WESTERN ATTACK.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 March 1917, Page 5

WESTERN ATTACK.

HAIG ADVANCING. __ ON BAPAUME RIDGE. . ENEMY ABANDONS MAIN DEFENCES. Received March 14, 10 p.m. London, March 13. Field-Marshal Sir Douglas Haig reports: Owing to the bombardment, the enemy abandoned his main defence.-" along the forward crest of the ridgs wesuvard of Bapauine, on a v miles front. We drove back the rearguards in this area to the depth of a mile and occupied Grevillers and Loupart Wood. We also progressed eastward and northeastward of Gonimecourt on a frontage of a mile. An enemy raiding party reached our trenches south-west of Neuve Chapclle. A lew British are missing. Hostile raids elsewhere were repulsed. A WOOD SURRENDERED. WITHOUT A GREAT STRUGGLE. A DOMINATING POSITION CAPTURED. Received March 14, 10 p.m. London, March M Mr. Philip Gibbs, writing from headquarters oil the 13th, stales that the enemy made another important retreat. Loupart Wood was heavily bombarded yesterday. To everybody's surprise the Germans surrendered the wood without a great struggle. Our men are now around Grevillers, whence the Germans have been driven, except a few machinegun teams and snipers. 'Loupart Wood was a dominating position, giving observation over a great stretch of country, but the capture of Irles .mule the position untenable. Our terrible concentration of gunfire decided the enemy to retreat before the garrison was annihilated.* The Germans are still holding Bucquoy and Achitlegitit, but further south they are actually behind their last defensive position on the Bapaume ridge.

! IMPORTANT MOVEMENTS 1 IMPENDING. TROUBLE IN STORE FOR THE HUNS. Received March 14, 11.5 p.m. London, March 14. Mr. Philip Gibbs states: "We are on the eve of an important movement. The enemy is unlikely to avoid severe damage, even if he escapes d'saster," The correspondent add!; that he can't say more at present. HIGH COMMISSIONER'S REPORT. HOSTILE RAIDS REPULSED. The High Commissioner reports from London on March 13, 10.55 p.m.:— British oflieial: In consequence of the bombardment of his positions yesterday the enemy abandoned his main defensive system along the forward crest of the westward of Bapaume, on a front of 3'/ 2 miles. During the day we drove bac* the enemy rearguards in this area to a depth of a mile and occupied Grevillers village and Loupart wood. We further progressed eastwards and north-east-wards of Gonimecourt on a mile front. Hostile raids were repulsed during the night in the neighborhood of Neuville St. Vaast, Souchez, and Armentieres. In each case the enemy failed to reach our trenches. South-westward of Neuve Chappelle a few of our men are missing.

FRENCH MAINTAIN POSITIONS. ENEMY ATTAOKS REPULSED. London, March 13. A French communique says: The Germans west of Maison-de-C'nampagne last night violently counter-attacked Hill 185. Our barrage and machine-gun fire stopped them and ve maintained all our positions. An enemy coup-de-main in the region of Louvemoiit, on the right bank of the Mouse, was easily repulsed. Yfe launched three eoups-dc-maiu last night on the German trenches between the Avre and the Aisne, which our lire wrecked. The Germans continue to bombard Soissons, Enemy attempts to reach our lities on the Crony road and in the region of Boulenehivy and further eastward, failed. Lively artillery firing is proceeding in the Troyon sertor. VERY FAR FROM THE TRUTH; London, March 18. A wireless German odicial report says:—An English attack on a widefront south of Arras failed, with heavy losses. There is lively lighting on tho Ancre and on both banks of the Mouse. Our fire turned back a French advance northward of the Avre We stubbornly defended Hill ISS against an attack by superior forces, The French, by sanguinary sacrifices, captured a narrow stretch of the south-western slope. (This should be compared with tho British and French reportsj. NEW ZEALANDERS ON PARADE INSPECTION IN FRANCE BY THE COLONIAL SECRETARY. A MESSAGE TO THE DOMINION. The following special dispatch has been received from the New Zealand War Correspondent (Captain Malcolm Ross): March 9. An interesting historic event took place on the British front to-day, when Mr W. H. Long, Secretary of State for the .Colonies, accompanied by his Par-

