Premier’s secret

Reprisals policy undisclosed

Forcing the Dardanelles

Great progress

Vienna is permitted to learn that a tremendous conflict is raging along the entire Carpathian front but it is evident from the cautious way in which the messages are worded that fears are entertained as to the result.

Austria has in fact lost all heart in the conflict and the huge white spaces in the Vienna newspapers tell with a silent eloquence the story the press censors would prefer withheld.

Austrian officers who have been taken prisoner state that their troops have never suffered such enormous losses as during recent fighting and the German leavening entirely fails to place victory within their grasp, or sight.

A semi official statement from Petrograd discusses also German boasts with regard to their troops in East Prussia and points out how heavily they have suffered.

It is worth mentioning here that Russia at present occupies 37,500 square miles of Galicia and the report is a record of continued successes from the north to the south and emphasis is laid on the drubbing that the Austrians are getting.

Immense losses is the phrase employed, and the report states that never have Austrian troop been so ruthlessly sacrificed.

The Russians are following up their successes in the northern and southern spheres, they continue to advance between the Niemen and the Vistula, in the Carpathians as has already been indicated. The Austrians continue their attacks without being able to achieve success and in East Galicia their rearguards are trying to check the Russian advance. Over 8000 officers and men have been added to the list of prisoners captured by the Russians on these two fronts.

The western theatre In the western theatre the bulletins from France speak encouragingly of the daily progress made at various points along the line. After a quiet spell the Belgian artillery and infantry got to work again and while the guns were particularly effective the infantry moved forward to another trench. French counter attacks in Champagne have been repulsed, new positions have been fortified and the French have continued to progress.

The two German regiments of the Guard that had made their appearance here fought with great ferocity only to suffer great losses.

The enemy claims to have taken in the Arras district a position over 1800 metres in extent and captured 50 French and several guns.

This is probably as true as some of their other claims.