1916-05-24 — Page 5

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THE WAR.

GREAT BATTLE AT VERDUN.

HUGE GERMAN LOSSES.

BRITISH TRENCHES PENETRATED.

GERMANY'S ECONOMIC EXHAUSTION.

MORE VESSELS SUNK.

FRANCO-BELGIAN FRONT.

THROUGH REUTER'S AGENCY:]

TERRIBLE BATTLE AT VERDUN

GERMAN'S FUTILE ATTACKS TO

ARCURE DECISION.

PARIS, May 22nd. 1.30 pm.

A semi-official communication speaks of yesterday's terrible battle! as the greatest since April 9th The enemy

employed no fewer than five divisions on a front of seven miles, calculating that the shock would be sufficient to secure a decision. But aftor extraordinarily stubborn fighting the whole day, not only was the French line unbroken, but their counterattacks resulted in the capture of tactical German positions.

TRUITLESS GERMAN COUNTER-

ATTACKS

Panis, May 22nd

6.40 p.m. The most desperate: battle is proceed- ng at Verdun.

A communiqué states that infantry

actions have continued west of the Meuse, French bombers at Avocourt Wood galu- ud successes and occupied several block-

houses. The struggle is particularly do aparate in the region westward of Dont msn Hill, where several German at-

tempts to extend their progress were de feated by our curtain of fire and machine-guns. Then the French attack ed, recapturing part of the ground lost during Saturday night.

The Germans, east of the Mease, made counter-attacks on Haudremont and the Quarries which we captured yesterday, All the attacks were defeated, resulting in the heaviest German lossca, while the French, on the outskirts of Vaux, carried

to-day a German trench.

The Germans in Champagne discharg ed poison gas in the Souain and Hommepy zone, but the wind immediate ly changed and the clouds of gaa on veloped the German trenches.

SUCCESSFUL SURPRISE ATTACK,

Tanis, May 23rd

3.25 a.ms

A successful surprise attack in Bouchot Wood, on the heights of the Mouse, clear ed the German trenches for a length of 300 metres. We also captured prisoners

Our batteries in Argonne vigorously bombarded Nantillois, Montfaucon and Cheppy Wood. A French aeroplane.

pursued and overtook a German machine which was returning from bombarding Dunkirk and felled it north-east of Cassel Two enemy aeroplanes were folled in a fight in Alsace..

THROUGH REUTER'S AGENCY.]

TREMENDOUS BLAUGHTER OF

GERMANS.

PARIS, May 23rd.

8.15 p.m.

THE HONGKONG DAILY PRES WEDNESDAY, MAY 24th, 1916.

THROUGH REUZERS GENO

BRITISH TRENCHES

PENETRATED.

SIVERE GERMAN ATTACK

ACTIVITIES

THROUGH SLOTER'S AGEYCY.]

MORE GERMAN STEAMERS TORPEDOED,

{IBROUGH REUTER'S AGUNJOY.

THE IRISH COMMISSION,

DISCLOSURES OF FORMER

VICEROY

LONDON, May 22nd.

TAROCOM REUTER'S AGENCY.] GERMANY'S ECONOMIC

EXHAUSTION:

SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS

AMSTERDAM, May 22nd. The German newspapers state that a

Lord Wimborne, until lately Viceroy | new scheme, for organising the food supply, which the Bundesrath has been discussing, empowers the Chancellor to soiro and distribute all foodstuffs, fodder

of Ireland, giving evidence before the Irish Commission, emphasised that the doctrine had been established of the com

PETROGRAD, May ard.. A communiqué confirms the sinking of three German steaners in the Baltic by plete irresponsibility of the Lord and their raw materials and to fix the

COPENHAGEN, May 23rd

Russian subratines have sunk three LONDON, May 23rd.

more... large, German steamers in the General Sir Douglas Haig, in a com

Ves Baltic muniqué, states After hanvy bom-bo bardment all yesterday, which was most

interise in the afternoon, the enemy

attacked our positions at the north end

of Vimy Ridge and penetrated the front line of trenches on a front of 1,500 yards

and to a depth varying from 100 to 300 yards.

Our artillery to-day heavily bombarded the German positions.

Wo bring mines

at Roclincourt, Hohenzollern and the Quarries. There has also been mining activity at Nouville

and Floubraix. Both artilleries have

Russian submarine

SUBMARINE WARFARE.

