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GENERAL NEWS NOTES OF THE DAY. An important dispatch of yesterday from Paris says: The conference of the entente allies for discussion of economic and commercial questions will assemble in Paris on April U0. It will be attended by many distinguished delegates, including a number of cabinet ministers from the various countries. The sessions will extend over four days. President Foincare will preside at the opening. The principal topic of discussion will be mutual exchange of commodities under a tariff system favorable to the allies nations. Premier Hughes of Australia, who will be a delegate, ex-l»ected to take an ailvaiK-ed position for a joint tariff system which will establish minimum rates among tiie allies and colonies, reasonable rates for neutrals and strong discrimination against all dealings with hostile countries. Other subjects to be taken up are: 1. An understanding concerning all legislation intended to regulate commercial relations among the belligerents, such as the execution of contracts, the recovery of credits, sequestration of goods and the subject of patents. 2 Precautionary measures to be taken against invasion of allied countries by German products after the passage from a state of war to a state of peace. 3. Reparation of war damages. 4. Reduction of postal, telegraphic and telephone rates among the allied countries. 5. Agreements relative to the international transport of goods. 6. Creation of an international patent office. 7. The commercial regime of the colonies of the allied countries. 8. Internationalization of laws concerning stock companies. 9. Measures intended to reduce metallic circulation through an international chamber of compensation and postal check system. 10. Uniform principles to be inscribed in the laws relative to false designation of merchandise. 11. Failures. 12. Legislation regarding the loss and theft of bonds payable to bearer. The French official report of yesterday says: In the Argonne district there has been fighting at Fille Morte, where we exploded two small mines with success. At Hill No. 283 we have occupied the southern side of a mine crater created by the explosion of a German mine. West of the River Meuse the Germans last night renewed their attacks against our positions to the south and to the east of Haucourt. At this latter point, in spite of repeated efforts, the enemy found it impossible to dislodge us from our lines. We poured out upon him a murderous fire which caused him heavy losses. South of Haucourt the Germans succeeded in winning a footing in two small works between Haucourt and hill No. 287. which we had occupied. Southeast of Bethincourt there has been continuation of the fighting with hand grenades in the communicating trenches on the road between Bethincourt and Chattancourt, which resulted in some advantage to ourselves. East of the River Meuse there has been intermittent bombardment of our positions. An attack by the enemy with hand grenades against one of our trenches of the Vaux fort was repulsed by the French fire. In the Vosges a reconnaisance on the part of the enemy in an endeavor to occupy one of our small posts at Lan-genfeldkopf, to the south of Somdernach, was dispersed by our artillery. Dispatches from Berlin yesterday say: The German government is able to announce that no German submarine or warship was responsible for the explosion which damaged the British steamship Sussex. If the channel steamer Sussex, carrying Americans, was torpedoed by a German submarine, the U-boat commander violated his instructions, it was stated unconditionally here today. The Sussex was a passenger-carrying ferryboat, according to reports brought here. It, therefore, came under the protection the German assured to passenger liners in a communication transmitted to President Wilson by Ambassador Bernstorff after the Arabic torpedoing. On the other hand, it was made equally plain here today, the cases of the four other ships about which President Wilson has made inquiry, are entirely different. These four vessels were freighters. Germany at no time during the negotiations pledged herself to warn freighters before attacking them with submarines. While these freight vessels continue to supply the allien with both munitions and food and as long as the allies continue their starvation policy against Germany, the German government, the Inited Press was informed today, will never yield the right to sink them. The German official statement of yesterday says: Western front: On the left bank of the Meuse Silesian and Bavarian troops took by storm a strong French point of support south of Haucourt. They captured the entire enemy position on the ridge of Termiten hill, extending over a width of more than two kilometers. A counter attack attempted early this morning failed completely. Our losses were slight. Those of the enemy, owing partly to the treacherous behavior of some, were very heavy. Fifteen officers and 099 men were captured uninjured, including numerous recruits of the class of 1916. On the hills east of the Meuse and in the Woevre sector the artillery was very active on both sides. On Hilsen ridge, south of Sondernach, in the Vosges, a small German detachment came upon an advanced French position, the occupants of which were killed, with the exception of thirty-one men, who were catpured. The enemys trenches were blown up. Official denial of persistent reports that the de facto government of Mexico had asked for withdrawal of the American troops was expected at Washington yesterday to set at rest all such rumors. Secretary Lansing emphatically declared that no such request had been made, formally or otherwise. State and war department officials said there was no truth in border reports that General Carranza had given the Inited States a certain time in which to withdraw the American forces and that 15.000 Carranza soldiers were massed just below the international boundary line Reports of bandit raids in the country