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A despatch from London says: The Foreign Office has received advices that the Greek Governnfbnt is carry- ing out its promise to demobilize the Greek army. The work is proceeding satisfactorily, the advices indicate. A despatch from London says: It was officially announced on Friday that owing to the constantly increas- ing requirements of alcohol for the production of munitions and for other war purposes the Minister of Muniâ€" tions had appointed a committee re- presenting the distillery interests, as well as the Government departments, to consider the best means to adopt to secure adequate supplies. CONSTANTINE’S ARMY BEING DEMOBILIZED. WEE} $150,690,609 BANE T0 SECURE ALCOHOL FOR MUNITION SUPPLY British Military Miss Postmaster-General Passes Away After Brief Illness. A despatch from Ottawa says: Hon. T. Casgrain, Postmaster-General of Canada, who has been ill with pneu- monia for several days, died here on Friday morning‘. Mr. Casgrain con- tracth the disease following a chill on his way home from New York ten days ago. His condition, however, was not considered alarming and his physicians say he passed a good night. At 7 o'clock on Friday morning, how- ever, he took a sudden turn for the worse and sank rapidly. A despatgh from Rome says: Gen. Morrone, the Italian Minister of War, admitted in the Chamber on Friday that; the Austrians and Germans are preparing a great offensive against the Italian front for next Spring. A Deputy in the course of a speech alâ€" luded to the forthcoming offensive, and turning to the Minister of War expresSed the hope that the necessary :reparations were being taken to reâ€" sist it, and sufficient artillery, am- munition and troops being concentrat- ed where necessary. The Minister tacitly admitted that the offensive was expected. HON. MR. CASGRAIN GREAT DRIVE AGAINST ITALY Teutons to Attempt to (‘rush Italy Much as Serbia Was Crushed. A despatch from London says :â€" The Battle of the Somme is pictured as a sweeping triumph for allied armies in a detailed report by General Sir Douglas Haig, which was issued on Friday night, and which covers operations from July 1 to Nov. 18. General Haig terms the battle a triumph in which the German western armies were only saved from com- plete collapse and a decisive defeat by a protracted period of unfavorable weather, which prevented the Anglo- French forces from taking full ad- vantage of their successful advance. He declares that nevertheless it was a triumph which proved beyond doubt the ability of the allies to overthrow‘ Germany “when the time comes.” The} British commander shows himself aj firm believer in the doctrine that the“ allies can win the war on the western1 front. “I desire_to add a few words as to‘ future prospects," he says at the close; of the despatch, which covers 16 close-5 ly~printe_d pages. “The enemy’s pow-i BATTLE OF THE SOMME German Armies Only Saved From Complete Collapse and Decisive Defeat by Protracted Period of Unfavorable Weather. value :n :21“ n Consolida Rutherford from the Liverpool. s IE DIES OF PNEUMONIA day the oil fie £30.00( erty the he £04) DAMAQE @CCASEQNED EN {EL WEEDS t0 Rumania Rendered Stock and Prop- rly Useless t0 Germans. WAS A SWEEPING VICTORY Twice his Royal Highness the Duke of Connaught appealed to the people of Canada in support of the Canadian Patriotic Fund. The prompt and gen- erous response on each occasion proves how truly Canada appreciates ithe debt which she owes to her sons 'who are fighting for the Empire. Heavy as the sacrifices have already lbeen, the Dominion is as determined as ever to carry the war to a successâ€" ful conclusion and, however onerous the burden may be, she is equally de- Etermined to help the families of those lwho are serving in the army and in .the navy. The administration of the fund has been most successful and economic and subscribers can be fully assured that their contributions are being expended to the best advantage. A despatch from Washington says: â€"The British Government has con- tracted for the entire exportable sup- ply of New Zealand meat until at least three months after the close of the Europ‘ean war, according to re- ports reaching the Commerce Depart- ment from its agents abroad. Higher prices will be paid than the Dominions' GREAT BRITISH A despatch from Vancouver, B.C., says:â€"Private cables receives in Van- couver claim that the “wets” have re- ceived sufficient votes cast by British Columbia soldiers overseas to overâ€" turn the majority of 6,000 secured for prohibition in the home vote of the province on Sept. 14th last. The “wets” claim to have voted nine or ten thousand men. The ballots are not yet counted. The sum is a large one but when the circumstances are fully realized I am confident that the people of Can- ada will willingly contribute the amount necessary for the fund to con- tinue its patriotic and beneficent work. (Signed) DEVONSHIRE. SOLDIERS' VOTE GIVES “WETS” A MAJORITY Fifty-five thousand families, com- prising one hundred and fifty thou- sand individuals, are to-day (Depend ent upon the fund and it is estimated that twelve million five hundred thou- sand dollars will be required to meet the requirements