liamenfcarv Secretary, paid a visit to the New Zealand Forces in the field. Ono brigade, and representatives of all the other units, were drawn up on a treelined road in Northern France. On arriving on the scene, Mr Long, accompanied l,y General Sir Alexander Ciodley, was met liv Sir Andrew Russell, officer commanding the division, and the party proceeded on foot along the line. Mr Long keenly observed each unit and shook hands with all the officers, down to the company commanders. Afterwards the lengthy colujnn marched past to the music of the bands, making a. highly impressive sight. The men were in full marching kit, and looked splendid. During the parade a Bochc airman, flying unusually low, attempted to come over the road, hut a perfect fusihde from the anti-aircraft gum blocked hU progress, and one shot, bursting close, made liim retreat hurriedly. We could hear the ea.-c-s of sheila whistling down into the f.djr.oont fields. The parly afterwards U-itcd the divisional lv.'.tlis, which put through from a thousand io fifteen hundred per day. and the washhoure. where 150 French women are constantly employed washing the clothes, shirts, and towels of the division, n:id the mending and drying rooms. A fie'.d ambulance corps, and the" pioneers, including the Maoris, were also inspected, aiul fir.ally the party saw the dentists and dental mechanics get to work. Our dentists have already made thousands of stoppings and dentures. All this proved highly interesting. In conversation afterwards, Mr Long freely admitted that lie was greatly affected l>v the thought that a little country like New Zealand should send such a splendid force so many thousand miles to fight in a foreign land. He gladly gave me the following message for the people of New Zealand:"I was enormously impressed by the fine physique and fitness of all ranks, and the. grim determination rhat is the secret of success. I am sure if the people of New Zealand could see them as I saw the in to-day, they would feel, as I did, tlmt the Empire that can command such resources must have not only victory before it but even a greater place in the world than ever before." Speaking generally, he added: ''l feel perfectly confident that with the troops we have, led as they are led. our efforts can only end in one, way. The end has been postponed because' the flerman is a determined fighter," but the immense resources ho. is up against, and still more our determination, must convince him that he must stiller defeat, hi my judgment, our resources are infinite, and sooner or iater the enemy will realise this. The great cause that lias brought us together in defence of our Empire and of freedom and justice and protection for minorities, is already receiving almost world-wide recognition."

THE SLAVE RAIDS. J SHAMEFUL TREATMENT. TERRIBLE STORIES BY RETURNING VICTIMS. Thousands of French civilians from the districts occupied by the enemy., who lire now being sent by the Germans back into France by way of Switzerland, are daily bringing with them fresh details of the state of virtual shivery to to which tlie civilian populations of Belgium and the occupied French Departments have been reduced by the conquerors (writes Mr Henry Wood, a British correspondent with the French forces, under date January 12). One group recently consisted of nearly ].">i)o old men, women and young girls from the two towns of Roubuix and Tourcoing alone.

11l the group from Roubaix was on., aged couple who had received from the German authorities the dead body of their son, stabbed through with a bayonet, a few days before they themselves were taken from their homes and repatriated into France. Their boy ban been one of those who had been deported previously into Germany for enforced labour. For some unknown reason he. with others, was brought back to Roubaix and placed in a room of the building occupied by the "Konimandantur." Overcome with fatigue the boy fell asleep.

Rudely aroused a little later by one of the guards, the boy, still half asleep, leapt to his feet, flinging his arms outward in an instinctive gesture of defence. The guard interpreting this either as an act of rebellion or assault, promptly bayoneted him. Tlie, bodv was turned over to the lad's aged parents absolutely naked. THE PRUSSIAN SYSTEM. When the Germans decide on a call in mass all of the inhabitants are notified to be 011 their doorsteps at a givon hour of the day following. Whatever the weather may be, all must wait there for hours until the selections have been made. During the recent cold spells and gales many aged men and women are declared to have died while awaiting the inspections, From those groups all the young boys and men from fourteen years up arc sent away to concentration camps. All girls and young women are taken from their families and assembled at a common place in company with prostitutes and women criminals generally. They are also sent away into different concentration camps, tho only basis of division being according to their fitness for the various lines of work that' arc to be Imposed on them.

From ouch .group of girls and young women selection is made of the more attractive, and they are inscribed on a special list for the "Koinmandantur.'' Here they are either assigned to ('serve officers," or openly invited tp take up their residence, with the latter. If they v efuse, the first punishment Is a month's imprisonment. At the expiration of this sentence, a second refusal entails imprisonment in a fortress, and if this fails to prove eifcetive they arc condemned to what is declared to be practically enforced labour, MARRIED COUPLES SEPARATED. The women who are sent to work at various lines of employment receive no news of their families after arriving at their destination. Young married couples are not allowed to remain together, the husbands being sent off to the labour camps prepared for the men and the women to those prepared for their sex. In Germany the most difficult tasks are imposed on the deported civilians, with severe penalties for or failure to perform the required amount of labour. For the most part these people are obliged to sleep on the ground, and the same woodep bowl out of which each one eats the insufficient