The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

espatch L spatch from London says; Lord] #aid Lord Robert, "as it Cecil, Minister of War Trade; | same old 4 ceess being enjoyed by the ne bably will be able to deal with any new manifestation of frightfulness; | ere is really nothing new in the etman submarine © ora rl 3 w sub-| gan to sow them ind : marine campaign, but it is dangerous fore we put out any. We never laid. to prophesy. However, the navy pro-|' evasions, They - y Y 0, a mine in the trade routes of the high seas, while the Germans even planted them in neutral waters, as is witness-|' ed in the present case of Sweden. 'These things we have never done." GEN. AVLMER ATTACKS TURKS © 7 MILES FROM KUT-EL AMARA Inflicted Heavy Loss on Enemy, But Was Unable to Dislodge Him, A despatch from London says: The War Office issued on Thursday night | the following official statement on the campaign in Mesopotamia: "Gen, Lake (commander of the Bri- tish forces) reports that Gen. Aylmer | (in command of the relieving forces) | advanced on March 6, and, moving | by the right bank of the Tigris, reach- ed Essin, a position about 7 miles east of Kut-el-Amara, This position was attacked March 8, but Gen. Aylmer was unable to dislodge the enemy. Gen. Aylmer states that the enemy suffered very severely, and, beyond strengthening his position, has shown no' activity. Our casualties were not heavy, and in the majority of cases were very slight." ANCHORED MINES LAID ALONG THE TRADE ROUTE TO HOLLAND Threatened Blockade Already in Existence Between Thames and Gallopet Lightship, A despatch from London gays: The blockade of England by mines, report- ed as threatened by Germany, is al- ready in existence along the trade route to Holland, according to naval circles here. German submarines are reported to have been busy recently laying anchored mines between : the mouth of the Thames and the Galloper Lightship. It is in this neighborhood that many disasters have occurred during the last month. Passenger ships, until recently, have been quite successful in dodging floating mines by making their voy- ages in daylight, but no method is know of guarding against submerged anchored mines, ress is referred to in Paris War Office that the enemy's plan has been entirely dsconcerted by fhe the muniques have contained The German attacks on the French Fes zreomd confisue, but the great as having failed. HK is German Staff's discomfiture and disappointment be wasted han the fach that the German official com-- many mis-stafements of the true sitesfior around Verdun. Artillery actions and bombing attacks have been fhe only activities slang the rest of the Western front xcept in the Champagne where the French, by 2 sseprise attack, regained certain ground which had been con- yueeed by the enemy a short time aga bombarded Trebizond and other certain towns. The fleet is army, assisted by the Rusdon Black Sea fleet, has grined considerable ground. - The fleet points om the cowst amid is said to have landed men and taken possession of serving as zn advamond right wing for fhe Russian army operating in Asia Minor. well as in Asia. British force exists beleagured. A junction operation with the Russian forces. treat was made, The British Relief Expedition im may be expected, to be followed by an advance on Bagdad and co- A German fleet during the pust week left flee Kiel Comal for 2 short cruise in the North Sex. A hasty re- however, British warships PROVINCE BUYS "TRENT POWERS Government Announces Purchase of Seymour Interests in Central Ontario. A despatch from Toronto says: On Friday night just after the House rose Hon. G. Howard Ferguson, Minister of Lands, Forests and = Mines, an- nounced that the Government had signed an agreement with : the Elec- tric Power Company, which controls what are generally known as the Sey- mour enterprises, purchasing outright on behalf of the people all the vast interests of that corporation--water- powers, development plants, trans- 'mission lines, local water and light companies, and an electric railway. The purchase is the result of negotia-~ tions carried on for some time, and the purchase price--$8,350,000, pay- able in Ontario