_
TURKEY TO START CAMPAIGN IN EGYPT
WASHINGTON, Doo. 16.—Dispatches received from
Vienna today say that Austria has prepared a reply to the •
American inquiries regarding the sinking of the Italian liner
Ancona by an Austrian submarine. The news messages state
that the reply has already been delivered' to Ambassador Pen
field, that the reply outlines the Austrian position very indefi
nitely, declaring that the government is prepared to enter
into a discussion with the United States regarding the prin
ciples of international law involved, and leaves the Wilson
administration to draw upon the individual legal maxims
which the commander of the submarine is alleged' to have
violated. The note expresses sympathy with the United
States for the death of American citizens on the Ancona, and’
regrets that they used the ship of an enemy in traveling. When
shown the press dispatches on the matter neither President.
Wilson or Secretary of State Lansing would discuss the mat-j
ter, as the Austrian reply had not yet been received. However,
it can be authoritatively stated that the United States will not^
accept the Austrian suggestions concerning an exchange of,
principles on the issues involved, as that would mean another
prolonged' discussion over matters winch (his country consid
ers settled after the negotiations with Germany. If the cabi
net should take this attitude the continuance of diplomatic
relations with Austria Hungary is threatened.
ROME, Dec. 1G.—Advices have been received here which
state that the Turks are busily engaged, under German diree
tion, in the task of building railroads from Damascus to the
Sinai peninsula. The road is being double tracked, and is be
ing built for the purpose of concentratig troops and' making
possible a Turkish campaign in Egypt. From the plans of
the Germans it is learned that the road when comp^ed will
lie able to land a half million men on the Egyptian’frontier,
fully equipped with supplies and artillery, within a month
from the beginning of mobilization. The Turks propose to at
tack the Suez Canal, and cripple England’s dominancy of the
;eas. Three hundred' thousand Turkish soldiers are already
n Asia Minor, being drilled under Turkish and German offi
*ers. And German engineers are everywhere throughout this
•cgion. They are directing the laying of water tubes through
— -i ■ ' ■ ■ —-- - 1 -" ■ •-—
tlio desert, constructing bridges, and repairing roads. Fifty
miles of the railroad are yet to-be completed, amt it is expected
to be ready for operation by February 1.
SALONIKI, Dec. lt».—There are at present two hundred
thousand allied troops in and around this city. The wounded
who have been brought to the base hospitals here speak in the
highest terms of the men at llie front, and say that the retreat
was carried out with the greatest precision, and characterize
it as a brilliant piece of military tactics. The retreat was sys
tematic from one end of the line to the other, the Bulgarians,
despite their desperate efforts, being so hindered by tin* vigor
ous rear guard action maintained by the French and British, i
and their progress so impeded by the destruction of roads and
bridges, that they were nowhere able to overtake the retreat
ing soldiers. The allied troops will stop the retiring movement
on a line running from Karasuli, in northern Greece, to Kilin
dir. The commanders of the allies have selected this point to
make a stand, and the soldiers will try to hold out until th •
city of Saloniki has been fortified.
French Is Relieved
Of Active Service
LONDON, Doc. 16,—Sir John French, commander in chief
of the British expeditionary force in northern France and
Flanders, has been relieved of his command at his own re
quest. No reasons are assigned in the official announcement
for the act of French, but it is believed to be in line with the
policy of the government in meeting the wishes of the people,
who have been very much dissatisfied with the conduct of the
campaign, and who believe that the English commander lost
a great opportunity when he failed to follow up the advantage
gained at Loos. While it is not true that French is being re
moved' in disgrace, yet it is a fact that if he had been success
ful he would be allowed to remain. The king, in accepting the
request of French for removal, praises the general highly, ap
points him in full command of all the troops in the United
Kingdom, and conferred a title upon him, making French a
viscount. Sir Douglas Haig has been appointed to succeed
French in Flanders.
