THE WAR

Taranaki Daily News, 8 May 1918, Page 8

THE WAR

IMOTBEK COUNTRY. LIQUOR TRAFFIC PURCHASE. CONSUMER'S PROPOSALS. 'London, Mav 5. The Anglo-Welsh, .Scottish and" Irisli liquor trade finance committees, while avoiding questions of policy, propose definite terms for the State purchase of the trade, the gross total being over £400,000,000, but substantially less than £500,0000,000. The committee do not contemplate the purchase being carried out until after the war, but the State could lake control of the trade earlier by giving a pledge of ultimate purchase, after which the State would be free to organise and consolidate the trade at will. The English committee considers the inclusion of wholesale dealers unnecessary, as they are dealing so largely in foreign wines and spirits. The committee agree to the inclusion of the export trade, hut exclude the majority of hotels, clubs, railway refreshments rooms, theatre bars, steamer bars and dining cars. The allied trade committees recommended the purchase of the following interests: (1) Brewers, distilleries, including premises; (2) free houses; (3) the interests of no-license and offlicense holders. The English committee recommends the issue of special Govenftnent stock for payment. The trade should be bought out on the basis of the profit it was capable of earning before the war, capitalised on the pre-war basis, but the amount should be written down to the standard of capital values at the time the purchase was completed. The- committee recommend that breweries be acquired on a 13 years' purchase, based on the net profits for the four years 1910-13. Scotland's recommendation is that the breweries bo taken on an eight years' purchase, based on the profits of 1911-

The Irish committee recommends that the breweries should be purchased fin a L'i years' purchase based on the pi'ofils for the live years immediately before the war. The Irish committee recommends in default of State purchase that Irisli licenses should be reduced by at leasthalf, with compensation, The English committee estimates the cost at £350,000,000, the Scottish' at £01,000,000 and the Irisli committee does not furnish an estimate. —Aust. N.Z. Cable Association. PARCEL ARRANGEMENTS. FOR PRISONERS IN TUKEY. London, May 5. The Red Cross Society lias arranged to send parcels of 151b. weight at intervals of a fortnight to prisoners in Turkey by American express, thus ex-pediting-transit across Austria, where in the past, delays have occurred. Recent acknowledgment from Turkey indicate that parcels are arriving more satisfactorily, but extremely slowly. The society hopes that the thousand British prisoners who are coming from Turkey in connection with the new agreement will include Australians. The ship which take's the exchanging Turkish prisoners from Egypt to Asia Minor will carry a large quantity of foodstuffs and clothing for distribution among the British prisoners, also parcels of clothing for each officer. In consequence of representations hy the Butch Government, officer prisoners will in future receive IS lira and noncommissioned officers and men 10 lira monthly. THE MARGARINE OUPTUT. London, May 5. The British production of margarine is steadily increasing. The output is now 4000 tons per week above the prewar total.—Aust.-N.Z. Cable Association.

WESTERN FRONT. FRENCH AVIATORS EXPLOITS. SUCCESSFUL OPERATIONS. * London, May 0. A French communique states that there has been intermittent reciprocal artillerying north and south of Avre. Eb-ven German aeroplanes were brought down on Friday and Saturday, and twenty three others were forced to descend hc-ind their own lines. Our machines dropped twenty eight thousand kilogrammes of projectiles on railway stations, depots and cantonments at Ham, Ciiaulnes, Jussy, Peronne and St. Quentin.—Aus.-N.Z. Assn. and Router. All the enemy counter efforts have .been broken up with considerable losses. These local successes are uf distinct tactical value, strengthening -our defences of the approach to Scherpenberg and Mont Rouge. GERMAN TANKS DISAPPOINTING. There, is little doubt that the new German tanks are proving a disappointment, developing various defects in actual service. Their ponderous weight makes manoeuvring in bad ground dillicult. The German tanks generally arc much, inferior to ours.—Reuter.

GERMANS USE NEW GAS. AN IRRITANT, RUT NOT FATAL. New York, liny (>. American Iluadcuiartors reports that the Germans an; using a now liquified gas contained in bottles. When the latter burst, thick white fumes arise, causing nausea, sneezing, and coughing, but apparently ale not fatal. MORE BOMBING WORK. AT CIIAULNKS AND KSTAIRKS. London, May If. Sir Douglas Haig's aviation report: The mist yesterday cleared slightly. During the afternoon our aviators dropped nine tons of bombs on Chaulnes railway station and Estaires. There was little air fighting. We brought down one machine. Two of our machines are missing. Two machines previously reported missing have returned. Despite continuance of unfavorable weather in the night time, our night fliers 'dropped over three tons of bombs on I Chaulnes and Bapaume —Aus,-N.Z. 1 Cable Asm. and Reuter.