HOUR OF OFFENSIVE CLOSE.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 July 1918, Page 5

HOUR OF OFFENSIVE CLOSE.

AX OMINOUS SIGN. Received July 11, 11.20 p.m. . ' Paris, July 10. ■ Military experts opine that the first German lines are now thinly held by second-rate troops, as the first-rate troops have been withdrawn to the rear preparatory to an attack. This suggests that the hour of the offensive is close,— Press Assoc. AVIATION REPORT. Received July 12, 1.5 a.m. London, July 10. Sir Douglas Haig's aviation report states that enemy aircraft lire active on the northern part of the front. Ten machines were destroyed and 1 driven down uncontrollable. We dropped 14 tons of bombs over the enemy line, two tons on Lille junction, and 11 tons on Bruges docks. Three British machines are missing. We dropped at night time three tons of bombs on enemy railways and camps. All our machines returned—Aus. and N.Z. Cable Assoc. and Reuter. TOUR OF MINISTERS. XP r M. OLEMENCEAU'S SPEECH OF THANKS. (From Captain Malcolm Ross, Official Correspondent with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force.) By_ Cable, July 5, The Ministers spent only one day in Paris. In the morning they attended the American Independence Day celebration, and afterwards proceeded to Versailles, where they were entertained at luncheon by Mr. Lloyd George. Numerous distinguished guests were present. In the afternoon, Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward, along with other overseas Ministers, attended a general war conference, at which they met General Foch, General Joffre, M. Clemenceau, Signor Orlando, and several distinguished officers from the Allied armies. Th» Dominions' representatives were . welcomed by M. Clemcnceau, who, in a 'brief but brilliant speech, thanked the Dominions, in the name of France, in the name of Europe, and in the name of humanity, for their splendid services in the war. The New Zealand party left in theevening for a base where, on the following day, they inspected the Records Office and the New Zealand bakery. During the course of their tour, they visited also the New Zealand Tunnelling Company, which they found still doing valuable work-To-night the party will return to London, after a strenuous but highly interesting and successful tour. J