RUSSIA.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 August 1917, Page 5

RUSSIA.

THE STAFF MORE HOPEFUL.

PROMPT AND DRASTIC MEASURES. THRILLING STORY OF RETREAT. HEROISM OF BRITISH CAR DRIVERS. Times Service, ""i—•»j Received July 31, 8.00 p.m. ] r London, July 30. Wilton (Times correspondent) states that_ the Stac are more hopeful, as tlio panic is being suppressed ruthlessly. Three divisions of cavalry have taken up positions along the front of the retreat. Attempts to spread panic have resulted in prompt executions, plundering being similarly punished. Deserters and spies, who enjoyed immunity under the Committees, lie dead on the highnays with a paper tied to the corpse notifying: "Here lies a traitor." Detailing his experiences with the British cars, Mr. Wilton supplies interesting peeps at the retreat. Advancing Germans shouted: "Hurrah! Good Russians!" The latter flung away their rifles and ran for their lives. At another place everybody became panio-stricken and ran away before the Germans came Bear. The enemy at Jvozowa suddenly appeared, and the British machine-guns killed hundreds. Each car fired 3000 rounds. The Austrian advance was often incredibly slow, the Russian line lining unoccupied for two days after its evacuation. The hottest fighting occurred at Darahow, where the British ambushed the enemy from houses and courtyards, dee' roving them wholesale. Despite their having enabled the Russians to rally, entrench, and drive out tho Germans., at four o'clock in he morning of the 2-lth tho corps commander informed Colonel Locker Lampson that) two divisions had bolted, leaving u, fifteen-miles gap. The colonel ordered the British cars to protect this huge space, and working along the roads the cars caused great execution among the enemy. They encountered large forces at fifty yards range, and mowed them down. Several cars were destroyed by direct hits by shells, but the drivers were heroic, and, though wounded, continued to drive for some twenty hours, keeping their seats. The enemy's cavalry and infantry repeatedly showed unwillingness to advance against the cars without the supnort o; heavy guns, which "were slow in coming.

STUBBORN FIGHTING.

RUSSIANS PRESSED BACK FURTHER.

Received July 31, 9.25 a.m. London, July 30.

'A wireless Russian official message says: Southward of Husiatin we repulsed an attempt to cross the Brucz river. We repulsed the enemy after a stubborn buttle near Zareszck. Tho enemy persistently attacking, slightly pressed us back in the regions of Zbimiacz, Kiselie and Steec-ova. The enemy compelled us to retire in the Carpathians to the region of Kameral, Moldavia. The enemy pressed us back after day-long fighting towards Myiotyza. on the Roumanian front. A zeppelin dropped 20 large bombs on Oeland Island, in tho Baltic. Enemy aeroplanes dropped bombs withou success on the islands of Tserel and Arensburg, in the C df of Riga.

DESPERATE RESISTANCE.

BY RUSSIAN 1 OFFICERS AND BRITISH Received July 31, 0.25 p.m'. London, July 30. A correspondent of the Berliner Tageblaat supplements . Mr, Wilton's story, revealing how a number of subordinate officers of several Moscow regiments and the sth Siberian Army Corps sacrificed themselves and battered the trenches vainly in endeavoring to stay the retreat or tiie 11th Army Corps, steadfastly holding the east bank of the Sercth, while British guns, situated on low hillocks near Tarnopol, swept the lines of the advance with splendid accuracy. The rapid advance of the enemy's field guns ultimately outnumbered and silenced the plucky batteries. The Russians fired Tarnopol before retreating. The Belgian tanks fought gamely in the streets, endeavoring to cover the evacuation of the wounded and stores during the last terrible scene, when German guns and aeroplanes rained a shower of shells upon tho panicrtricken and fleeing mob of mutineers md civilians.

THE ENEMIES WITHIN.

