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About The Oregon statesman. (Salem, Or.) 1916-1980 | View Entire Issue (March 5, 1918)
' TixTY-SKVKXTH YKAIl XO. 2 1 " i ' ' ' S,A ' l ' Mil I'M ll'l.7.'tV Tl'imitV MIIIIVIVI' illr-ll ik uu : : I . . . .. ...377 JAPAN MAY ACT QUICKLY : IN SIBERIA Russian Peace Pact v Makes Protection of Military Stores Imperative Need; Japan Maintains Secrecy SWEDEN PROTESTS MOVE BY GERMANY Entente Unable to Help in East ; Text of Peace Terms Awaited WASHINGTON. March 4. Mul ctary action by Japan in Eastern Si beria to check German Influence and protect war stores at Vladivostok is believed here to be Imminent. . The United States has not yet expresseJ Its views on the proposed step, but It was aald in diplomatic quartern to tight that the Japanese probably would inove quickly to meet emerg ency conditions, leaving to the pend ing diplomatic exchange develop ment of an understanding with America and all the allies upon the ; trope and purpose of the enterprise. 1 While it has nO dlr -ct bearing i'p ' on the situation In Asiatic Russia, - the ncwi which came today to the Swedish legation that Germany ha given notice of her Intention to oc cupy the whole of Finland will tend to batten an agreement upon Japan's plans. The German exolanatlon to .the Swedlch foreign office, which hat protested against the proceeding tbat the occupation-in to resM'e or der and without lotent to take per manent possession. . I regarded very clear indication of what tho Teuton may undlake In any part ot Knuia sow tbat the fsolshevlkl . Inrt been forced to accept their Jjard peace demands, : ' Japan Maintain Secrecy, r Officials and diplomats here itj fes larnoran'e of what preparation have been made by Japan for . tbv operation about to be undertaken. As a matter -of course necrecy haa befj obitrved and a strict censor ship in regard to tb Siberian ques tion Is In force tt Toklo. Possibly the next word to t orne out of Japan on th bject will be an annotince- tnent rf sonjethln? u-compllshil. In this connection, it Is recalled that at the beginning of the Husso Jfpnnfe war the Japanese acted without heralding. HeTore there was sny such formality as a declaration of war, a tttisian fleet had been imsfhed nnd the war was half won. 'It hasbeen stated in official qnar iers .that this Is no concern of thv entente allies nor of America how Japan eoen abou the task, once the aueafion of policy is settled. If the decUlnn is reachet' to stive Japan a free hand ii Kastrn Siberia, It i now conceded that ro other military or naval power is in position to render her any subntintlal aid, ow In to laf k of avallabU..,forces, In .a. diplomatic way,' the situation i has remained un:hangrrd since the middle or last week. Tle state de partment has not Indicated 'to the Japanese government what may be Ha. view of the new aituation created by the signing of peace artUles by the iSolshevikl. The statement made fecently by Viscount Motono that Japan had a working agreement with the entente allies and A met lea la regard to this question, it is said, hs irtPn too literally. Interpreted. Officials say that what the viscount probably meant was that there exist ed a sympathetic undemanding on the subject. -I Kit nation I Iellcae. In seeking an iii'derstariolng as to f6pe, before going on recoit' as sup Prting the J a par. cue action the American governrneit ia understood to hold that while it has every con ydence. In the -'proper Intentions -f Jspan, it would 1m easier to convince neutral nations and moreover would enable Anu rlca and the allies to d.o Pat inr Cerman d'sl;n to organize be discordant elements in Ttussla on the German peace terms were there some formal a surane that Kusslan Integr'y would nt be made to suf jr. A high official today expressed in opinion that, for thl reanon the situation wan delicate and required y careful tvaltnent at the hand .'f the pre' to-avoid embarrassin I t 'iin4erBtandlngs. Informaflnn s wnnted regarding l" exact term of the 'peace signed " Brest-Utovsk and It if pointed th Vhat there. Is nn yet r.o nnnnran nat the ternis forced upon I,enln nd Troltky would be accepted by e 'Kusslan people. Should there b a resumption of the ItiiKHlnn defend "gal mt Oermany, that fact would an effect upon the situation In B'rla, ss Jt might easily make pos sii'bj a friendly ftsrepment letween sia and Japan, whereby the lat .r iwrnmciit would be authorlzeii y' wxe any military action needed to ca rry out her guarantee of peace the far cast SIX AMERICANS ARE DECORATED BY CLEMENCEAU Premier Rewards With Palm for Heroism' in Recent German Raid YANKS SHOW