SEVERAL VESSELS SUNK

LONDON May 23rd. The Italian sailing vessel Danta

Andrea has been sunk

Lieutenant. He had pointed out to Sir Matthew Nathan (Under Secretary), the absurdity of having to rely upon newspapers for his knowledge of cu

rent administration.. He obtained a

partial insight after repeated representa

The Swedish steamer Romlind has tions, and afterwards received daily re- been mined at Stockholm.

The crew were savet. The Greek steamer

zinastasius Caro-.

ports. He dealt with kis tour in tho south of Ireland and the west of Ireland, and ssid that everywhero the Sinnfezn

Y

sale price.

The authorities in the different States are obliged to obey the Chancellor's in structions.

According to the Berliner Tageblatt, Herr, Bottocki, President of the Ministry of East Prussia, becoines Foodstuffs Dictator.

AMSTERDAM, May Börd It is announced in Berlin that the Federal Council has authorised the

been active opposite Lens and east of yes, and the Italian steamer Birmaniæ movement was belittled. Lord Wimborne Chancellor to establish a new board Ypres. We obtained direct hits on have been sunk.

enomy battery cast of Blaireville. Enemy

seroplanes were active yesterday. Many A German submarine sank the steamer

MALEBILLES, May 23rd.

were engaged and driven off, One of our reconnaissance machines was forced

A semi-official communique states that there was a tremendous slaughter of Ger mans in yesteday's battle, wave after wave of infantry being pitilessly mown down. Shock columns followed these to land in the enemy lines. waves, but gusts of artillery drove them back to their trenches with bloody losses ITALIAN FRONT. and in great confusion. While the ene any were wasting their strength on the loft bank the French made assaults on FURIOUS AUSTRIAN OFFEN- the right bank, which remains the prin cipal battlefield The French also gained important ground on the Donaumont Plattait.

ENEMY NO NEARER OBJECTIVE.

The Times' correspondent at Paris, summing up the continuous and bloody

fighting at Verdun since Saturday after

noon says that Hill 295 of Morthomme is no longer completely in French hands.

The summit is now swept by the artille y of both sides. The price paid by the Germans for this success on a win! portion of the front attacked is enorm ons, and does not bring the enemy nearer

to the achievement of the objective with which he started on February 22nd.

FIBROUGH - REUTER'S AGENGZ.]

SIVE STEMMED.

AN IMMENSE EFFORT

four, May 22nd:

Languedoc on Saturday in the Me liter

Tanean:

The crew were saved, but the Captain was taken prisoner because he res sted

attack

THE NEAR EASI

(THROUGH REUTER'S AGENCY.I

FIGHTING ON THE TIGRIS.

REPORT FROM GENERAL LAKE

LONDON, May 22nd

General Lake reporta that the south

bank of the Tigris is clear of the enemy as far as Shattelbai, which river joins

It is somi-offeially announced that on the 15th inst there were on the Italian frout thirty-eight Austrian divisions drawn from Galicia, and the Balkans, and the Tigris opposite Kut. Except for some were new formations Sixteen small rearguarde covering the bridgð divisions of the best troops were intended | over the Sai, some 6,000 yards from its for an offensive on the sector between junction with the Tigris, the British the Adige and. Brentn.”

The Austrians had also massed in Trentino their heaviest artillery taken from the Russian front,

main form has reached the Ime from Mogasin to Dujailab, which is about two miles inside the Essinn positions. The enemy on the north bank are still occupy- Thus it is evident that the Austriansing Sanorgat. The temperature is uver launched an immetice effort against our hundred in the shade. front, but our brave army stems the furious offensive and is most confident in

The assault was carried out with eight successive waves of infantry at the final outcome intervals of fifty hards. The whole of a Bavarian Brigade participated. They FIERCE ENEMY ONSLAUGHT. were caught by the machine-guns and lost forty per cent of their effectives be fore they got to grips with the French, infantry. After this there was bayonet and bomb fighting which cost the enemy dearly,

It is estimated that seventy five per cent of the assailants were killed or wounded The artillery preparation for the assault culminated on Saturday afternoon, & concentration of sixty bal feries on the south-western and north eastern slopes of Morthomme obliterat ing the first French line, The enemy's assaulting columna, as is now his custom were preceded by `n skirmishing recon taissance consisting of Officers, Non- Coms, and volunteers. The enemy's pas session of trenches has not disturbed the fighting, which continues in the most ferce manner.

AIR FIGHTS AT VERDUN.

GERMAN LOSSES.

PARIS, May 2210. 5,30 p.m.

