THE KENT COAST RAID.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 March 1917, Page 5

THE KENT COAST RAID.

FANTASTIC GERMAN VERSION. BRITISH VESSELS SCATTERED. A TRAVESTY OF FACTS. Reuter Service. Received March 1, 7 p.m. London, February 28. A Berlin official repcrt gives a fantastic account of the raid. It says that torpedo boats raided the Channel beyond the Dover-Calais line arid entered the mouth of the Thames. British destroyers stationed in the Channel were scattered after a fierce artillery fight, and avoided further action by a hasty retreat. We were not successful in ascertaining the damage- inflicted on the enemy craft, .which were not seen again here. Another section of our torpedo boats effected a raid, not finding any guard, as far as the NortTT Foreland and into the Downs. We bombi.rded the coast defence works at Margate. Our vessels were quite near the coast. No .commercial traffic was observed. It is liardly necessary to state that, the account is a travesty of the facts. A DISORDERLY LIEUTENANT. London, Feb. 28. Lieut. Malcolm P. Astley, u .New Zcalander, pleaded guilty at a court-martial to drunkenness and resisting the military police on the evening of the 17th, after attending an officers' entertainment at Buckingham Palace. He enlisted with the New Zealanders in England, and served faithfully St the Dardanelles. His sentence will be promulgated later. , A COMPLIMENT TO THE DOMINIONS London, Feb. 28. Tjhc Government has allotted the High Commissioners permanent seats in the House of Commons behind the Ambassadors' benches. THREE NEW ZEALAND BROTHERS. London, Feb. 28. Lieutenant F. G. Russell, of the Flying Corps, formerly of the New Ze'a land Mounted Rifles, has been killed while flying. His brother, L. D. Russell, who was educated at a Wanganui school, was killed while aeroplaning in September, 1910. The surviving brother, Lieutenant H. B. Russell, of the Flying Corp9, is a prisoner in Germany. WORK FOR ENGLISH WOMEN IN FRANCE.

London, Feb. 28. The War Office has inaugurated a scheme for the employment of women from 20 to 40 in war work in France. The work will be mainly clerical and typistcs, shorthand writers, cooks, waitresses, domestics, motor transport checkers, telephone and postal clerks are wanted. The wages are from 23s to 32s with board. BRITAIN'S DRINK BILU Renter Service. Received March 1, 5.25 p.m. London, February 28. The United Kingdom's drink bill for 1916 totals £201,000,000, being increases of twenty-two and thirty-nine millions as compared with the years 1014 and 1015 respectively. The taxation collected from consumers was £53,750,000. compared with £60,000,000 in .1915, showing that the increased national expenditure had penalised the revenue.