MODESTY Soldier Is Patted on Back and Told; "That's the Way to Do It" WITH THE AMERICAN ARMV IN FRANCE, Sunday, 1 larch 3. Pi em ier Clemenceaus!. who spent today on the American front northwest of Toul, decorated two Iteuti-nantH, two sergeants and two prlvatea with the Croix de Guerre with the palm for heroism which they displayed In the recent German raid In thjs secton. ! On of the lieutenants comes from Brooklyn and the other from Charles ton, S. C. Both rren went out into No Man's I,and in broad daylight and got a Germin prisoner. i M. ClemenCeau, accompanied by two Kineh generals, arrived ut American headquarters at the front at an early hour and immediately went to where the troops were drawn tip on three aldez of a square In companies. 'The name of the men to be dee orated were called and they stepped up, the French premier pinning the decorations on them and eaylng a word to each. I American Im Modest. i One he patted on the shoulder and said: 'That's the way to do it." The American blushed and reified to the ranks. i One of the French rnersil afl to a lieutenant, newly disrated: "We have cot the boehes down a:rl we shall put them down deeper if we kep working as we have." ; At the end of the ceremony n younc private came running ulvnz hurriedly. He pok for a moment with hi captain, ferinic apparently tbat h was goinc to lom his meda!. The captain llreetei him to proce.J to M. Clernetceau's automobile, which he did. 'ibe premier stepped out and slapped blrn on the ba'.-k, handing him his ar ewrn. Oit; of the generals remarked laughli'Kly: "Never rnlnd about beln? lale. VoJ were on time the other mornlnf. That is enough." 1 The soldiers, in his excltment and glory of the moment, forget to fa lute, but an American genettil tame to bis rescue, whispering "salute, salute," , None of the soldier vzn wear their honors ttntii authorized byt congress. t Yankt eM Impress Ireinicr, t I The premier went far forward lnt an observation point oveilooking Ho Man's Land, the German pordtions and the country In the distance, then hidden in th haze, lie entered several dugouts under the ruinx cf bouse?, broueht down since tne ar rival of the American troops. A few shells, both friendly and hoHtiled, overhead while M. Clemeneeau war, there, but none drepped near. The premier e rned especially impressed with the sturdy, heal.hy appearance f the Amerieanseveu thoe caked In mud who had Just returned from the front line. He fpnt the after noon in Inspecting the btlM In many (Continued on Page .) ALLIES READY ! FOR ANY BLOW Devastating Blast of Fire j Awaits Enemy, Says Win i ston ChurchilL i IXfJON. MarVh 1. Winston Kpencc!' Churchill, speaking at the Mansion house today at a meeting if the Ang'o-Frecnh society In celebra tion of the anniversary of Verdun, said: j "in a few weeks, perhaps, a few days, the Germans must -either at tack on the west 'front or expose tV act that taey are incompetent to deliver a grat offensive. In tha hush before this Impending event It Is pleasant to reflect that our array is Wronger and better equipped than ever before and that the German at tack will be received with the moat devas.itlng Mast of artillery fire In the l'istory. of the world." Mr. Churchill, speaking with ref erence to a league of nations, saTd: "It l Important that the league should be founded on the basis, of truth and sincerity. There can he no room In th league for a kaiser ridden Oermany." i On the ejuestion of AIace-Ior-ralne he saids "We riHh th Importance to Franco and Europe of the liberation of A!aa.ee-Iralne fom the v!l and blltery -tyra'nny of fippression In which t has Jong I een b'ld. W seek this in no nt o eonnuest, t ut becaudo we know t.hrt the troubles which now enuif lit largely arie from the mlxaovernment of those provinces by Germany and tho crime which wrcatcd ttem froa France.." TERRITORIES . FROM RUSSIA Bolshevik! Agrees to Have No Hand in Determining Future Fate of Territories; Terms of Peace Four ANATOLIAN PROVINCES REVERT TO (TURKEY Russia Agrees to Give Up Dis tricts of Erivan, Kars and Batoum AMSTERDAM. March 4. The peace treaty signed 'between the four central powers and- Russia, accord ing to a dispatch received here from ilerlln, says the powers mentioned nave agreea to terminate tne state of war and brine about peac as quickly as possible," and that, theie fore, the plenlpotent'aries signed the following articles: Firt The central powers anl Russia declare the state of war be tween them to be terminated ami are resolved henceforth to lUe In peace and friendship with one another. Second The contracting nations will refrain from all agitation