A communiqué states: –French an o planes at Verdun attacked German cap

tive balloons and six fell to the ground

ablaze There have also been air, vrim-

hats in which three German zeroplanes. fell. French Lombarding air-squadrons successfully attacked railway stations in

REPULSED WITH GREAT

SLAUGHTER

HOME May 23rd. A communiqué states: There have been minor actions in the Tonale and Adamello zones, and weak energy attacks between Garda and the Adige. There was a fierce enemy onslaught on the left bank of the Adige, but this was repulsed with great slaughter. The Austrians, sut ported by numerous powerful guns, have continued successive attacks Astico, Brenta and the Sugana valley,

RUBBIAR FRONT.

ITBROUGH REUTER 5. AGENCY:]

MESOPOTAMIA MATTERS.

PAPERS TO BE PUBLISHED.

LONDON, May 3rd.

called the War Feeding Office, which * will be empowered to seize áll foodstuffs,

said that he imagined that the charges. against the Irish Government would he those of supine blindness and irrésolu- tion in dealing with the Sinnfein move- ment. He had often formed independent and divergent views from those of the Irish Executive. He pressed the War Office to the effect that another division of troops should be trained in Ireland, but it was objected that this would delay, sending the troops to the front. Lord Wimborne added that he suggested that the Sinnfeiners should be deported or interned, but Sir Edward Carson, as Attorney-General, considered deporta

tion an extreme interpretation of the Defence of the Realm Act

Lord Wimborne declared that he

strongly urged the arrest of the Biun Feiners, and wrote to Mr A Birrell when the outbreak occurred The worst has happened. ~ If only we had arrested the leaders last night as I wanted it might have been averted. He said that he'also brought his auxieties about Ireland before the other Cabinet Ministers.

MORE IRISH REBELS SENTENCED.

fodder and their raw materials in the Empire, and to regulate their sale and consumption. Herr Bottocki has been appointed President of the Board

WITH GENERAL SMUTS. FIGHTING IN LAND OF SURPRISING BEAUTY

LONDON, May 23rd. Router's special correspondent with General Smuts says that the campaigning is in a land of mirprising beauty, with snow-cooled torrents, and deep, dark forests dominated by the mountain of Kilmanjaro, which the natives worship as a fetish The land is infestod by lions, leopards and other big game, so much so that a cockney chauffeur com plained that it was a blooming 200 whore the animals were not locked up at night."

Round Moshi are the great. German coffee and rubber plantations. Most of the trade is in the hands of Greeks or | Indians. All the German houses - are loxpholed, testifying to the grim rela- tions exiting between the natives and the Germans colonista.

The correspondent states that had the onvaloping movement in the advance on Moshi been quicker" a great capture would have been made, but the densely- wooded country delayed the operations, and General Van de Venter, who was to have enveloped the enemy's left, was held up by a crocodile infested river and so was unable to intercept the enemy,

NEW GERMAN FINANCE SMINISTER.

LONDON, May 22nd. There have been nine more Court Martial sentences in Ireland, including one death sentence at Dublin and another

at Wexford. These have now been com- uted to ten years and five years penal

AMSTERDAM, May 22nd servitude,

The other sentences Fary Lorraine, succeeds Dr. Helfferich as Count Roedern, Becretary for Alsace

Minister of Finance

fter_commutations, from one to ten years, and they include two at Dublin and five in Galway

MR. ASQUITH AND IRELAND STATEMENT ON THURSDAY

*** In the House of Lords, Lord. Islington sunounced that the papers giving General Townshends representations to General Nixon will be published in a few days. The papers regarding the operations i Mesopotamin have entailed considerable peorrespondence with the Raj and the departments concerned. Bleps were being taken to accelerate their prepara

ion, but the precise date could not be given at present. He asked for notice of the question whether the papers would. include the private telegrams which had passed between the Viceroy of India and Mr. Austen Chamberlain, itaq Secretary pa for India

between As

BEOUGH EEGTER 6 AGENDY,

THE RUSSIAN SWEEP IN ASIA MINOR.

TEUTONS ASSISTING THE TURKS

LUNDON May 22nd

A telegram from Bucharest dated the 16th instant states-Fone thousand Ger man troops are expected in Bagdad in June Twelve thousand Austrians are already there,

GENERAL TOWNSHEND.

TAKEN TO ISLAND IN SEA OF

MARMORA

LORDON, May 22nd.

It is officially announced that the American Ambassador au Constantinople

announces

that Major-General Town- shoud and staff go to the Island of Priakopo, – and will be allowed full liberty

LONDON, May 23rd -

Mr. Asquith held some informal con- saltations last night those attending in: cluding Mr. Lloyd George and Mr. John Redmond

It is announced that Mr. Asquith will Bot make his statement

Dr. Edifferich has been appointed Minister of the Interior and Deputy Imperial Chancellor.

