Page
THE
WAR.
ATTACKS.
HEAVY GERMAN
REPULSED WITH GREAT LOSSES.
RAIDS ON BRITISH TRENCHES.
AIR ATTACK ON KENT
COAST.
THE IRISH SITUATION.
FRANCO-BELUTAN FRONT.
ĹTHROUGH REUTER'S ACRNOT.)
GERMANS ATTEMPT TO CROSS YSER CANAL,
A FAILURE IN CHAMPAGNE.
PARIS, May 20th. 4.45-p.m Today's communiqué anys:-There was
no action before Verdun, except a violent bombardment west of the Meuse of our positions between Avacourt Wood and
Mor Homme.
An enemy attempt to cross the Year Canal between Steenstraete and Hetsas failed against infantry and artillery
fire.
THBOUSE REUTER'S AGENOT.]
HEAVY GERMAN ATTACKS.
RESULT IN SERIOUS ENEMY
LOSSES:
PARIS, May 21st)
1.15 a.m.
A communique states:-Left of the Meuse, after a bombardment of extreme violence, the Germans, in the afternoon,
attacked on.
front in the wide
Morthomme region. The enemy east of Morthomme momentarily penetrated our first line, but a sharp counter-attack drove them back with heavy losses. The The enemy in Champagne discharged Germans to the west of and on the north- great clouds of gas on our front nearern slopes of Morthomme, after a series of fruitless zssaults which our artillery Bommey, but our curtain of fire nipped the prepared attack in the bud
LANCASHIRE LADS' BRILLIANT WORK.
DOMINATING POSITION AT VIMY
CAPTURED.
LONDON, May 21st.. Reuter's correspondent at Headquar fers: says:-Our gait at Vimy Ridge amuis to 360 yards, not 250 yards as
mentioned in the communiqué of the 1 th inst. The new line is on the crest of the ridge, destroying the dominance hitherto enjoyed by the Germans at this point, and driving a small salicut into the enemy position. The discomfiture of the Germans has since been expressed by furious barats of shelling, and attempts to harnss us by every cleans, indicating that the enemy will make desperate efforts to
o recover the l fost ground. Tunnelling towards the enemy craters had been in progress for some time through the heavy chalk, and, when our mine exploded, a storming party of North Lancashires, soon followed by the Lanca shire Fusiliers, charged and seized the new craters, one of which was 60 feet wide and to feet deep.
Many of the Germans were buried in their dugouts, and their cries were heard amid the tumalt and noise, but the svere German fire from the support treuches prevented rescue.
The Lancashire lads, scattering bombs and plying the bayonets in the smoking charis, consolidated the icsition within
an-hour under a rain of trench-mortar bombs and hand grenades, which con tinued until after midnight.
So strenuous was the work of the labour parties that by daylight the whole of the new front had been linked up and
and infantry fire rendered murderous, succeeded at the close of the day in occupying some of the elements of an. advanced treach.
to
The encuny contingent who were pushed our second line were caught by force artillery fire and retired in dis- order, abandoning numerous dead. There has-been-great artillery activity in the Arocourt and Hill 304 region, and an
THE HONGKONG DAILY PR18", NOVINY MAY 230 1016.
TALIAN EFRONT
THROUGH REDIER'S AGEHOr.]
ENEMY OFFENSIVE DEFEATED
VALIANT ITALIANS.
ROME, May 21st.
A MILITARIST CONFESSIONS.
HOW GERMANY PREPARED THE WAR
The most remarkable German comment the Imperial Chancellor's recent speech comes from an unexpected direc
tion from the Headquarters of Marshal yon - Hindenburg. The completion of Hindenburg's Both year of military A communiqué states: Enemy attacks service was celebrated with much speech between Adige and the Terraguolo Valley making Lieutenant-General von Luden
A dörff, Hindenburg's Chief of were repulsed. Then the enemy resumed delivered a speech in which he gave is the violent bombardment on the northern
been very different account of the origins of slope of Pasubio, using tear shells.
There was an enemy offensive between Terraguolo and Upper Astigo. The
Italians valiantly sustained their attacks on the Asiago Plateau, and although the
enemy offensive was prepared and sup ported by a forca bombardment it was it was shattered by the firm resistance of the Italians.
A great Austrian, serial raid on the
* Venetian Plain did little damage. There were a few casualties.