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RADICAL CHANGES
IN INCOME TAX
WASHINGTON, Dec. Hi.—Radical changes in Hie income
tax to reach thousands not now subject to its provisions and
to improve the machinery of collection were suggested to Con
gress in the annual report of Secretary McAdoo as a means bv
which the greater part of the additional revenue needed to pay
for the administration national defence plans can be provided.
The secretary proposed to lower the exemption limits so as to
tax married persons with incomes as low as $3,000, and single
persons with $2,000 incomes. The exemptions now are $4,000
and $3,000 respectively.
Increases in the collection force, a requirement that re
turns must be made of gross income in place of net income,
and a change so that the tax shall not be withheld' at the source
were among Mr. McAdoo’s other suggestions. He made no
estimate of the number of persons who might be taxed if the
amendments were adopted nor the amount that might be ex
pected, but in connection with his request for a larger collec
tion force he pointed out that examination of the past personal
and corporation returns showed that 63 per cent of those in
spected disclosed that additional tax was due the government.
On the basis of the examinations, the secretary says that ap
parently more than $4,600,000 in personal tax and more than
$20,891,000 in corporation tax is still due the government.
_»A •_
INCREASE IN NUMBER OF WOMEN EMPLOYED.
LONDON, Dec. 16.—There lias been an increase of 150,000
or about six per cent in the number of women employed in in
dustrial occupations in England since the war, according to
figures made public by the government.
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THERE IS NO YELLOW FEVER IN PANAMA.
PANAMA, Dec. 10.—Notwithstanding reports to the con
trary, it is declared that there have been no eases of yellow
fever of local origin on the Isthmus of Panama in the last ten
years. There have been several cases where the patient died
in Ancon and Sarto Tomas hospitals, but all of these origin
ated in countries south and north of the Isthmus.
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ENGLAND HAS WEALTH TO CARRY ON WAR.
LONDON, Dec. 16.—Sir Edward Clarke, the great English
legal authority, is of the opinion that the accumulated wealth
of the country, which, he says, is “amply sufficient to pay for
four or five times over the estimated cost of the war,” is not
contributing its proper share to the war taxes.
FRANCE ORDERS RAILS FROM PENNSYLVANIA.
PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 16.—The French government lias
ordered eighty-five thousand Ions of steel rails from the Penn
sylvania Steel Company. The rails will he largely shipped to I
France, where the work of rebuilding the roads laid waste by
the German invasion as far as the Maine, has already made
considerable progress. Some of the rails will also be sent to
Saloniki, to be used there in the operations pending against
Bulgaria.
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BULGARIANS CLOSE TO GREEK BORDER.
SOFIA, Dec. 16.—The war office announced' officially
this afternoon that the Bulgarian army, by the capture of Mon
astir and Resnam, had approached so close to the Greek fron
tier that tip' government, wishing to avoid any possibility of
accidents happening which might cause friction with Greece,i
had decided on a plan which would prevent any conflict be '
tween the Greek and Bulgarian frontier guards. The proposal,
of forming a neutral zone between the advance guards was
made to Athens, with the suggestion that the outposts of both
Greeks and Bulgarians be at least two kilometers each side of
the frontier. The Greek government has accepted the pro
position.
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MONTENEGRINS PUTTING UP LOSING FIGHT.
BERLIN, Dec. 10/—The Austrian troops are pushing tliej
attack against the Montenegrin forces, and have made further
advances into tin* enemy’s country. The advance guard of
the invading forces has reached the vicinity of B.jelopolje*, on
the Lim river, two miles west of the Serbian border. Tlc.w
Montenegrins are* offering a spirited resistance*, although they
seem to be* poorly supplied with long range* guns, and the* in
vaders have a hig advance e>ve*r them for that reason.
BULGARIANS CAPTURE GUNS AND AMMUNITION.
