UNDER THE PRUSSIAN HEEL.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 August 1918, Page 2

UNDER THE PRUSSIAN HEEL.

RUIN JLNB4M2SIPJSKATION. London, July 2. During the interval between the periods when every ounce of energy and thought is needed for sheer, desperate defensive work, the Allied leaders have been paying marked: attention to t'aa future policy of the war. There is no doubt that peace-feelers and discursive peace discusjsions like Knhhnann's speech leave the present leadera undisturbed, like water flawing off a duck's back; They are resolute for victory, seeing the. prospects fairly well defined. The two immediate proWenxs ares Firstly, organisation of sufficient mattpower, an enormous new army toeing remured for the ultimate offensive campaign; and secondly, the revivificataoiiMof Russia. Concerning the latter dramatic disrateuions are proceedings. Little notice should be: taken of the statements thai Japan has decided not to intervene, thai Washington has decided to leave Russia alone, etc. There is no doubt thai Japan is willing to place large and efficient armies- at the, disposal of the Allies; Whilst Washington is undecided Iww to use Japan's strength, there is no> dou!bt : that the, European Allies wish for soma form of intervention im Russia.. Oonltro* versies rage concerning' the, oriiicrtScalbJl.ity of such intervention. GERMANY'S'- EHKSN! OF TERROR. _ Germany's', terrorMie swayi ojrer Itosv siacontinMaEydeepensy. Soldiers,, agente* and merchants-control the ajladdSesiAhd! the Caspiais and stretch, far across- the Urals. The latest, reliable ncwa, shows that 20,000. Austro-JGerman prisoners,, fully armed, are the chief source' of the. Bolsheviks' power in: Tran»3sa,ikalia.. 0£ these 4000' are Magyars, without whom the Bolsheviks would- Ibe- easily ov<n!» thrawn.. Their chief i» * Tenegade Rot--1 sian, who acted treacherously towards 'Kerensky. He has a bodyguard of 60 Magyars. Forty thousand' Austrian prisoners are peranshuiating-at Omsk. They are called the Sightseer-Corps. The German Consul' has arrived- He- fells received half a million roubles in gold' in liquidation of Germari "businesses, whilst! British and American, finns wereuheasily mulcted ll under threatm of imprisonment NOBODYi WOBRiKB. British-owned mines and' industries have, been nationalised. Notady-feiwark--ling. The, Ural steelworks are idle, audi eight furnaces ha.ve solidified, whOafc workmen argued, on Bolshevik natSonalised river steamers,, apparently with dire* results. Some were sunk and: others; ware; tarn-t. Thiaioßa-itypicalnncKlientj. Oaani Amur steamer- the- passengeraJ attacked the first-class, and after stealing their property ran the steamer ashore and decamped. Irkutsk is the centre, of fighting between the Bolsheviks and- the Czechs. The city is pwekmarkedi'Wiih. bullet and) shell-holes. The Czechs are j travelling, eastward desiring- to font theiAffies. The. city is foodies* and lawless, tend the Bolsheviks have compelled tlie'Mnhalffitants; to dig trendies at the pom*'of the bayonet. '■■-''-. WEAKNESS 03? BOUSIHEVMIS. The Daily Mail's correspondent telegraphs that the weakness of the Bolsibeviks can be judged from the fact that a few Czechs wore able to hold 1500 miles of the trans-Siberian, railway, keeping in touch with General Alexieffs southeast Eussiau counter-revolutionary movement. Tnavollers in the Mknchur-i-an districts report that '"the Moderates secured 30,000,000 roubles before the Bol' sheviks were able to seize them. Professional terrorists called the Black Guards* and wearing a Mack star on their arms are terrorising the peasants and seizing holdings. The Daily Mail adds: No business is done throughout Siberia except at Vladivo&toek, where the presence of the Allied warships guarantee order. Bolshevism is a living corpse- Allied intervention seems vital in order to rescue Russia from the Germans, and also to save the Russians from themselves.