AUSTRIANS TERRIBLE
LOSSES
Rome, May 21st
A cheerful view of the situation on the Italian front is taken at Rome. It is stated that the Austriana' small successes cost them 20,000 casualties. The spirit of the Italians is splendid in face of the tremendous artillery fire. Experts say
that the Austrians are being exausted and blod, the effects of which will shortly be seen to the advantage of the Italians and the Allies.
AIRSHIP ACTIVITY.
GERMANY'S CRIMES.
MR WILSON'S ADDRESS TO
CONGRESS.
TRAGEDY UPON TRAGEDY""_
In his address to Congress last men President Wilson said:---
A situation has arisen in the foreign relations of the country of which it is my plain duty to inform you very frankly,
LUSITANIA, ARABIC, Again and agai
given
this Government solemn assurances that at least passenger ships will not be thus dealt with retrahi has agaid and again, permitted her undersea commandera «to disregard those assurances with entire impunity Great liders like the Lrei fania and thosdrate, and mere ferry- boats like the Susse, have been attacked without a moment's warning, sometimes before they were even aware that they
ere in the presence of an armed vessel of the enemy, and the lives of pun com batants, both passengers and crew, havs
of the Uni been encrified wholesale in a manner which the Government states cannot hut regard as wanton without the slightest colour of justifica-
and destruction of michalmen of all.
it will be recalled that in February, 1916, the Imperial German Government announced its intention to treat the waters surrounding Great Britain and Ireland as embraced in the seat of war, and to destroy all merchant ships owned the war from that of the Imperial
by its enemies found within any part of Chancellor.
Sketching the 60 years of that portion of the high sous, and warm-tir No limit of any kind, in fact, Eus Hindenburg's career, Ludendorff declared that Germany is now reaping a harvested all vessels of neutral, as well as belli been set to the indiscriminate pursuit which she sowed at the time that Scrent, ownership to keep out of the kinds and all nationalities within was waters thus proscribed, or else to enter. Hindenburg entered the Army. He said:
constantly extending, in area where them at thair peril. The Government of April, 1888, saw the German Bund
operations are carried on, and the roll of the United States carnestly protente Americans who have lust their lives s still an impotent collection of States and
and took the position that such a policy ships thus attacked and destroyed a of an obscure remnant Austria first could not be pursued without the prac
an older time. Prussia's war removed the obscurity Prussia won the tical certainty of, the gross and palpable grown month by month until it bas
mounted into bundreds. nance, and the North German violation of the law of nations, parti One of the latest and most shooking 1.. end rage in a state of military cularly if submarine graft were employee ththa method of warfare, wha efficiency. But the world did not then ed as its instrumenta, inasmuch as the itself affected, and the whole business rules proscribed by that law-rules foun l- was for the world a domestic concern of ed on principles of humanity and the Central Europe. Then came the war of established protection of the lives of non 1870, Germany arose, and the world itself | combatants at sea-could not, in the Logan to listen. Then there came the nature of the case, be observed by such thine when the Germans and Germany vessels. It based its protest on the
found that their cost had become too tight, when everything strove for an outlet, and when unconsciously and con-
sciously Germany became a rival of the Great Powers which believed that they could be permitted to control the world. England recognized this, and thus arose this world conflagration, which can only end in Germany and Central Europe acquiring the position of power which belongs to them. The way that Prussia- Germany has traversed is a gigantic way. The harvest which Prussia-Germany sowed in 1860 has ripened.drugihet, ka
Addressing Marshal von Hindenburg, the speaker continued:-
that of the destriction of the French Cross-Channel steamer Susser. It must land forth, as the sinking of the Larr tonic did, so singularly tragical ant unjustifiable us to constitute a truly ter
rible example of the inhumanity of sub
marine warfare as the commanders of ground that persons of neutral nationali-
German vessels for the past 12 month. ty, and vessels of neutral ownership,
have been conducting it. would be exposed to extreme and intoler-If this instance stood alone, some ex- able risks, and that no right to close RLY
planation, some disavowal by the Gers, part of the High Seas against their ure,
man Government, some evidence of or to expose them to such risks could lawfully be asserted by any belligerent criminal mistake or of wilful dosobe I Government
The law of nations in these matters, upon which the Goversment of the United States based its protest, is not of recent origin, or founded mersly upon arbitrary principles set up by conven- tion. It is based, on the contrary, on the manifest and imperative principles of humanity, and has long been established with approval by the express assent of all
civilized nations,
You helped in the sowing, and you are helping now in the harvesting. You have been able to do your part in the sharpening of the sword which Germany's Notwithstanding the earnest protest of Emperors and Prussia's Kings gave to
our Government, the Imperial Germati their people, in order that they might Government at once proceeded to carry be able to stand this world-struggle out the policy it had announced, and And then you were called from retire expressed the hope that the dangers in ment to wield this sword. Folyod, at any rate for neutral vessels,
In a second speech General von Ludendorff
the Imperial interpreted Chancellor's speech as meaning that the occupied territories in the East are to KENT enjoy the blessing of Prussian-German administration, and said that the speech had consequently been heartily welcomed at Hindenburg's headquarters,
(TERQUDE, REUTERʼ8 AGENOT.]]
