GENERAL ITEMS.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 December 1916, Page 5

GENERAL ITEMS.

; JHE FRANCO-BELGIAN DEPORTA- , ' " TIONS. ~~ ' Berne, Dec. 6. The Federal Council reached resolutions that the Cantonal Council's protesta against the Franco-Belgian deportations involve investigations which are HOt within Switzerland's province. I , j&AILWAY IMPROVEMENTS. Ottawa, Dp 7. 6. ] We Canadian Pacific Railway is preparing to expend £15,000,000 sterling on ' elevators and terminals in Vancouver, and is enlarging the facilities for handling Oriental and Australasian trade. OFFICIAL REPORTS. Received Dec. 7, 11.25 pjn. London, Dec. 7. General Sir Douglas Haig reports:— We successfully raided trenches southeast of Neuville St. Vaast. The enemy's attempted raids westward of Beaurains ind north-east of Rowlincourt failed. The enemy are heavily artiilerying in the' neighborhood of Eaucourt L'Abbave find tie Mouquet Farm, northward of (he Ancre. ! Paris, Dec. 7. Official. —The Somme region is fairly Ictive. There is reciprocal artiilerying jtf the neighborhood of Bouchavesnes. In the Champagne, our artillery dispersed an enemy detachment north-east jf Fouxine-en-Dorniss,on the left of the Meuse. Enemy attacks were made oa the slopes of Hill 304, but, owing to >ur machine-guns, he only gained a footing in some of our advanced elements of trenches. Vienna, Dec. 7. Official. —The important railway juncton of Ploeshti, north of Bucharest, has Wn captured. A Serbian official report states:— Violent artiilerying and infantry firing K-curred on the whole front. We carried some strongly fortified and teniciously defended heights north-east of Bedimerci. We captured a fairly large lumber of prisoners and much booty.