THE WAR.
THE HONGKONG DAILY PRESS, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8mm, 1915.
[THROUGH REUTER'8" AGENCY.]*
MR. ASQUITH ON THE WAR.
DETAILS OF FINANCE.
UNDER SEA CAMPAIGN OF PIRACY NOT THE TIME TO TALK OF PEACE.
GREAT WAR SPEECH BY MR.
ASQUITH.
GERMAN
SEVERE
DEFEAT:
RUSSIANS TAKE 10,000
PRISONERS.
AMERICAN GRAND JURY INDICTS HAMBURG-AMERIKA LINE FOR DEFRAUDING CUSTOMS.
RUSSIAN, FRONT
{THROUGH REUTER'S AGENCY.]
GERMAN DEFEAT BY: RUSSIANS.
TEN THOUSAND PRISONERS- TAKEN,
LONDON, March 2nd.
A Petrograd communiqué says:-. We concluded, on February 28th, the operations around Prosnysz, defeating not less than two Army Corps, which were driven 'back to the frontier.
QENERAL.
{THROUGH REUTER'S AGENOT.]
VIOLATING AMERICAN CUSTOMS LAWS,
INDICTMENT OF HAMBURG
AMERIKA LINE. :
AND PILLAGE.
Mr. Asquith then passed on to the sub- ject of the German so called blockade,
The Premier, continuing, said that there were whispers of peace, but it was not the time to talk of peace-(loud cheers)-and those who did so, however excellant their
31 SUCCESSES TO 7.
ALLIES' GAINS OVER GERMANS.
An official account of the war from 15th November to 15th January has been
NOT YET TIME TO TALE OF PEACE, saying: I shall have to use some very intentions, were victims of a grievous issued in Paris..
£ NEVER HONE CONFIDENT OF VICTORY THAN
WE ARE TO DAT,"
LONDON, March 1st
The Prime Minister added:' I'' may
been done. The results obtained by the The following table shows what be Germans are
Place), Cathedral, and hospital of Ypres. 1.-Destruction of the Halles (Market
Nieuport Baths, the bathing village on 2.-Destruction of Nieuport Town and the coast..
3-Bombardments Rathune, and Arras.
of Armentieres,
4-Bombardment of Soupir and Sois
BONS.
-The retuking of Hill 139 and of Crouy, and a gain of three-quarters" one mile to the north of Soissons.
6-An advance of 325 yards in the sons on a front of $74 yards. and of a hospital, at Thann.
7.-Bombardment of a church at Nancy
plain language. It did not come as a self-delusion. It would be time to talk of surprise. The war has been carried on by peace when the great purposes of the Germany with a systematic violation of Allies were in sight of accomplishment. In the House of Commons, Mr. Asquith, the Premier, in moving a vote for a
all Conventions and Agreements by which, (Cheers.) What he said on that subject in supplementary credit of £37,000,000 and
with international agreement, it was
November at the Guildhall he now repeat a fresh credit of £250,000,000, pointed out thought to mitigate warfare.
ed in March. (Renewed cheers) She has that the total of the credits for the finan- now taken a further step by organising DENIAL OF A GERMAN cial year 1914-1915 was £362,000,000 Thai an under-ses campaign of piracy and
STATEMENT represented, broadly speaking, the differ-Pillage. Can we-I address myself here eines between expenditure on a peace to the neutral-sit quies, as though we say that a suggestion which I s Argonne near the stream of the Meuris footing and expenditure on a war were still under the protection of the rules footing. It was not desirable, he said, to of civilised warfare? I think we cannot," give the precise details of expenditure,(Cheers,) but the Army and Navy took out of that to the sums voted on a total £275,000,000. That was additional
peace footing. £38,000,000 reprosented advances for war expenditure made to the Dominions of the Crown, and there had also bren an advance to Belgium of £10,000,000, and £800,000 to Serbia Further advances to these Allies were contemplated, and the actual cost of the war, at the close of the financial year, when the wor would have fasted 230 days, would be £1,300,000
daily...
