered none of Ottr* men were hit. At one spot the trenches, . are so close together that we oan hear tho Germans talking and singing. Ope afternoon we were interested spectator* •at close range of some intensive shelling with German flinch high explosive, Gr,eat clouds of dirt and smoke rose in s«' air. One farmhouse was shattered uA another was burning. The enemy wae apparently searching for some of «dr 'batteries, ' ■ ~ • ' Our men are almost daily wlfaeuer . of air combats and heavy ahelling of'the ■'" aeroplanes from both sides, the spectacu- ' lar effect of which is thrillingly interesting. The magnificent dash and bravery v of our Flying Corps have already earned ? the admiration of New * A noticeable feature of this campaw here, as compared with Gallipoli, iS.JB> keenness in observation.by many oapffve <, balloons' and planes all along line,. - making the concealment of rwvtnjj;,.' troops and gun emplacements ,all.itt-.' portant. '■';' ■■'■ • What will probably be the greatest' sporting athletic contest in this waV - took place to-day, when three feanfo ot* axemen from the Canadian aqd .Ami; ■ tralian battalions respectively, end ow from the Maori contingent, met Ift.friendly rivalry in a forest. The coA» petition was the outco-rao of a reierit'' 1 tree-felling contest in which the.Maoris' defeated a team of French woodsmen. In to-day's trial the Maoris easily ouljr -.! distanced_the other teams, three men , felling three trees in 22mln. 40see,, against the best Australian team's 30 min. Bsec., and the best Canadian teaai'e - 45min, 22sec. The Maoris' victory w» heartily cheered. The log-chopping com-. petition was won by the Australians, another New Zealand team 'being second. The Maoris did not compete. Fn -. the sawing contest the Canadians wefo,?first and the Maoris second; it was S3-' most a dead-heat. A Maori won the ' prize for the best axemanship, a Canadian being second. Several generals, officers, soldiers', and British war correspondents were present, also an official kinematographer. An Amrac General, in presenting the prizes, cordially welcomed ■ the Canadians amongst us.