of the next twelve months. A despatch from Ottawa says: His Excellency the Governor-General as president of the Canadian Patriotic Fund has issued the following New Year’s appeal on behalf of the Fund: “Our new armies entered battle with a determination to Win and confidence in their power to do so. They have proved to themselves, to the enemy and to the won-1d that this confidence is justified.” er has not yet been broken, nor is it yet possible to form an estimate of the time the war may last before the objects for which the allies are fight- ing have been attained, but the Somme battle has placed beyond doubt the ability of the allies to gain those ob- jects. The German army is the main- stay of the Central Powers. and a full half of that army, despite all advan- tages of the defensive and supported by the strongest fortifications. sufl’er- _ed defeat on the Somme this year. Neither victors nor vanquished will forget this, and although bad weather has given the enemy a respite, there are undoubtedly many thousands in his ranks who will begin the new cam- paign with little confidence in their: ability to resist our assaults or overâ€"1 come our defence. ] eadquarteJ andered t1 tterly use 6115 of G milar fatt The Voll~ reduces t] e W CANADIAN PATRIOTIC FUND. Year's Message From the Governor-General. the rmar he: This w operty to the 1 the war said nania MEAT PURCHASE tive mpanie i, he i the estructi< hln me The ‘ffiCEI “The French arrived at the same decision, and transferred their atten- ;tion to Verdun, with results which you know. We may be able to resume in March, as we found the ground at Neuve Chapelle in ’wirly good shape in March, 1915, although it had been very bad during the Winter. Unable to continue the offensive for the pre- sent, we have done the next best thing. The taking over of a section of- the French line has kept us busy during the past ten days. The operation has been successful, and I will be glad to tell you the exact extent of the line taken over when I am sure the Get- mans know the point of junction. A despatch from Ottawa says: The man-power inventory being made by the National Service Board is already producing results. The cards sent out by the board are coming back fill- IMMENSE INCREASE A despatch from London says :â€" With the New Year it is calculated that 400 passenger trains will disap- pear from the British railway time- tables. Many of the remaining trains will run more slowly and with a larger number of stops. Longr dis- tance nonâ€"stop expresses will be as rare as they were thirty years ago. The Daily News says, so far as comâ€" fort and speed are concerned, the clock will be put back a quarter of a “I told you some time ago,” he said, “that out ofi’ensive would not cease during the Winter, but it must be ap- lparent from the daily reports that no 1real battle has been offered in that : sector since October. In the first place we underestimated the efl’ect of the shelling on the terrain. The country over which the advance will have to be made is thickly sprinkled with shell-holes filled with water. Also, never having held the same line in any other Winter, we underestimated the effect of the fog in the valley of the Somme. A despatch from Prince Albert, Sask., says:â€"~A commission has been forwarded by the British Government to Capt. J. M. Macleod, of this city, to recruit fifty boatmen, to be employed on the river transport service on the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in carry- ing up supplies to British troops fight. ing the Turks. Capt. Macleod was a pioneer in steam navigation on the Peace River, and he has operated boats on practically every large river in Canada. It is understood five hund- red river men from all over Canada are to be asembled at Montreal to go to England for training. MAN-POWER INVENTORY PRODUCING RESUI C A 400 BRITISH TRAINS “There have been frequent frosts, not severe enough to harden the ground, but sumcient to form fogs, makin~ artillery observation fire prac- tically useless, and also preventing the drying of the ground. A despatch from London says: The continuation of the British ofi‘enslve along the Somme front is impossible so long as the present weather lasts, Major-General Frederick B. Maurice, chief director of military operations of the War Office, so informed the As- sociated Press on Friday. hite Haig's Troops Take Over Fur- ther Section of the French Line. BRITISH FRONT ' [S EXTENDED ter formation as ill be readily ntu ry nm ‘ by the boar in with the '0 thousand Vance of the ted the he nrs There a March 1m IN NATIONAL I) EBT‘ 14 ‘d are coming back fill- information asked for. are in already well in time when it was ex- it returns would be re indications that the ked for by the board and quickly forth- OFF TIME T.