The Premier ridiculed the theory of a German blockade, and asked where was the German Fleet? It had only been seen on the sea twice since the war began, The plain truth was that the German Fleet was not blockading, could not Mockade, and never would blockade the English shore. (Cheers.)
GERMAN SUBMARINE PIRACY.. Mr. Asquith read a statement regarding the German submarine piracy. It said: The laws and customs of nations regard
put forward from German quarters that we
rejected certain proposals or sugge tions made to Great Britain and Germany by the United States is untrue. All we
is that we have taken them into careful have stated to the United States.so far
consideration in consultation with our Allies,
The results obtained by the Allie
400:-
FROM THE SEA TO THE LYS. 1.The retaking of all the left bank of the Yser between Knocke and Hetsas..
-An outlet on the right bank between the sea and St. Georges.
3-Erection of a bridge head of two and a half miles in this region.
4-Placing of a bridge head to the south of Diamude.
5.-Taking of St. Georges, Forry's House, and the Koricker inn..
6-General extension of our front around. Ypres.
7.-Cossation of the enemy's infantry attacks.
FROM THE LYS TO THE OLSE 8-Taking of the chateau and the
village of Vermelles, and the ruteir trenches between
9Taking of numerous Gernian Aix Noulette. Bad
The credit of £250,000,000, said the log attacks on commerce always presumed qualities of our faco which have never Caroncy.
Premier, was the largest single vote which had ever been put before the House, and
it would cover a period to the second week NEW YORK, March 2nd.
in July. The War Office estimated that The Federal Grand Jury, which has been from April their daily expenditure was a investigating violations of the Customs million and a half, and the Navy expen Laws in furnishing supplies to German diture £400,000, thus the aggregate was cruisers in the Atla tic, has returned roughly two millions a day. indictments against the Hamburg-
The Government was making a larger
OUR RESOURCES. Mr. Asquith concluded: We shall not relax our efforts until we have achieved all our aims, To achieve them we must draw on our resources, both material and spiritual. The appeal on the material side is before the House: the appeal on the spiritual aide is to the ancient, inbred that the drst duty of the cuptor of u
failed us in times of stress, namely, self merchantman is to bring it before the mastery, self-sacrifice, patience, tenacity. Prize Court where it may be tried, where unity which springs from a dominating. willingness to bear one another's burdens, any irregularities of captare may be sense of a common duty, never-failing challenged, and whore neutrals may faith and inflexible resolve. (Loud and recover their cargo. The sinking of prolonged cheers.) prizes is in itself a questionable act to be resorted to only in extraordinary cireum-
SPEECH BY MR. BONAR LAW. Mr. Bonar Law expressed his hearty
and Blangy, near Arrus.
10-Retaking of Partelle St. Laurent
11Taking of La Boisselle. 12-Taking of German Treneres at Lihons.
the end of October, and progress to the 13-Taking of Quesnoy-en-Sauterre at east since then.
14.--General extension and consolida tion of our front.
The Russians, on Sunday morning, began America Line, and six men connected with pecuniary demand from the House than sauces, and after provision has been made concurrence with the views expressed in again..
the pursuit of the Germans defeated at Prasnysz. Ten thousand prisoners have already been taken, besides rich booty.
The Germans in the sectors adjacent to Prasnysz are retiring in consequence of the Russian victory,
Their attitude is now passive. The only activity is the bombardment of the fortress. of Ossowices, in which 42-centimetre howitzers are participating, bat unsuccess fully. The Russian concrete is very
solid.
AUSTRIANS AGAIN SUFFER
ENORMOUS · LOSSES.
LONDON, March 2nd.
A Petrograd communiqué states that the Austrians in the Carpathians suffered
enormous losses-in an unsuccessful attack in massed formation near Lupkow
RUSSIAN OCCUPATION OF TURKISH BASE,
LONDON, March 2nd.
A Petrograd communiqué states that the Russian Army in the Caucasus has occupied the port of Khopa, a Turkish military base.
