IN ALBANIA.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 June 1916, Page 7

IN ALBANIA.

VALONA "IMPREGNABLE." The special correspondent of the Paris Journal at Valona, in the eourae of a telegraphed account of the situation, says: "During the past two months the town and the port have undergone a complete change. The place has become a veritable entrenched camp, whose impregnable defences protect an ItaliaH army which has b3e"h formidably strengthened. General Piacentini, who succeeded Genera) Bertotti in the command of the Special Expeditio»ary Corps, has now a fine body of troops under him, ready for all eventualities. Aviators are flying over the town, and strong naval units mount, vigilant guard. "The evacuation of Durazzo was accomplished under fairly favorable conditions. The Austrian? concentrated twenty-two 'battalions of important artillery on the mountain, but the Italians made clever use of their machine guns, and suffered only insignificant losses, while the enemy lost a couple of thousand men. In spite of the difficulties due to the intervention of the Albanians, all the Italians were successfully evacuated. ' "The Albanians were clearly hostile to the Allies, and the Austrians have succeeded in forming them into armed bands, the total strength of which varies, in the different estimates, from twenty to forty thousand men, half of whom are Mirdites. As the result of a number of affrays General Bertatti had a number of Albanians shot. "At the present time the main Austrian army is nortli of the Sku»ihi. The Bulgarians are still at El Basstn, hut an advance battalion has reached Berat. There have been some partial actiens between Sumcre and Vojana. Everywhere the Italians have shown fine fighting qualities, which have disconcerted their adversaries; and the Austrian incursion into Albania has cost them dear, owing to the difficulties of provisioning and the absence of roads. The Albanians will soon get tired of the pressure which is being put upon them, and Italy can regard the situation at Valona with every confidence.''