or provocation against other signatory governments and undertake to spare the populations of the regions occu pied by the powers of the quadruple entente. Third The regions lyU g west of the line agreed upon by the con tacting parties, awl formerly be longing to Russia, si all no lonrr be under Russian sovereignty. It - ia agreed that fh lie appears from thet appended map, 'o. 1, which, an agreed upon, forms an eeh!la! part of the peace treaty. The fixing of the line in the west will be settled h the tVrman-RnsuLm mixed commis sion. The regions In qu stfons will have no obligation whatever toward Rnsala, arising Trom thtlr forme" relations thereto, Russia under takes to rrain from all interfer ence !n the' Internal affairs of thesa territories and to let Germany and Austria Ideterlmne the future fate of these territories Jn agreement with th'r peculations. Fourth Germany and Austria agree, when a general pae is con cluded and Russian demobilization li fully completed, to evacuate the re gions east of the line designated In Article 3. No, .1, Insofar as Article does not stipulate otherwise, Rus sia will do everything in her power to complete as soon as possible the evacuation rf the Anatolian prov inces and their orderly return to Turkey. The district of Krlvan, Kars and flat on tit will likewise, with out delay, be evacuated by the Rus sian troops. Rt'ssia will not Inter fere In the reorganization of the con stltutlcfil or Internal conditions of these districts, but leave It to the populations of the districts to carry out the reorganization, in agreement with the neighboring states, particu larly Turkey. - Anti-La Follette Movement In Wisconsin Is Waning MADISON, Wis., March 4. Tt was a week ago that the Wisconsin staie assembly took up the matter of re cording Its loyalty In terms which also criticised Senator La Follette, but the recording had not been at tained tonight. . A foietioon and an afternoon, and a night session today fulled to mus ter the required n timber of legislat ors for a quorum and the prospect was that the desired attendance would not le on hant until tomor tow night, if then. License Granted for Exporting of Pork WASHINGTON. March 1 Follow ing the food administration's an nouncement of an increased supply of pork and pork products, the war trade loard announced tonight that licenses to export those commodities to certain countries In South Ameri ca and- Central America, the West Indies and West Africa, will be grant cd for a limited time. The license will b good for sixty days. British Columbia to Pick Sccceisor for Brewster VICTORIA, n. C March 4. Lib eral members of tie Ilritish Colum tla legislature were to bold a cau cus tomorrow night "o choose a lead er to fill the vaeanc.' caused by tho death of llreiuier II. C. Urewst?r. The choice win depei d entirely on the vote of the caucus and the man chosen will be summoned by th" lieutenant governor to form a new goverryment. Ry proclamation tomorrow will bo a holiday in government offices a 4 ia tribute to the memory of the late premier. Tho funeral will be held tomorrow from the parliament build Ir.gs, where the body llet la state. HUNS TAKE -iCERMAN 'KULTUR' NOW IS SAVED, KAISER DECLARES Emperor Grateful to God That German Sword Has Brought Peace ARMY LEADERS PRAISED Paper Declares Peace in East Now Leaves Full Strength for West RKRI.IN, March 4 (via London) Emperor William, according to an official announcement made today on the conclusion of peace between Germany and Russia sent a telegram to Count' von Hertling, the German imperial chancellor, reading as fol lows: "The German sword.wlelded by great army leaders, has brought peace with Russia. With deep grati tude to God, who has been with ut, I am filled with proud Joy at tho deeds of my army and the tenacious lerseveraneo of my people. It is of especial satisfaction to me that German blood nd German kultur have been saved. Accept my warm est 4han!'s for your faithful and strong cooperation in the great work. KHiooIm to ?ke Ilolida. AMSTERDAM, March 4 The German press greets the advent of peace with Russia as a master strok e The German emperor's telegram to Chancellor - von ilertllng Is jlacard ed throughout Frlin. Flag's are flying cverywhert and the shooh will have a holiday tomorrow. The Iseipslg Neuste Naehrlehten's Derlln correspondent say that ne gotiations with Her hi a and Monte negro are a matter of a few weeks, as both, like Rumania, are out of the war and must sign peace. AMSTERDAM. March 4. Discus tiiig the changed condition caused by the Russian peace, the Kolnlsehe Vol kxzelt iing savs: "Peace In the east gives us