[TOW THE ARMY WAS BETRAYED. Received July 31, 0.-25 p.m. London, July 30. Mr. Will Thome, in a speech at Sheffield. referring to his visit to Russia, fcliieh lie described as being approved by ninety per cent, of British trades unions, said that the revolution was a soldiers' revolution. The Mission of Peace League purposed having a separate peace drawn up on tho nth March, but the revolution thwarted the scheme. Munitions were deliberately held up at tho instigapation of the Romanoffs and Rasputin. He instanced the case of 22,000 munition workers from one factory being sent home for three weeks at a stretch. GERMAN'S CLAIM TO BE IX RUSSIAN TERRITORY. Aus. and N.Z. Cable Assoc. and Reuter. Received July 31, 5.30 p.m. London, July 30. A wireless German official report states: A considerable portion of our troops are now in Russian territory After the battle eastward of Lbtucz. UPHOLDING EQUALITY. • Petrograd, July 30. The Minister of Justice is drafting a law abolishing class privilege, bureaucratic* grades and civil decorations*

DELEGATES' VISIT TO PARIS,

Til KIR VIEWS ACC'EWA!3I*E.

Received Aug. 1, 1.50 a.m. London, July 31. The Daily Chronicle's Paris correspondent states that the Russian delegates wore cordially welcomed, many parliamentarians being glad of the opportunity of earning the views of the Russian luborites. Newspapers are very ••sympathetic, the general impression ba.ng that the differences dividing the Russians and French arc losy than was expected. The delegates insist thpy can never assent to a separate peaee, and that betrayal of the alliance would mean death to Russian democracy's aspiration?. They realise that ten French departments aro still invaded, and that Serbia. Belgium, Roumania. and Poland are groaning under tbe enemy's lieel. 'fhey say that tho people of Prance exaggerate the Maximalists' influence, the retreat did not. mean defeat, but was duo to tbe fluctuations of war. The republic cannot bo ,i reality unless a German victory is mado irapossiblu. Russian 'Socialists are united, and will not attempt any untried Socialistic experiments.

THE LEGION OF DEATH.

GERMANS SURRENDER TO WOMEN. New York, July 30. Mr. Shepherd, United Press correspondent at Petrograd, interviewed membsrs of the Legion of Death. woman soldier carries cyanide of potassium, to ho swallowed in the event of capture. Women and girls from comfortable homes and schools describe charging amidst bursting shells. A girl in hospital said: "I lunged at a German—it was his life or mine—plunged my bayonet in his body and iired. He dropped dead, and I took his ha- as a souvenir. At first It was awful to hear the girls yelling and shouting as they charged, but we soon forgot our fear. When we had surrounded a bunch of Germnas they cried, "Good God, women!' The Germans threw down their rifles and surrendered." Mr. Shepherd saw a thousand girls drilling in Petrograxl, who are soon to go to the front. Smaller bands are training at Kieff and Odessa. M. Kerensk'y has authorised the formation of 'Women's marine detachments, which are being formed.

RUSSIA WILL FIGHT AGAIN.

ALEXIEFFS TACTICS TO BE ITSED. London, July 30. The Petrograd correspondent of tha | Morning Post Bays that Russia will fight again victoriously, but only under proper rulers. She la now straightening the sinuosities of Jier front, implying the relinquishing of additional territory, but Blie is also helping the Allies by drawing nil increasing number of Germans deeper into Russia. Erosli Russian troops will be substituted for those disbanded. There nvill be no more electioneering by means of a grand strategic scheme, but much that is infinitely more useful, the tactical work by which General Alexieff, during several months' retreat, Kept his armies unbroken and inflicted the maxi' mum injury on tho Germans, namely, short blows frequently repeated along the whole front. Their resources are already strained to the utmost to hold the territory occupied.

Four of tho most revolutionary members of the Russian Workers' and Soldiers' Council have left London for Paris, Mr. Ramsay Mao Donald accompanying them. GERMAN CLAIMS. London, July 30. A German official report says: Despite Russian resistance we gained ground between the Dneister and the Pruth and elsewhere. We took several hundred prisoners northward of Focsani. A CABINET TROUBLE. Reuter Service. Petrograd, July 30. The Cadet Party insist that the Government shall not be controlled by the soldiers, but agree to equal numbers of Cadet and Socialist Ministers, but they refuse to enter a Cabinet including It. Tchernotf, Minister of Agriculture. The Socialist Ministers threaten to resign if M. Tcliernoff is superseded. PROGRESS ON ROUMANIAN FRONT. London, July 30. A Roumanian communique says; On the 20th we enlarged the breaches northward in the enemy front, and seiied the whole of the old position on a width of 30 kilometres and a depth pf 15 kilometres. Wo took 11-15 prisoners and have taken two batteries of howitzers and nine guns.