AUSTRO-GERMANY.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 June 1917, Page 5

AUSTRO-GERMANY.

'POLISH ACTION. NATURE FIGHTS AGAINST THE BUNS. Amsterdam, Juno 22. The German Roman Catholic clergy are exerting every effort to use the Catholic world-wide organisation to secure a German peace. Tim Oermin press exhorts Catholics in Switzerland, Spain, and Holland to take the leadership. M. Clamartinitz is negotiating to form a Provisional Government and pass a Provisional Budget. Thereafter he will The Polish Party demands as the price of support the appointment of a civilian Governor of >f!alicia, also the portfolios of railways and commerce. M, Clamartinitz agreed to accept only if given the portfolio of agriculture or justice. ' Except for occasional violent hailstorms there' has been no rain in East Germany for eight weeks. The hay crop .is ruined and the position of grain crops is most serious, The drought is so bad •n Ravaria that the Ministry of Agriculture has ordered streams to be dammed in order to inundate fields. Hail and thunderstorms devastated the whole area between Brieg and Ohlan in Silesia. ' The Frankfurter Zeitung states that lightning exploded munition works at Foerde, Westphalia, and destroyed worksheds.- Two men were killed and four injured. ( Eleven farmsteads were burned down at Grasschdenbrunn, Bavaria, many cattle being incinerated. COUNT TISZA'S DOWNFALL ITS HISTORY REVEALED. " Australian Cable Association. Received June 24, 5.5 p.m. London, June 23. The Daily Chronicle's Amsterdam correspondent states he has learned the secret history of Count Tisza's downfall. Although Count Tisza took a notable part in precipitating the war, Bis views last December undeiwent a dramatic change, he being then convinced that victory was impossible. He believed, however, that 'Prussia was sufficiently strong to take care of herself, but realised that Hungary was liable to a crushing invasion; therefore,' national safety demanded an immediate peace. Count Tipza believed this was obtainable ; by concessions, chiefly made by Austria, and thus Hungary would become a more influential partner in the dual monarchy. He was prepared to concede the restoration of Roumania. Then followed long conferences between Count Tisza and King Charles, 'Count Czernin strongly influencing them. The Empress Zita, who took a prominent part in Jiigh politics, informed Berlin of what was afoot, ■ thereby causing a panic at the Wilhelmstrasse. Numerous conferences occurred, resulting iit Germany threatening to drop Austria-Hungary, and enlarging on the serious consequences of this action both during wartime and economically after the war. King Charles, when faced with this serious position, asked i whether Germany was capable of doing i anything to hasten peace. Hereupon arose the suggestion for unlimited, subfarmings, and neutrals were sounded , with the result that the ; ' -vats were unleashed. Germany natuIJ , v-'demanded Count Tisza's dismissal, i Kin? Charles found an opportunity f"r ii 'difference with Tisza over the fruiii'iiee question. In this manner has Op:- -v fettered Austria-Hungary, win " is now in a truly tragic situation, as n ' "-.1:1k with Germany involves emirrnoi'- rfossibilities of injury, while, on th« oilier hand, a continuance of the war presents equally hopeless prospects. Letters from German prisoner? indicate that hunger is the greatest stimulant of "the peace movement. There is general conviction that a revolution 1b certain to. take place after the war. i I' AUSTRIAN CABINET CRISIS, j •Reuter Service. r Received June 24, 5.5 p.m. ' Amsterdam, June 28. M. Clamartinitz, in view of the impossibility* of forihmg a Cabinet, has asked the Emperor to entrust the task to someone else. HUNGARY'S TERMS FOR FIDELITY. Received June 24, 5.5 p.m. Amsterdam, June 23. Count Esterhazy has given a pledge that if Cabinet will grant suffrage reform Hungary will remain faithful- to her allies. The military situation, he added, is favorable, and the knowledge of our military and strength permits us, without the appearance of weakness, to reaffirm our willingness fof a peace that will be acceptable to our adversaries. WORKERS REVOLT AT STETTIN. Received June 24, 5.5 p.m. Stockholm, June 23. Workmen at Stettin, provoked by famine, struck and revolted. The authorities subdued, them by means of machine-guns. Women and children participated. The men were given the choice to resume work or be sent to the trenches. Work was resumed. AN OFFICIAL REPORT. Received June 24, 5.5 p.m. London, June 23. A wireless German official report states: We repulsed English advances north-westward of Warneton, eastward of Hooplines, and south-eastward of Lens. The French regained sections of trenches they lost at Vauxaillon after four attacks. Further southward attacks failed. They penetrated our lines on a ridge eastward of Cornillet. We captured positions on a 400 lnetres front on the Poehl mountain south-eastward of Morcuivillers. Severe fighting is taking place ati Smorgon, Westward of the Luclc-Zloczow-Tarnopol railway, in the Narajowka areas. We successfully advanced south-east-ward of Filian, northward of the Aisue. A further wireless German official report states: We repulsed English denchments at several points. We stormed section of the French position, south-

stward of Filain, on a one and a half kilometres front, and five hundred metres in depth, and maintained our position despite three violent counter-attacks. French attacks westward of Cornillet and Vauxillion were unsuccessful. We have brought down since the 15th twentyeight enemy aeroplanes and four balloons. There has been increased fighting between Lemberg and Tarno'pol on the railway to Dneiite-

THE HOFFMANN CRIME. HOPE OF PJ3AC3J WITH RUSSIA ABANDONED. FATE OF THE "KAISER BiiLL." Received June -23, 5.5 p.m. Amsterdam, June 23. The collapse of tiie Hoffman crime intrigue has resulted in tho abandonment by Germany of all hope of a separate peace with the Russian Government. The Lokal Anzeiger chides the Government for not employing surer agents. Other" newspapers make similar comments. The great "Kaiser Bell," weighing !i43 hundredweight, 'which was cast from 22French guns captured jn 1870, fallen a victim to the metal collection. (Hcrr Hoffman, a Swiss Minister, was concerned in the transmission of a Ger-man-inspired peace offer, of which Prince van Bulow is allsged to be the author, to Russia,)