one free hand and w now turn with all oar trengt?i to the west. Should not that make tht yiemy peoples reflect?" lenders ,re Praised. AMSTERDAM. March 4 The Rer un I,okal Anzeiger. a copy of which has been received here, commenting Pe the Russian peace compact, says: i "We turn our thankful gaze to IsLheadquartt rs. to the kaiser who gave Von lilndenburg a id Von i,na?naorr a free hand, and ti those two bril liant, energetic men themselves; rmt we also thank Count von Mertlln'j and Dr. von Kuehlmann respective ly Imperial chancellor and foreign minister), ... "They performed their task "With firmness and tenalous perseverance. The Vosslsche Z'ltung says: "The overwhelmli g coalition which opposed us has brt ken and the en suing struggle Is s'mpllfled." J Other German newspapers receiv ed here rejoice over "the brilliant leadership' of Von lilndenburg and Von .Ludendo-f. Wilton DeiKMided on. AMSTERDAM. March 4. The Frankfurter Zeitung, commentm'? on the recent speech of A. !. Ral four. the Iiritish foreign secretary, says: - ' "The decision as to whether the war. with all its horrors, shall con tinue to preliminary discussions re garding tho possibility of peace, de rends today more on President Wil son than on the governments of tho European entente." The newspaper finds some parts of Mr. Malfour's speech deserving of consideration and regards its moderate tone as a welcome sign. It contends that the demand for the evacuation of Relgium and repara tion In the case of that country should only be acceded to If the en tente is able to force Germany out of Uelglum. J ' . itirkiir on ili t to know. It ladds, "that' the maximum conces sions of both swiea can onty oe r- -cd by negotiations." President Wilson Fully Informed by Allies LONDON. March 4. Replying to a question In the house of commons today as to whether copies or all treaties, secret or public, and all oth r nemoranda of other agreements to which Great Rritaln has become a narty since August 4. 15M4. have been communicated to President Wilson. Foreign Secretary Ralfour saldr s "President Wilson is kept fully In formed by the allies." T New York State May Have Prohibition Referendum aThANY. N. Y.. March 4.A ref erendrfm on the question of Mate wide prohibition in preference l' ratification of the federal amend ment, was recommended (4 the ae tonight In the.report of the commit tee on taxation and retrenchment. MEISONTO LEAVE CITY, HE RESIGNS Resignation of Councilman From Sixth Ward Is Accept ed With Regret Will Farm in Canada MORRIS FIRM HIGH IN BID FOR BONDS Objections To Reassessment on South High Street Prop erty Overruled R. 8. Melson. city councilman frera the sixth ward. Submitted his resig nation at the meeting of the council last night, giving as bis reason that he Is going to leave Salem. The resignation was tccepted with re grets. The resignation goes into ef fect March 15. Between March 16 and 20 Mr. Mel son will leave for Saskatchewan, Canada, where he will take up farm ing, lie has served on the aider? manic board for more than a year and has made a food record, A councilman from the sixth ward to take Mr. Melson'a place will be elect ed at the net meetfnr. Mr. Melson'a place at the Capital National bank will be filled by A. A. Oueff roy, who will resign as book keeper In the office of City Recorder Race to accept the place. The re corder was instructed last night to employ a bookkeeper in Mr. Gnef froy's place at a stlary not to exceed that paid at present. AH Object font- CTemi!e!. On repott and te-ommendatlon rf the special commltUe, Aldermen Ho rn h and Roberts, on reassessment for the South High street improvement, the council lat night overruled all objection mace to the reassessment by the propert owners 00 that street. The clt attorney was. in structed to start foreclosure pro ceedings on all property that Is d' Ilnouent In street assessments for a period of seven year's or more, and the city treasurer was Instructed to Issue certificates of delinquency on all property that has been delinquent for a peitod of not less than fire years. Salem people will enjoy open-air band concerts again next summer. The committee on parks was In structed to enter Into a contract with the band for eighteen concerte at a cost of $1450. ' Hood Are Hold. Among a large number of bidder on the city bond Issue oft $31,000, Morris brothet of Portland were highest at $732.50 premium, Other firm bids were: Lumbermen's Trust company, $500; United States Na tional bank. Salem. $417.67; E L. Devereaux It, Co., $469.50; Ladd c Hush, $324.17; Keeler brothers, $162; Harper Jb Sons. $81.01. The council voted to