INDIA'S HOARDED WALTH.

SHOULD BE TAPPED FOR LOAN PURPOSES.

LONDON, May 22nd, Professor Foxwell, in a lecture before the Royal Institution on "The Finance of the Wer, said that he could not understand why we had not tried to tap the large hoards in India for loan pur poses,

regarding | THE PORTUGUESE PARLIA-

MENT

Ireland till Thursday. Meanwhile, ho

will continue his consultations and the

Cabinet will review the situation.

WOMEN ON THE LAND.

A WARNING TO FARMERS

LONDON, May 23rd.

In the House of Commons, Mr. Acland, speaking on the agricultural estimates, warned farmers that they must not be pre- judiced against women working on the land. The danger point had been resched Most of the officers and men of his

Sou regards the agricultural labour post- Division who were captured are still at

HATTEN tion, He sirmed that 970 fishing vessels and 500 lives had been lost or were in the hands of the enemy, but falming proceeded

* The Turka are weakening their defances at Constantinople and are sending all possible reinforcements to Asia Minor, concentrating a large foris at Marash, three days to the north-east of Alexan-Kut and Bagdad, where there are ample drette

GERMAN TRENCHES OCCUPIED

Left of the Meuse we have continued to progress. South of Hill 287 we forced the enemy to evacuate a amall work the regions of Metz and Royo They also GERMAN ATTACKS REPULSEDne Islands, called the Princes Islands, in regularly (Cheers.)

which he had occupied since the 18th. dropped bombs on two munitions depots Our counter-attacks west of Mortbomme and bivouace between Thiraville, and drove it enemy from some new trenches Mets and attacked the Headquart ra he had occupied. Our infantry, on the establishment Two French aeroplanes right of the Mense, after powerful artil. | also dropped bombs on German railway Jury preparation, assaulted German posi- lines northward of. Verdon. tions on a front of two kilometres from

the west of Thiaumont farm to the esat of Dounamont fort. Our troops 88 9 result of the attack, carried ” German trenches and penetrated Donaumont fort of which the enemy still holds the north- ern part Numerous prisoners remained

In our hands.

FROM MACEDONIA TO FRANCE.

LONDON, May 23rd. Deserters who bavo arrived Salonika conarm the departure of the German troops on the Berbian frontier for France.

PETROGRAD, May 23ro

A COMMUNIQ Le mentions, the repulse of German attacks north of Lake Narcaz essent and north-west of Czartorysk Elsewhere from the Gulf of Rign to the Rumanian frontier, there have been only fusilludes

90,000 GERMAN TROOPS FOR RUSSIAN FRONT.

Recently 80,000

beem

the Austrians

URICH May 23rd

medical stores.

Prinkspo is one of the largest of the group

the Sea of Marmona, -- 13 touts, south Constant ople, near the coast of Asia Minor

REAT ENT

BRITISH GERMANY

LORD ROBERT CECHIPS

STATEMENT REN

LONDON, May 22nd.

Bommons

treatment

COLONEL HALL WALKEB.

NOPPOSED RETURN TO

COMMONS-

A CONTIDOST

May 23rd

Colonel Hal Waller has been re-elected,

for the Widnes division of shire, this was necessita

of his racing stura

rent for wat purposes

PRINCE OF WALES.

LONDON May 23rd

Lisbon, May 2nd, Parliament has been prorogued till December 2nd.

NEW PRINCIPAL OF

EDINBURGH UNIVERCHY.

LONDON, May 23rd. Sir James Ewing has been appointed principal of Edinburgh University..

DOUBLE MUR, ER IN SHANGHAI.

SUPPOSED POLITICAL MOTIVE.

Two Chinese one of whom is believed to have been the notorigen Chan Chi-mez, can prominently connected with the rebellion, of 1911, when he was military Governor of Shanghai were assassiniste d and three others wounded in the Raa Chapsal French Concession, Shanghai, on the evening of the 16th inst. **** Shortly before, six o'clock a motor ear. containing seven or eight Chinese of good appearance,}< drove up to the entrance to shortly afterwårda (says. the NC. Daily Yeu) the reports of a number of revolver shots were beard by passers by and also some shoute. - Almont, unmediately the Chinese were Been ning out of the house. The chau

the noise, had ome, frightene

hilo. bolted,

tions

The Prince of Wales bas returned from ed later

the front