\ BLE London says: The reated under the 5 amounted during ended March 31 i, according to a on Friday. The 44, the my years ago. so far as comâ€" concerned, the a quarter of a 104 ebt, YOUTHS 0F 17 CALLED GUT TO FIGHT EN GERMAN BANKS “Very considerable orders are, it i believed, being placed for new cargl steamers to be built for use of th: State They will probably carry 80,00l tons deadweight, planned on the sim plest possible lines. There is every reason to believe that provided tht For the World’s eighteen most im- portant countries, including the United States, Canada, British India, Japan [and all Europe the estimated total i 1 wheat crop is placed by the institute at 2,500,000,000 bUShels, which is 25 per cent. less than for 1915. writes BRETAEN PLACES LARRE ORDERS FOR RUEE CARGO STEAMERS ““:‘*-â€"‘â€"' I All of These Departed Now in Vicinity Viewed With Pleasure. of Aleppo. “I find lady customers very hard to; A despatch from New York says: please.” :Fifty thousand deported Armenians “I can‘t say that. My goods seem‘ are starving in the vicinity of Aleppo, to give eminent satisfaction." Asiatic Turkey, as a result of a recent “What line?" temporary suspension of relief appro- ‘*Mirrors." priations, according to a cablegram “***"*“:" from American Ambassador Elkus, Victoria Crosses are cast from can- received through the State Depart- non taken by the British. ment at Washington, and made public We always lose our patience with here on Thursday night by the Am- the man who can‘t keep his temperierican Committee for Armenian and during a political discussion. iSerbian relief. Much of The New Tonnage Available For Use of State in Six Months. I‘im Australia's wheat crop is estimated at 135,000,000 bushels, which is four per cent. better than the yearly aver- age. Little Time Will Be Spent in Their Training, It is Announced From Berlin. A despatch from Rome saaysvâ€"«The.l International Institute of Agriculture; harvest estimates continue to indicateL the poor world crops. It is now! able for the first time, through new reports just received, to forecast the wheat production of Argentina. The Argentine wheat crop is estimated at. 70,000,000 bushels, one-half that of 1915. I A despatch from Berlin says: A circular has been issued by Adolph T. Von Batocki, president of the Food Regulation Board, to the Federated Governments, in which it is pointed out that next year generally there will be difficulty in the way of the Govern- ments supplying food for the people. Even the end of the war, says Herr‘ Von Batocki, would only bring a slight! change in the situation at first, be- cause the scarcity of food is world-4 wide. 5 POOR WORLD CROP FOR THE PAST YEAR 18 Important Countries Show Decreased Wheat Yield of 25 Per Cent. ’ BERLIN’S STARTLING ADMISSION OF SHORTAGE OF PROVISIONS mn‘ Officially Stated That Government Will Have Difficulty in Supply- ing Food to People in 1917. Owing to a shortage in laborers, spe< spatch from London ial despatch to the Lond< om»Copenhagen says the] to Berlin newspapers, 2 shipping to ur n year have beenft rgo physical ex-ir orrespondent ays The E‘O n aminati the sanction of the Shipping Controller problems of labor and material can be solved, a considerable amount of new efficient tonnage will be available for service within six months. In or- der to assist in the provision of labor arrangements, it is understood, have been made whereby no men will be taken from the shipyards and engine works for military service without the sanction of the Admimlty and A despatch from London says: The net of the Teutonic allles apparently :is fast closing in upon Braila, Ru- ;mania’s oil and grain centre, on the lDanube. Having taken Filipechti, 30 {miles to the southâ€"west, Field Marshal lvon Mackensen’s troops have now [captured the railroad town of Rimnik ESarat, relatively the same distance to )the east, while the guns of the Do- brudja army are still hammering the Russo-Rumanians at the bridgehead of Matchin, or. the east bank of the Danube, opposite Braila. Since December 22, says Berlin, more than 8,900 prisoners and 27 mm chine guns have been captured in Rumania. A (lespatch from London says :â€" Gen. F. B. Maurice, Chief Director of Military Operations of the War Office, in a statement issued on Friday, said he had relable reportis indicating that the problem of food for the German army was extremely bad, as well as the situation of the civil population in this regard. Prior to the fall of Rimnik Sara! the Teutonic allies defeated the Rus‘ sians on a front of 101/2 mlles south~ west of the town, while the Teutonic Danube army captured several forti‘ fled villages, accordlng‘ to the Berlin War Ofllce. Petrograd admits that the Russians and Rumanians have been, forced to fall back north of Megura, but says elsewhere the invaders were defeated with heavy casualties. FOOD SHORTAGE work animals, foodstuffs, fertilizers and transportation facilities, cities and industrial communities will be compelled to keep a careful wgtch over the food problems. The system of fixing maximum prices and pre- epmting commodities for public con- sumption, says Herr Von Batocki, has only worked well as regards grain. It has proved a failure with perishable commodities, and he advises muni- cipalities to proceed on a larger basil than previously in their placing con- tracts for the future delivery of meat‘ vegetables, milk, butter and cheese. ‘ Important Rumanian Town Has Fallen to the Invaders. TEUTONS’ WIN 5-DAY BATTLE 9.11? 50.000 ARMEL'IANS STARVING‘ )I those ‘fit The fact be in the rnths indi the Germ muary. ‘fit will SERIOUS FOR FOE {hat fight rates sent xpectec 5 withir a short '18