authorize the city recorder to pay the city library board $500 a month until the ap propriation Is exhausted. Alderman Ward said .that money on hand had run so low that the salaries for Feb ruary have not yet been paid. The street clmmlttee was author ized to sell all unnecessary machin ery which it has on hand and to buy ten tons of hay. The committee was directed to investigate the feasibility, of buying a motor truck for use of the city. I An ordinance was passed adjust ing salaries in the fire department. An ordinance assessing the cost of Improvement 0 I) street was read first and second times and referred to the ordinance committee. Berlin Paper Says French Premier's' Report Is True COPKNIIAOKN. March . 4. Ac cording to the elirlin Tageblatt. and the Berlin Lokal Anzelger, copies of which have been received here, the statement marie hv tho French tmu elttn minister. M.ichon, last Frl-j day. that the derma chancellor sent word to Paris in Jtly, IK 14, thai Germany would require as a guaran tee of the neutrality of France, tle handing for the period of the war with Russia, the French fortresses of Toul and Verdun, was accurate. Residents Near' Salem Want Electric Lights Residents of a small area of ler-litoi-y Immediately adjacent to th-? south city limits ol Salem have peti tioned the public service commis sion to require the Portland Railway, Liaht & Powoj- company to furnish electricity for Hchtlnc purpose.. They declare that the extension of wiring and the attendant expense would be very slight. The petition ers claim they have asked the com pany to furnish the accommodation' but that it has refused. Those sIgnH' ing the petition are: P. M. Rupert, T. L. Davidson, C. A. Ratcllff, Frank K. Robinson, J, 8. Henderson, J. 8. Gingrich. F. ti. Uowersox. A. W. !llaek, L. W. Pot ter, J. N. Smith and It. Anderson. LOGGERS TO GET SAME PAY' FOR EIGHT-HOUR DAY Close of Conference With Em 1 ployers Greeted With1 Cries of Approval OVERTIME PAY ALLOWED Future Trouble in Charge of Colonel Disque, Director of Spruce PORTLAND, March 4.-Workmen in the forests of the Pacific north west for the government1 are to re ceive pay for eight hours at the same rate as the ten hours pay hereto fore In effect, and for all time work ed above eight hours in any day they will receive pay tt the rate of time and a half. AH differences bitween the men and thetr employers aris ing hereafter will be referred to! Colonel Rrlce P. Disque, director of the spruce production bureau, and both sides will abide by his deci sion. Agreement upon these points were the chief accomplishments of a con ference held here today between Colon b Disque and delegates from the various spruce districts representing the Ixiyal Legion of Ixgzer and Lumbermen. All spruce districts of Oreaon and Washington were repre sented. The resolution providing: for the referring of future differences to Colonel Dlrqttc was adopted by the delegates! unanimously. Colonel Disque himself announced the ar rangement as to pay for overtime, and it was greeted with yells of ap proval. The conference adjourned late today and the vorkmen at a -ted back to the various places of em ployment. Unpatriotic Literatare 1 ; Found on Bible Student COUER D ALENB, Idaho, March 4, Fred Miller, who said be came here from Spokane and' was a mem ber ttf- the International Dible Stu dents' association, today wa order id by the county council of defense to turn over to the sheriff within 21 hours all books and literature of the association in his possession. Members of the council who exam ined Miller and W. J. Raxter, a merchant of this city, also declared, to be a member pt the association, this afternoon, declared they found the books belnjr circulated here by Miller to be of unpatriotic nature. Hereafter no forelan language may be used In any public meeting in th county the council ruled. School for Army Dentists , Will Begin on March IS WASHINGTON., March 4 To meet the demand for dental surg eons for the new soldiers, a school for army dentists Is to be established at Fort Oglethorpe, fla.. under the supervision of Surgeon (Jeneral Gor gas. The first term will begin on March 15, with 8: students. It i3 planned to admit this number every r.O days. The war department ex pects to obtain nearly 1000 -qualified dentists within a year from thii source. WIRELESS OUTFIT IS TAKEN IN RAID Apparatus Powerful Enough for Communication With Germany Found NEW YORK. March Y Wireless apparatus sufficiently poverful to communicate with German, which was In Hie possession of Richard Pfund. once mana-er of the German Telefunken plants at fcavllfe. N. Y.; and