RUSSIA'S TASK.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 June 1916, Page 5

RUSSIA'S TASK.

LEMBERG AND PRZEMYSL. BEADY FOR EVENTUALITIES. ADVANCE OX KOVEL. Times and Sydney Sun Services. London, June 15. The Central News' correspondent at The Hague telegraphs that the inhabitants of Lemberg have been instructed to evacuate the township. The bank is closed, and money and valuables have been sent to Cracow. Another correspondent at Bucharest states that the commandant of Przemysl lias informed his troops that the Russians will probably invest the fortress, and urged a new display of valor similar to that of their predecessors. Petrograd, June 15. The Russians are incessantly advancing or. Kovei. the fall of which is imminent Official Altogether, the offensive against Austria has resulted in more than 150,000 prisoners. ALARM IN AUSTRIA. AT RUSSIAN ADVANCE. Rome, June 15. The Russian advance i,s causing dismay in Vienna and Budapest. The public are withdrawing deposits from the banks. Civilians are abandoning Lemberg, / Zurich, June 15. Austria has- ordered a third revision of the list of men froni 18 to 50 years. The Government explains that there is no present intention of sending them ■to the front, but that their services will be utilised in the interior and at the depots. The explanation .has failed to allay the dismay, especially as 75 per cent, were accepted for service at the second revision, —/ OFFICIAL REPORT. CONTINUANCE OF OFFENSIVE. Petrograd, June 15. A communique says:—General BrusilofT's offensive continues. The enemy in some places continues to counterattack and in others has consolidated new positions. The prisoners/ total 2475 officers and 150,000 men'. We have also captured 103 guns and 268 machine-guns. Our torpedo-boats attacked a German convoy in the Baltic, sinking two small convoyers and an auxiliary cruiser. The enemy ships took relfuge in Swedish waters. We suffered no loss-

AT CZERNOWITZ.

RUSSIANS ENTER THE SUBURBS. 'Paris, June 15. The Echo de Paris states that the Russians have captured tlie Prutli bridgehead at Czernowitz and entered the north and eastern suburbs. Cossackguards have reached Waehkorits, south of Sniatyn.

RUSSIANS CLOSING IN. AUSTRIAN'S FIGHTING BETTER. THE ADVANCE IN VOLHYNIA. Received June 10, 10.5 p.m. iPetrograd, June lfi. The Russ'ims continue to close in on the track of the retreating Austrians, and are developing successful tactics in piercing and outflanking considerable sections on the Austrian front. The Austrians are still losing ground, but are fighting better, ,

The suddenness of the Russian blow paralysed the Austrians, but they have now recovered, and are defending strong positions that were prepared in the win-' ter. Generals Brusiloff and Letchitsky have already penetrated Volhynia to a daptU of sixty versts and a breadth of one hundred versts, and have penetrated southward of the Dneister for a depth of 45 versts- along a breadth of fifty versts. (A verst is .663 of an English mile.) Captured German officers bitterly complain that the Austrians are not only weakening the Gaiician front by their Italian offensive, but blame them for not asking help in time. They say, "The fools did not tell us the bitter trut'h of the collapse until two days too late." AUSTRIAN REPORT. Received June 16, 10.5 p.*. Amsterdam, June I®. A Vienna communique says: We repulsed Russian attacks north of Czernowitz and frustrated their attempts to cross the Pruth. Extremely bitter fighting, is' taking place at Wlsniowczyk north of Buezacz. The enemy are employing new divisions in attempting to force a crossing of the Stochod river, in the Styr sector.

GERMAN BESTIALITY.

IN THE NORTHERN PROVINCES. Times and Sydney Sun Services. Received June 16, 5.5 p.m. London, June 15. The German commandant at Libau has announced tliat the German Government is promising a bounty of twenty shillings a boy, and ten shillings a girl, by German soldier fathers from Lettish m<Sthers, and this strikingly illustrates the German intentions in the Baltic provinces. (The Letts are an Indo-European people, akin to the Lithuanians, and mainly occupy the Russian provinces of Livonia and Courland. They are of the | Lutheran religion.)