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. . GENERAL NEWS NOTES OF THE DAY. From Geneva. Switzerland, a dispatch of yesterday says: Carrying the Austrian positions between j Salventino and Iodgora by a smashing charge, ! the Italians have taken two forts defending the Podenora bridge on th Isonzo line, acc.irding to news ! re.eived here today from the front. A thousand Austrian prisoners fell into the Italians hands. Besides the two forts ent.tured, two more were de-n: -dished by the Italian artillery. A terrific bom- bardment of the whole Austrian Isonzo front continues today. Every day sees an increase in the ; violence of the Italian assault, ou Goritz. Shells ■M literally being showered upon the Austrian positions at the bridgehead. Both sides are steadily strengthening their forces. Losses have been enormous. The Italians have suffered more heavily than the Austriaus. who are fighting in defended positions. Henry W. Taft. brother of former President William II. Tuft, anuoniiced at New York yesterda.. . ■ resignation as vice-president of the national allied relief committee. The committee was organized al out a month ago to administer funds collected in the Fnited States for the relief of war sufferers of the entente allies. Among its members are Charles W. Met, Myron T. Hcrrick. August Belmont and Howard Elliott. Mr. Taft said he resigned because his signature had been attached without his know ledge or consent, to an appeal for funds issued by an official of the committee which contained a denunciation of Germany. Contracts for the building of four more steamships valued at ,000,000 have been placed with Delaware river shipbuilding companies, it was learned at Philadelphia yesterday. Two of the ships are for the Mexican Petroleum Company. The others are colliers for the Coastwise Transi ortation Company and the Pocahontas Navigation OeeBBMUr. With these awards, contracts are now held by yards on the Delaware river for eighty-two ships valued at approximately S.000.IKH ami aggfegat ing :W7.-079 tons. More than 20.000 men are engaged in ! shipbuilding along the Delaware. Italian troops now landing on the Albanian coast will strike at once across country for the Serbian frontier, according to Swiss advices to London yesterday. The Italian plan is understood to he to strike at the flank of the Austro-German forces engaged in the southern drive through Serbia. Montenegrin forces are expected to co-operate With them. The march across Albania is but forty r fifty miles, but will lie attended with great difficulty owing to the mountainous country and absence of roads. A dispatch to the Ixmdon Daily Telegraph from Petrograd says: The German gttardship sunk by Russian destroyers near Lilian is semi-officially stated to have been a cruiser armed with .".._. and 4-inch guns and having a crew of 200. only twenty of whom were esTcd. The tight was a short one. The Petrograd official communication of Monday announced that in the Baltic sea on November 29. Russian torpedo boats, near Winilau. sank a German patrol lioat. Brand Whitlo.k. minister to Belgium, and Mrs. Whitlock arrived «t quarantine yesterday Shears the Holland-American liner Rymlaui. and exchauge.l messages by wireless with friends waiting to greet them in New Vork. Waiting at the Holland-American pier was a delegation from Toledo and many personal friends of the American minister in New-York. A million Italians have been killed or wounded in fighting with the Austriaus. it is stated in an official war bulletin issued at Vienna yesterday. The losses reported in the statement represent all tin- Italians are suppos.il to have suffered on every front since the war began. All Herman soldiers who have hem in the Mold for a year or more are to be granted a furlough, regardless of whether urgent necessity for a leave of absence exists or not. according to a ruling by the war ministry as announced in Berlin yesterday. The Bulgarians have been defeated everywhere in the extreme south of Serbia, and are in retreat at all points, says a Serb official statement received at Paris yesterday.