Tuekerton, N. J., was seized yes terday by 'federal officials, it became known today. The outfit was found In the tower of the office building at No. 1 11 Rroadway. The raid was made bv United States government agents. They were refused admission by Pfund. who occupies the four floors of the tower as a laboratory. He said he was doing experimental work for the navy and that they had no right to Interfere. He unlocked the door only when the officers threatened t" break I. Pfund ! said to have made an explanation concerning the presence of the apparatus but the nature of it has not been disclosed. He was not taken into custody, alfitotigb it is understood the Inquiry has not been completed. His assertion that he had been doing work for the navy was verified, but no announcement was made as to its nature. Fllil OFHUKIS Complete Mastery Over Reg ions of East Is Ambition cf Germany Following Sign ing of Peace Pact With Ru sian Bolshevik! x OBSTACLES IN WAY OF INVASION BY JAPANESE Russians Blow Up Railway Bridges ; Austrians Over Run Little Russia, riectbj , Little Resistance. (Ity The Atnoialtd ITe$) Although the military operations along the western front la France and Uelglum daily are growing la magnitude until it seems apparent that fierce battles cannot much long er be delayed, the situation in Rus sia continues to hold an absorbing place In public interest tbrougLout the world. Scant advices from Petrogrsd are coming; through, but those tbat are finding their way out o. the tormoll ridden capital at Petrograd Indicate that while the Germans hare crigr l operations in Great Russia, follow ing the signing- of the pe.ice eompa't with, the Rolshevlkl, thty now aro striking against Finland, end tbat in thq,- south the Antro-l'U8KirU&--are making inroads Into Podolla id , an endeavor to drive out the licU -sheviki and thus secure an untran. ' fuelled hold on the country upon which so much dependency has been placed for the feeding of the Teu tonic allies. I'lnnlsh (Vmtrol Germany's Aim. While ostensibly the German ope rations in Finland which are being carried out f roT bases in the Allan! Islands Jiave sc their purpose the driving of the Finnish revolutionist! and Dolsbevlk red awards from Houthern Finland, It is probably Germany's ambitions in this region have in view -the securing a control of Southwestern Finland to as far ss Jlelslngfor. This stretch of territory along ,tbe northern shores of the Gulf of Finland, taken in conjunc tion with the holdings of tbe Ger mans on the southern shore to tho region of Reval, would give the In vader absolute mastef over tbe western approaches to tbe gulf and paralyze completely the movements of Russlanships of war or commerce Into the Raltlc. The contents cf the peace treaty between the Gertians and the Hoi sheviki have not y?t been made pub lie, but there is n- room for doubt that the Teuton representatives ex acted from the Ru.lans a price in keeping with their f.ilLleslres. JThe . treaty Is to be ratified nxt Thursday. Little IliomLa Overrun. In Podalia, the Austro-Tlungarlan forces evidently are meeting with slight resistance as they overrun Lit-, tie Russia. A strong Indication of' this is the Vienna itatement taht they already have ciptured more than 700 guns and 1000 machine gunds. and in addition large quanti ties of war material. In Eastern Siberia the Bolshevist elements evidently are placing: obsta cles in the way of a possible Japan ese Invasion of that territory. Al ready they have destroyed bridge along the Trans-Si bet lan railway between Lalke Ilaikal and the Chi nese frontier, In addition to having mined for eventual dentrwetlon. if necessary, other portions of tbe rail way line. Since Sunday the Germans have left the, Americans in comparative peace ' on their tector near Toul Again the American gunners have worked havoc among the Germans by heavily shelling a large canton ment where troops are assembled. Near Warneton. southeast of Ypres, the Australians have carried out a bla raid against enemy posi tions, killing at least fifty of th German defenders, destroying dust outs and bringing prisoners. Around1 Lens the Germans hav? htaun a rather intensive bovbardment against the Rritiab troops besieging the (treat coal center. French IUI1 llrllllant. The nearest approach to a big battle on the western front has oc curred bet ween ihe French and the Germans in the Verdun sector. Here the French troops carried out a bril liant attack aaalnst the Calonne trenches anqy penetrated .the -German-position as far as their fouilh. line. The point of penetration was over a front of 1200 meters and to (Continued on rago 3.) t