SOFIA, Dec. 10.—It is officially announcoel that the* Bul
garian troops have driven all of the* Anglo-French forces enit
e»f Serbia. The Bulgars have ste>ppe*el the*ir advance at the
Serbian border, and the* enemy has th<*re*fe>re beam te*mpe»rarily
relieved of the pressure of the pursuit. The Bulgarians have*
taken twelve* hundred prisoners se> far, including eighteen «>t
ficers. Fourteem cannon have nisei been captureel, as well as
sixty-two ammunition cars, anel much miscellaneous war
material.
AUSTRIAN PRISONERS GUARDED BY SERBIANS.
JANINA, Albania, Dec. 10.—A Serbian army division es
corting eighteen thousand Austrian prisoners, arrived teielav
at Tirania and Elbassan, in Albania. The Austrian prisoners
have be*e*n jealously gaureled by the* Serbians, who took extreme
measures to preserve their captives, and prevent the enemy
from rescuing them. The prisoners were in a miserable condi
tion, owing to their long and hurried march, where the Ser
bians were always in danger of being headed off by the Teu
tons, but the prisoners did not look so much worse* than the*
Serbians themselves. The men are* it\ tatters, poorly shoel anel
poorly feel, but still a fighting force to he* reckoned with.
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MANY JAPANESE SOLDIERS ARE DESERTERS.
TOKIO, Dec. 16.—The frequency of army desertion, ns
well as suicide of some of the deserters, is causing some con
corn among the military authorities. Statistics show that dur
ing last year there were 956 cases of desertion, of which 93
per cent were common soldiers. Tokio leads other cities with
1K4 cases, while there were 112 cases at Osaka. Out of the
total, 256 soldiers were brought before the military court and
punished, while 698 deserters voluntarily surrendered before
the three days’ grace had expired.
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SOLDIER IN GERMAN ARMY IS 87 YEARS OLD.
BERLIN, Dec. 16.—The man who probably is the oldest
to serve actively in the German army is 87 year old Chief Hos
pital Inspector Engel, of Thule, who went through the cam
paign of 1870-71 as hospital inspector, then became barracks
inspectors retired five years ago on a {tension and then enlisted
for the present war. He wTas first called upon to organize a |
hospital in Oschersleben, and then was put in charge of the
institution in Thale, with its 468 beds.
DEFENCE FIGHT'
SENATE -
P
t - v
WASHINGTON, Dec. 10. — Senator ja
Works, of California, today addressed t<
the Senate on the state of the nation- <1
al defence. The senator mainly con- i>
fined his remarks to the coast defen- 77
ces of the Pacific coast, which, he I f,
held up to ridicule as a possible bar~j(,,
rier to a determined enemy, an,’in
said that an Asiatic invasion would'
i t<
find the Pacific coast at its mercy.
The senator was listened to with |
1 I I
dose attention by his colleagues, as 1
the subject of national preparedness ^
will be the main issue before the <1
present Congress, and the speech of |>
Senator Works will be followed by
others dealing with the same subject. f(
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I -
Postmaster Steel yesterday wired
ihe postmaster general at Washing- (I
on, reminding him of the fact that ]('
le had resigned his federal position
ibout six weeks ago, and as other
natters required his attention it was
mperative that he be relieved from
luty at once, lie also wanted to
(now whom he could turn the office 1
iver to until his successor was ap
jointed and qualified. j 11
The local postmaster is very anx- PI
ous to bo relieved from the service ill
if Uncle Sam under the existing tv
onditions, and has done all within
lis power to make room for a deserv
ng Democrat who wants to get on
he payroll.