ANOTHER RAID
COAST.
ON
ENEMY SEAPLANE FELLEIT
LONDON, May 20th.
intermittent bombardment on the right. It is officially announced that at least of the Meuse and in Woevre. Our artil lery north-west of Rove shelled enemy supply depots, causing several fires Two strong German r
reconnaissaues north
of Boissons were dispersed
THE BRITISH FRONT.
ENEMY RAIDS.
LONDON, May 21st. General Sir Douglas Haig, in a com- unique states: After a heavy bom bardment the enemy last night raided our line south-west of Loos and entered & front trench, but was immediately eject d. The enemy also attempted to rush a post north west of Wieltje but was driven back, The Loyal North
Lancashires re-captured the crater at Vimy Ridge which the enemy captured on the 15th. There has been considerabile artillery activity to-day at points on our front, principally in, the Souchez region and north-east of Fau quis art. We exploded a mine to-day in the Hullach sector and occupied the
crater.
three seaplanes raided the east coast of. Kent at two o'clock in the morning. A
dozen explosive bombs were dropped on the Isle of Thanet, bat only a few windows were broken. Twenty-five bombs. were dropped on south-east Kent, where a soldier was killed, and a woman and a
Seaman were injured. The damage was insignificant,
One of the raiders was felled by a Naval patrol off the Belgian coast
GENERAL
(THROUGH REUTER'S LŒENOT.}
SWEDEN'S APPREHENSIONS
ALLAYED.
LONDON, May 21st.
THE CASE OF THE DERFFLINGER.
APPEAL DISALLOWED.
Judgement was delivered on April 7th in the case of the NDL se. Derflinger It was an appeal from the decision of His Britannic Majesty's Supreme Court of Egypt (in prize) to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in prize),
would be reduced to a minimum by the instructions it bad issued to the sub- marine commanders. It assured the Government of the United States that it would take every possible precaution, both to respect the rights of neutrals and to safeguard the lives of non combatants, A331 RÁNCES BROKEN
ence on the part of the commander of the vessel that fired the torpedo, might be Bought or entertained, but, anhappily, it does not stand alone. Recent events make the conclusion inevitable that it is only one instance, even though one of the most extreme and most distressing ine stances, of the spirit and method of war
which Germany has mistaken adopted, and which, from the first, he
exposed that Government to the reproach of thrusting all neutral rights aside in
the pursuit of its immediate object.
UNITED STATES' PATIENCE
The Government of the United Stat this distressing experience of tragedy has been very patient. At every stage of after tragedy in which its own citizens have been involved it has sought to b restrained from any extreme course of action or protest by thoughtful considera tion of the extraordinary circumstane-s of this unprecedented war and bas te a actuated in all it said and did by th sentiments, of genuino friendship which- the people of the United Sister buv always cntertained and continue fœenter - tain towards the German nation.