FRANCO-BELGIAN FRONT,
{THROUGH HEUTER'S AGENCY.)
LULL IN OPERATIONS.
the shipments, of conspiracy to defraud it in the full conviction that after seven it bad ever done before, hit they mado the American Government by means of months of war the country and the falec papers.
Empire-were every whit as determined as ever to bring a righteous cause to a triumphant issue. (Cheers.)
TURKISH INDISCRETION. VIGOROUS REPRESENTATIONS BY
ITALY.
LONDON, March 2nd,
A telegram from Rome reports that the Turks at Jeddah havo arrested an Italian steamship agent and seized the mails he was taking to the Italian Consul,
The Italian Government has made vigorous representations to the Porte.
NOTES TO THE UNITED STATES.
to the blockade by Gerniany,
NAVAL ACTIVITIES.
for the safety of all the crew and Mr. Asquith's speccb, and affirmed that passengers.
the Government had the full support of “The responsibility for discriminating policy they were pursuing. He spoke the House and the whole country in the between
in neutral and enemy vessels and with admiration of the bombardment of between neutral and enemy cargoes the Dardanelles and the gallantry of the obviously rests on the attacking ship, troops in Flanders and France, and MUCH TO ENCOURAGE AND
whose duty it is to verify the status of the emphasised that Great Britain "should STIMULATE “There has been much to encourage and papers before
vessel and cargo and to preserve all the show Germany that we intended to use
sinking or capturing the
every weapon at our disposal to bring to stimulate us in what I see," added the ship. So, also, is it their humane duty
this horrible war to an end. Premier in the heroism of Belgium and to provide for the safety of the crews of Serbia, in the undaunted tenacity with merchantmen, whether neutral or enemy, which our Allies hold their far-flung lines, and it is an obligation on every belli- until the moment. irresistible and decisive advanes. (Cheers)
comes for an gerent It is upon this basis that all Our own Dominions and our great warfare have proceeded.
previous discussions of law regulating Depondency of India sent us a splendid contribution of men, a large number of whom are already at the front. Very Boon the whole of them will be in the these fighting line in one of the actual theatres Asquith.
most gallant and efficient work. (Cheers
RETALIATORY MEASURES.
of
adopted.
The votes of credit were unanimously
THE CHINESE NATIVE CUSTOMS.
PROTEST AGAINST INCREASED TAXATION.
thoir tariff regulations which were framed during the Ching régime so as to raise
guns.
FROM THE OISE TO RHEINS, 15.-The taking of German trenches, at Nampoel and the plain of Nourion.
16-Taking of Spur 132, since lost 17-Destruction of numerous Cerman 18. Consolidation of our defensive system...
in the region of Prunay
BHÈING TO THE MEUSE. 19-Advance of three-quarters of a mile 20.-Progress of a mile and a half in the region of Perthes and the check of seventeen German counter attacks.
21.-Advance
of more than three- quarters of a mile in the Argonne in the Bois de In Grurie, and of Bolants, and the repulse of numerous attacks.
22. Extension of our front around Verdun.
23.-Destruction of numerous enemy batteries..
24-Important progress in the woods of Consenvoye, Apremont, Ailly, Mort mare, and Le Pretre.
25,-Check of all the German attacks. 26-Progress to the north-east of Nancy, at Leinesnil, and in the forest of Parroy
27.-Progress to the north and south of Senones and in all the Dan do Supt.
28-Taking of a point which commanda Ste. Marie..
20.--Complete check of thirty four counter-attacks made by the enemy.
30.Taking of Aspach, Steinbach, ank
the heights, to the east
31-Frogress towards Cernay, and Altkirch.
Munster,
months there has been
To sum up the result of the last two
very appreciable at certain points.