BALLOT i
_ 01
A
LANSING, Dec. 16. — The name ,,
if Woodrow Wilson has been placed
w
m the Michigan primary ballot as a
'andidate for the presidential naml
atton by the Democratic party. The
tame was placed on the ballot by HI
letition. !**
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All the Heal New* In the Times. <>j
Wants Laws Passec
Neutrality Violations
WASHINGTON, Dec*. 16.-—New laws to protect the Unite*
tates against neutrality violations such as have marked th
rogress of the war in Kurope* and the Mexican revolution!
as asked by Congress by Attorney-General Gregory in hi
niiual report. The attorney-general suggested amendment
> the present neutrality statutes to make it speeifieallv a crim
gainst the I nited State's to place* bombs <>r other explosive*
ii vessels sailing from American ports and that it should b
i«n 1 e a crime leu- any person to escape* or attempt to escap
•eun an interned warship of a belligerent nation; and in an
'<*nt authority shouhl be given to some government depart
ent tei arrest ami return any such pe*rson to tie* place of in
‘rnment. Another suggestion was that authority be give
ie* government t«» seize arms and ammunition about to lie* e*x
orted in violation of a I 'resilient ial proclamation <>f an eor
trgo on shipments of that character ami to se*ize arms an*
limunition about to be* used in connection with military e*x
editions which themselves are now prohibited by law.
The attorney-general again recommends an amemlmen
i the commodities clause of the Interstate* Commerce* Act t
rollihit a railroad’ from transporting in interstate commerc
rtieles which it manufactures or produces, or which ar
anufactureel or produced by any corporation controlled o
'filiated with it by having the* same controlling stockholders
respective of whether such railroad or such controlled o
'filiated corporation has an interest in tire articles at the* tiin
transportation.
OUNG HARVARD LIEUTENANT GRENADIER GUARD!
LONDON, Dec. 16.—Among the commissions in tin* arm;
cently appears the name of Lionel De Jersey Harvard, tli
‘scendant of John Harvard, who was graduated last Jun
the American college of which his ancestor was the found'd
oung Harvard has heen granted a lieutenancy in the (Irena
er Guards, three battalions of which have alreadv served i*
landers, and of which a fourth is now in training in England
ENGLAND TO RAISE ITS TELEGRAPH RATES.
LONDON, Dec. 16.—Along with the rise in the price o
airly everything else, the telegraph rates in the United King
nn will probably soon be raised. It is reported that the pos
1 authorities—the telegraph lines are government controller
Great Britain—are considering increasing from twelve t
gliteen cents the rate for sending a twelve word message, ml
■ess and signature to be counted as words as heretofore. Tin '
elve cent rati* has been in force thirty years.
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ANTI TYPHOID VACCINE WORKS WONDERS.
PARIS, Dec. 16.—Doctor Leon Bernard reports that on
' 800 cases of typhoid fever lie studied among French soldier
e mortality of those that had been treated with the anti
phoid vaccine was only 5 1-2 per cent, while it was 17 pe
lit among the unvaccinated. Among those that survived tli
fference in the gravity of the cases between the vaccinate*
ul the unvaccinated was as of 19 to 29.
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SCARCITY OF COPPER REPORTED IN AUSTRIA.
GENEVA, Dec. 16.—Reports that the supply of coppeT,
id brass is failing in Austria are brought from Vienna. Thei
tention was called to the fact that all the copper and bras
[tings in the trains had been removed and replaced bv iroi
wood, while in many coaches canvas straps replaced leathei
listria, like Germany, has organized copper and bras ;
lays,” when the whole population, from school children up
urds, contribute.
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DENMARK, Dec. 16.—The result of the recent clectio |
this city was as follows as to party vote: Radicals, 232,000
icialists, 207,000; Conservatives, 193,0(H); Laborites, 27,OOU-;
tie platform of the Socialists contained a plank in favor o-|
itire disarmament of the country.
FEDERAL LEAEui
L ____ I
NKW YORK, (tec. lti. — Negotil
tlons to end the baseball war whit;
has been waged for the past two set
sons between organized baseball c
one hand, ns represented by the Nt
tional and American leagues, and tt
Federal league on the other, are ej
petted to be completed tomorroi
The plan contemplate: for an abai
donment of the Federal league, art
the Federal league magnates are t
he compensated by being allowed I
buy certain clubs in the two oldf
organizations.
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A number of townspeople are su’
Fering from an attack of the grip.