It has, of course, accepted the sxoc -- alve explanations and assurances of Gor many as given in entire sincerity: «» 3. good faith, and has hoped even agaita hope that, it would prova, possible for Germany so to order and control the acts of her asyal commandere ne to square her policy with the principles of human ity as embodied in the Law of Nat ons. It has been willing to wait until the signi. Scance of the facts became absolutely t mistakable, and susceptible of bat one in- tecpratation ES
What bas actually happened in the year since clapsed has shown that those hopes were not justified, that those assurances were not susceptible of being fulalled. In pursuance of the policy of submazine warfare against the commerce of its adversaries thus announced and entered by Germany despite the soleman protest of this Government, the com manders of German undersen vessels have attacked merchant ships with greater and greater activity, not only on the high seas surrounding Great Britain and Ireland, but wherever they could ancounter them, in a way that has grown more and more ruthless, more and more indiscriminate, as the months have gone That point bas now, unhappily, besi by, and less and les observant of reached. The facts are susceptible of but restraint of any kind. They have de-
one interpretation. The Imperial Ger livered attacks without compunction
gainst vessels of every nationality a Government has been unable to put bound on every sort of errand Vessels any limits or restraint upon its warfare ¿f neutral ownership, even bound from Therefore, it has become painfully-vi- against either freight or passenger ships. neutral port to neutral port, have been
dent that the position which this Govern destroyed, along with vessels of belligerent took at the very cutest is inevitabls 1914, August 2ad :—Arrived Port Baitlent ownership, in constantly increasing The journey cannot be continued on numbers. Sometimes the merchantmen
attacked have been warned and su nuon ed to surrender before being fired on or torpedoed, sometimes the passengers and crews have been vouchsafed the pour scenrity of being allowed to take to the ship's boats before she was went to the bottom. But again and again no warn- ing has been given, no escape even to the ship's boats has been allowed those on
Their Lordshipa judgment was as follows:-This vessel showed by her build that she was intended for conver, sion into a warship. The Hague Conven- tion therefore does not apply (see Article 5). She passed through the Canal, and arrived at Port Said on August end on a voyage from Yokohama to Bremen. Her log contains the following entrics
board. various
There has been much successful aerial work in the favourable weather. Yester day there were thirte
thirteen combats in the
The Daily Telegraph announces that the Anglo-French proposals (in which Rusia has sequiesced) that the forti fications on the Aland Islands shall be dismantle after the war have altayed apprehensions in Sweden. One of the immediate results will be the removal of the restrictions on the Swedish pul
export trade.
air, and two enemy machines were folled BRITISH OFFICER DECORATED Canal Convention had ceased to be
Trenches of communication cut to the behind the German lines. old fine Conspicuous coolness and
exemplary initiative are the phrases MAVAL ACTIVITIES. officially applied to the work of the Lan- tashire. Two subalterns were killed
[THEOTCH LEUTER'S AGENCY.]
LosDOR, May 21st,
It is stated in the Gazelle that the Albert Medal of the First Class has been awarded to Major C. L. Newall, of the
What this Government foresaw must happen has happened. Tragedy has fol towed tragedy on the eas in such a fashion and with such attendant circum stances as make it grussly evident thit warfare of such a sort-if warfare it be cannot be carried on without the most palpable violation of the dictates alike of right and humanity. Whatever the d'a position and intention of Germany, i has manifestly proved impossible for it to Leep such methods of attack upon the commerce of its enemies within th bounds set by either reason or the heart of mankind,
account of the war, a
August 3rd-Passengers and baggaga landedes
Under the International Suez Canal RESTRICTIONS ON PULP EXPORT Convention of 1889 she was entitled to
REMOVED.
use the Canal for the purposes of pass age. She had used it, and the above en tries show that her voyage of passage was over; that her journey was, in her view, rendered abortive by reason of the war, and that she had accordingly land ed her passengers and cargo Port Said was, on August and and 3rd, a neutral port. The war which caused the discon- tinuance of the ship's voyage was the war between Germany and France, and that between Germany and Russia. When war broke out on August 4th be tween Germany and Great Britain the vessel was lying in Fort Said, not in exercise of a right of passage, but by way of user of the port as a port of re- fuge Under these circumstances, the
operative, and she was not entitled to any protection The ship was a German In February of the present year Ger ship lying in an enemy port, and was a
many informed this and other neutral ship to which The Hague Convention did Governments of the world that it bad not apply. If any justification were reason to believe that the Government necessary for the subsequent acts of the of Great Britain had armed all the mer Egyptian and British Governments, it chant, vessels of Britial ownership and is found in the fact that the ship, while given them secret orders to attack any lying in the port, was using her wireless submarine enemy they might encounter for communicating information to the upon the seas, and that Germany felt German warships, the Goeben and the justified in the circumstances in treat Breslau. In their Lordships opinion, ing all armed merchantmen of belligerent the order for her confiscation was right, ownership as auxiliary vessels of war and this appeal should be dismissed
which it would have the right to destroy The order should be varied, however, so without warning The Law of Nations as to run "and as such or otherwise sub has long recognized the right of mer ject and liable to confiscation and con- chantmen to carry arms for protection demned the said ship as good and lawful
they would use them in such circum prize seized on behalf of the Crown and to use them to repel attack though and in other respects should be in the stances at their own risk, but Germany form of the order under appeal. Their aimed the right to set these understani Lordships will advise His Majestyings aside in circumstances which it deem accordingly. The appellants will payed extraordinary. Even the terms it the costs of the appea
which it sunounced its purpose thus still IRISH COMMISSION GOING
further to relax the restraints it had pre onely professed its willingness and da DUBLIN.