1.-General progress by our troops; 2.-General retreat of the enemy, except
A circular was issued to all publie The German submarine fulfils none of Chinese Merchants' Association of Shang- bodies and mercantile guilds by the
LONDON, March 2nd.
obligations," proceeded
Mr. hai on February 22nd, strongly protesting A Washington telegram states that the of war. We hear to-day with great gratis are entirely outside the scope
against the alteration of the tax tariff of Her methods of warfare the native customs, thereby increasing the British and Franch Ambassadors have fication that Princess Patricia's regiment any international instruments regulating order issued by the Ministry of Finance,
duties on native goods manifold.
it begins by pointing to the circular presented Notes to Mr. Bryan in reference has been doing during the last few days operations against commerce in time of authorizing all native customs to aller
war. The German declaration substitutes The Territorial Divisions are now falindiscriminate destruction for regulated the rate of duties to one-half that levied traised and capable of confronting any troops in the world, and the new captures. Germany
by the Maritime Customs. The Ministry, to the north-east of Boissons.
It adopted this it says, bases its decision upon the differ
can thus be affirmed that in order to aroy which has lately been
method against peaceful traders and ence between the prices then ruling and obtain a complete success France and hor under
those at present current; and it further Allies have only to wait and prepare for the critical
scrutiny of skilled non-combatant crews with the avowed orders that any rate in the old tariff below it with untiring patience The German observers, is fast realising all our most object of preventing commodities of all one-half that of the Maritime Customs offensive is broken. The German defen-
sive will also be broken in its turn, sanguine hopes. (Load cheers.) We kinds, including food for the civilian in the old tariff higher than one half that shall be raised accordingly, while any rate have no reason to be otherwise than satis population, fron reaching or leaving the of the Maritime Customs shall continue in force as of old; The date for the find with the progress of recruiting, and British Isles or Northern France. Her revised tariff to come into force was fixed on February 1st, 1915, but has been post- poned to March 1st at the request of Supervisor Yugi of the Chinkiang Cus toms in deference to the earnest prayer
(THROUGH REUTER'S. AGENCY, ]
THE DARDANELLES. OPERATIONS AGAIN INTERRUPTED BY BAD WEATHER.
LONDON, March 2nd.
It is officially announced that the I can assure the House that, with all the opponents, therefore, are driven to frame naval operations in the Dardanelles knowledge and experience gained by the retaliatory measures-(Cheers)-in order Straits have been again delayed by a Government, we were never more confident to prevent commodities of any kind strong north-easterly gale with min and
than we are to-day of the power and the Loud Cheers)--reaching or will of the Allies to achieve ultimate Germany. (Renewed cheers.) mist, which would render long-range fire
vietcry" (Cheers) and aeroplane observations difficult.
THE "DACIA” AT BREST.
LONDON. March 2nd.
leaving
"These measures, however, will be THE DARDANELLES. · enforced by the British and French Referring to the Dardanelles, Mr. Governments without risk to neutral ships Asquith said that there had been no denudement or impairment of the forces or neutral or non-combatant lives, and in working in France and Flanders. We strict observance of the dictates of should continue to give the tallest and humanity (Cheers,) The British and most effective support there. the purposes of the Dardanelles, optra themselves free to detain and take into French Governments will, therefore, hold
of several chambers of commerce in his
district.
MINING ENTERPRISES IN CHINA,
THE USE OF FOREIGN CAPITAL
mero has issued in order to the ofice of The Ministry of Agriculture and Com-
The
LONDON, March 1st. 4.10 p.m. Today's Paris communiqué says:- There is nothing important to report. except that the different points d'appui successively secured now form a continuous line two kilometres long, to
It is reported from Brest that the the northward and north-westward of steamer Dacia (captured by a French Perthes We made slight progress at cruiser in the English Channel) has Chapelotte, three kilometres northward arrived there and has been formally the Grand Fleet. The enterprise at the Port ships carrying goods of presumed their tollas before, not to mention the regulations, the Ministry of Agriculture
of Celles.
LONDON, March 1st.
5.30 p.m. The Paris evening communiqué states: Rain and snowstorms have impeded operations.