Government 4 per cent. bonds--represents the amount actually invested in the various enter- prises' as agreed upon after thorough investigation by the engineers of the Hydro-Electric Commission. : Twenty-two companies have been taken over, all of them, with the ex- ception of the Nipissing Power Com- pany and its companion enterprise, the North Bay Light, Heat and Power Company, being in what is known as the Trent Valley district. By taking over the Seymour interests the Gov- ernment, through the Hydro-Electric Commission, will be able to serve mu- nicipalities as far east as Kingston, and the Hydro Commission will make provision at once for carrying lines to all the municipalities that have been clamoring for Hydro power, but hitherto unable to get it owing to the Seymour monopoly water powers. ~ Companies P Ontario Power Co., City Gas Co, Oshawa, Cobourg Utilities Corpora- tion, Cobourg Electric Co., Cobourg Gas, Heat and Water Co,, Eastern Power Co., Lindsay Light, Heat and Power Co., Napanee Gas Co., Napanee Water and Electric Co., Northumber- land Pulp Co., Oshawa Electric Light Co., Otonabee Power Co., Peterboro' Light and Power Co., Peterboro' Rad- ial Ry. Ca., Port Hope Electric Light and Power Co., Seymour Electric Power Co., Sydney Electric Power Co., Trenton Electric Power Co., Tweed Electric Light and Power Co., Nipissing Power Co., North Bay Light, Heat and Power Co. *- GENERAL SMUTS WINS IN EAST AFRICA. Beizes ,Crossigs of the Lumi River With Only Insignificant A despatch from London says: The following official communication con- cerning the operations of the British in East Africa was made public on Thursday night: "Our troops under command of Lieut.-General Smuts have advanced against the German forces in the Kilimanjaro (northeast- ern boundary of German East Africa) area. © On March 7 General Smuts seized the crossings of the Lumi River with an inmSignificant loss, Sev- eral counter-attacks by the enemy were successfully repulsed." emi iat x ACTIVITY OF GERMAN NAVY. A: despatch from London says: The Rotterdam correspondent of the Lon- don Daily Mail telegraphs: The Ger- man navy is displaying an unwonted activity. Large forces of "marines have left Hamburg and Bremen for Kiel. The Germans have built many | submarines, each needing a erew 'of 46. There is difficulty in getting trained men owing to the numerous Auburn Power Company; losses of submarines. | = & STATION AT METZ tiles says. prisoners-of-war, of struck well, A squadron The Sun Life of Canada the - paid for in cash; Total in kas advanced to within a few miles of Kut-el-Amara, wherea = Declaration 'Made and bassador's Passports Received. > A despatch from Berlin says: Ger- many declared war on Portugal at 3.30 o'clock on Wednesday afternoon and handed his passpbrts to the Por tuguese Minister. Germany took this action because of the recent seizures of German ships in Portuguese ports, which the German Government de- clares "the gravest breach of neutral-' ity and of special treaties. Germany is' therefore obliged to give up. its former forebearing attitude, which had been maintained on account of Portugal's awkward situatioh," says "Formal i 2 the official notification. = ' pete ctl 2, arin % HEAVY DAMAGE IS DON i BY FLOODS IN ENG rivers caused by continued snowfalls.. Reports from the provine- es show. that snow fell generally over England on Thursday night, and that the fall was especially heavy in the Midlands and north. g ; Bi Sa nil BIG WAR CONTRACT FOR PORK AND BEANS. - ' A despatch from London, Ont, says: William 'Gray, M.P., for Lon: * don, has secured for this city the big-- gest war order that has yet come to | Western Ontario. A London canning company has been awarded an order for one million - cases of pork and beans for the British army. The or- der amounts to $3,000,000. The faec- tory will have to be enlarged and much extra help secured. ~~ IMPERIAL HOTEL og ©. AT GALT BURNED. A despatch from Galt says: The Imperial Hotel, one of Galt's oldest, Ny BE ance." J. A, Macdona 0 er, had only been absent from his fice a couple of minutes and on return discovered the blaze at the reg: The fire spread with great: | CITIZENSHIP TAKEN FROM GERMAN-BORN