sire to put upon the operations of it submisrines, carried the plain implies tion that at least vessels which wers un LONDON, May 1st The Irish Commission goes to Dublin Mr Pearce, Australian Minister of armed would still be exempt from de Defence, a month, stated that he be struction without warning, and that per on Tumday
Lever Australik, is capable of applying sonst safety would be accorded to their new division and that probably author passengers and cresa But even the ity would be given in a few.days. He did limitation, if it is ever practicable to ob- Telegram rercise on Saturday, and not antisipate any difficulty in maintain serve it, had, in fact, constituted no check published in, 21
ing the necessary reinforcements for that all upon the destruction of ships of 223 no ferendam page 6-
Eve divisions siready sent.
early in the assault, and the non-commis BRITISH SUBMARINES AT 2nd Gurkhas, for extinguishing a fire
sioned offcera carried on unhesitatingly. The bodies of the enemy, whose casualties were heavy, are identified as Schleswig- Holsteiners, some of the best troops left ân Germany.
GERMAN AIR RAID.
PROMPTLY AVENGED BY FRENCH AND DELGIANS
PAR18, May 20th. 4:45 pm, ermmuniqué states: — å German attempt to rush a small post in the Vosges failed. German aeroplanes last: night bombed Dunkirk and Bergues, killing one and wounding twenty seven at Dunkirk, and killing five and wound- ing eleven at Bergues French and Belgian squadrons promptly avenged this lis hombing enemy camps, and an avia- -tion centre at Ghistelles.
WORK.
COPENHAGEN, May 21st,
A German steamer was torpedoed on the 17th by a British submarine. The
vessel tried to escape,
but was stopped by a shot. The crew were given ample time to escapie
RUSSIAN FRONT.
(THROUGH REUTER 8 AGENCY.]-
UNEVENTFUL FIGHTING.
PETROGRAD, May 20th
has
A communiqué states: -There been uneventful fighting, except in Persis, where the Russians occupied the town of Sakkyz and advanced to the village of Ban, south of lake Urmis.
at a large bomb store.
COTTON CONFERENCE
ADJOURNED,
LONDON, May 21st The conference of the representatives of the cotton employers and employes in Manchester yesterday was adjourned till
next week
TO
A SIXTH AUSTRALIAN DIVISION.
every sort
damely, that the use of the submarin, for the destruction of the enemy's com merce, of necessity because of the vers. character of the vessels employed and of the very methods of attack which their employment, involves, ie incompatilla with the principles of humanity, the long- established and incontrovertible rights of neutrals, and the sacred immunities of
non-combatants.
* THE MESSAGE TO GERMANY,
I have
ave deemed it my duty, therefore tɔ say to the Imperial German Government that, if it is still its purpose to prosecut relentless indiscriminate warfare against vessels of commerce by the use of ant
marines, notwithstanding the now fu monstrated impossibility of conducting that warfare in accordance with what the Government of the United State must consider the sacred and indisput able rules of International Law and the universally recognized dictates of human- ity, the Government of the United States is at last forced to the conclusion that. there is but one course it can puraan, and unless the Imperus! German Govern- ment now immediately declare and effect the abandonment of its present methods of warfare against passenger and freight carrying vessele, this Government will have no choice but to sever diplomatie ro latiors with the Government of the Ge man Empire altogether.
This decision I have arrived at withi the keenest regret The possibility of L action contemplated. I am sure all thoughtful Americans look forward to with unaffected reluctance, kat we can not forget that we are, in some sort, ind by the force of circumstances, responsil la spokesmen of the rights of humanity. We seem in process of being werd utterly cannot remain silent while those rights away in the maelstrom of this terrible. war. We owe it to the dun regard of our own rights as a nation, to our se of duty an a representative of the rights of neutrals the world over, and to a just conception of the rights of mankind to take this stand now
With the utmost solemnity and firmners. I have taken it, and I have taken it in the confidence that it will meet with your approval and support. All sober-minde mon must units in hoping that Germany which in other circumstances has stood as the champion for all we are now contend. ing for in the interest of humanity, may recognize the justice of our demands and meet them in the spirit in which they a1e