We repulsed a strong counter-attack in north Mesnil and Champagne, have main- tained our gains and made fresh progress. We captured a blockhouse at Bois-le Pretre, near Pontainoresson; and slso repulsed a strong attack, on Sunday night, at Sulzeria, in north-west Munster.
seized. The French flag was hoisted. The American crew will be repatriated.
DEATH OF AN AUTHOR.
LONDON, March 2nd. The death is announced of Mr. Frank Bullen, the well-known author.
Nor, for
tions, had there been any weakening of
....
Dardanelles was carefully conceived with enemy destination, ownership or origin. distinct political, strategic, and ceonoIt is not intended to confiscate such mic objects.
The operations had vessels or cargces unless they are other once taore illustrated the close cowice liable to confiscation. Vesicle with operation of the Allies in a new theatre cargoes which sailed before this date will Mr. Asquith referred to the splendid not be affected. That is our reply." (Loud contingent from the French Navy which
cheers.) shared in the glory and hazard of the Dar [The deceased author commenced life asons to showed the copiousness and to which the Allies did not consider them
danelles enterprise, and said the opera
There was no form of economic pressure an errand boy, and subsequently went to ses in various capacities up to and including variety of our own Naval resources. The salves entitled to resort; and if neutrals chief mate. In 1883 he forsook the sea and Queen Elizabeth, which was there, was suffered inconvenience the Allies regretted became a junior clerk in the Meteorological the newest super-Dreadnought, with a Office. Very soon after this he produced
The sruise of the Cachafer, heat range unknown before, and side by side, but reutrals should remember that this of the Sea," quickly gained popularity, and was the Agamemnon, the predecessor of phase of the war was not initiated by us.
continued to publish numerous works of the Dreadnought. Congratulations were We did not propose to assassinate their fiction dealing with life at Bee.]
due to the Admiralty."
seamen or destroy their ships
The circular gives some calculations,
the Director of Mining Affairs to the effect showing that the new duty of 24 per cent. that certain dishonest merchants often that lately the Ministry has come to learn would really mean an increase ranging obtain the right to work mines from the from two to six times the old duty, accord. Authorities by fraudulent means. ing to different kinds of goods taxed. Ministry regrets the dishonesty of the Moreover, the native customs are people in practising deception on the customs, so that goods passing ten such intter their intention of starting a com under a central authority as the maritime Authorities by falsely reporting to the customs would have to pay ten times the pany to work a certain mine with purely 2 per cent. duty, making the new duty Chinese capital, but after obtaining the really several tens of times as much as
likin stations and barriers remain to levy entanglements. According to the mining the single duty shown in the old tariff.
charter it is frequently discovered that the It also points out that the innumerable undertaking is largely financed by foreign capitalists, leading to diplomatic
goods which are not included in the tariff for foreigners to invest a limited amount irritating praction of appraising the and Commerce continues, it is legitimate list at a higher or lower value entirely of capital in mining enterprises, and The merchants, it is admitted, have to foreigners in mining undertakings are not according to the inclination of the officer, people who enter into partnership with perform the duty of paying taxes, but the obliged to conceal the fact from the Government must be responsible for their Authorities, provided the terms of their powerless to increase duties on foreign in force The Ministry further announces protection. Now the Government seems agreement do not violate the regulations imports, while it proposes to increase the that hereafter, before any charter for duties on native goods from two to six working mines is granted, the applicants kind of policy would kill Chinese indusly inform the latter of the nature of their times; at a time when itkin has not been should first submit the terms of their abolished, the merchants considor that this agreement to the Authorities and e presse tries and stultify the development of undertaking and furnish the authorities market with foreign merchandise. They company should it be financed with joint native trade besides.flushing the Chiness with the articles of association of the should therefore unite together and refuse foreign and Chinese capital. In the events they have held meetings, they must join part of the promoters, the charter ranted to agree to the new regulations. When of the discovery of cases of fren on the in despatching a telegraphic protest to to the will be immediately cared sare the Ministry of Finance, asking it to the offenders heavily punished. Peking rescind its order NCDANII New