surrounding Mazatlan, on the Mexican west coast, have so alarmed the some 200 Americans ia and about the town that they have requested through official sources the constant presence of a warship in port. The protected cruiser Chattanooga is dividing its time between Mazatlan and Guaymas. Information obtained from French prisoners and orders found on them indicate, according to German correspondents in the Verdun region, that the French are fully aware of the importance of every yard of territory in their salient whose northeast-ernmost point is Bethincourt. now the only village of this section of the battle front remaining in their hands. French troops have been ordered to hold every inch of ground with all the force at their command, the correspondents aver, and every German gain is registered only in the face of desperate resistance. The character of the terrain is well suited to defensive purposes. The assailing forces are obliged to storm over open ridges which are flanked by forests in which large numbers of skillfully built-in and concealed machine guns are located, protected by barbed wire and other hindrances to a hostile advance. From General Pershings camp south of Name-quipa. a dispatch said yesterday: New cavalry columns were hurried southward today while the other columns in the field are taking a new direction. The new movements, coupled with other reports received, increase the conviction of Gen. J. J. Pershing and his officers that troops on the new trail of Villa are on the right track. The American line of pursuit is now 400 miles long. New reports of Villas flight received today said that because of his wounds Villa is riding on a stretcher carried on the shoulders of his men. and that he is accompanied only by a small personal bodyguard and rear guard. The farmers have won the milk war and the consumer will not be the victim. Chicagos babies will have their milk. This was the gist of an announcement by Health Commissioner Robertson at 5 oclock Friday afternoon at the conclusion of negotiations between representatives of the distributors and producers. The producers will get their price of .55 a hundred pounds and the consumer will pay the old price of eight cents. The guarantee of the old price came from the officers of the Bowman Daily company, whose surrender ended the seven-hour parley. As a result milk was abundantly delivered in Chicago and its suburbs yesterday. A London dispatch says three British vessels, in eluding the liner Chantala. have been sunk or blown up within the last twenty -four hours. In each case the crew was saved. The Chantala, a 3,000-ton ship, owned by the British India Steam Navigation company and in service between Idian and English ports, was sunk, the press bureau stated. The Chantala was built in 1913, was 403 feet long and equipped aleng modern lines. The 3,000-ton steamer Br:;unton. 3*0 feet long and owned at Cardiff, and the small Faversham schooner Clyde, were blown up. The text of the announcement suggests that the liner Chantala was sunk by a submarine and the Braunton and Clyde destroyed by mines. The appropriations subcommittee of the house naval committee will begin voting Monday upon the measure which carries the administrations five-year naval building program. Chairman Padgett of the committee hopes to have the bill ready for the house by April 25. Strong efforts will be made in the committee to increase the first years allotment of the building program to two dreadnaughts and four battle cruisers, instead of two of each tvpe as recommended by Secretary Daniels. Several republican members have declared their purpose of seeking this change. Dispatches from Christiania say that the Norwegian government has agreed with the Germans. British, French and Russian governments that men belonging to the navies of belligerents who, under international law are subject to internment in Norway, shall be permitted to return home in case they arc incapacitated lor service by poor health. The large French passenger steamship Colbert was shelled without preliminary warning by a submarine in the Mediterranean, but being under a full head of steam, escaped her assailant by superior speed, at the same time sending out wireless warning of the submarines presence to other ships in the vicinity. The Colbert is of 5,394 gross tons, 377 feet long and forty-seven feet beam and was built in 1908. It has been officially reported from Queretaro that the Villistas have been badly defeated by government forces headed by General Jose Cavacos at Cieneguilla, west of Chihuahua City. Prisoners, captured report that Villa is hiding at a ranch near Cieneguilla and the report to the government is that the constitutionalists are moving in that direction. Barbed wire entanglements will be erected along a portion of the frontier of Canada in the ueighlior-hood of the electric plant at Niagara Falls, it was announced yesterday after ■ conference of Brigadier General Logie with P. W. Ellis, chairman of the Niagara Falls park commission, and J. H. Jackson, park superintendent. Reuters correspondent at The Hague telegraphs that tiermany his informed Holland that the Dutch steamship Palembang. sunk ii";.r Galloper Lights last month, was not tori edoed by a German submarine. It is said no German submarine was in the vicinity at the time. A bill has been submitted to the second chamber of the Dutch parliament to authorize the government, in view of the prevailing extraordinary circumstances, to call up. if necessary, the recruits of the 1917 class, says a Reuter dispatch from The Hague. The first official utterance indicating the expectation of capturing Villa soon came from Secretary of War Baker yesterday afternoon. He said: "I think we are on a warm trail and I hope to have good information soon." An order for 20.000,000 pounds of American tobacco for delivery to European governments, principally France and Italy, was executed at New York yesterday. The order is said to be the largest of its kind ever placed in this country.
