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C GENERAL NEWS NOTES OF THE DAY Concerning the general situation in the ISiilkans. a dispatch of yesterday from London says: A great battle of nations, with the troops of nearly every European belligerent involved, is gradually develop-iiJR in the Balkans as the fighting along tfiu 150-mile front increases in fury. Turkey is sending re-enforcements into Bulgaria, according to an Athens dispatch today. At least one division of Turkish soldiers is en route to join the ISulgars in the attack on the allied lines, while another division will be so placed as to threaten Koumania, should that country decide to enter the war on the side of the allies. Austria will be asked to send a few detachments to the Greek border to join the Bulgars, Hermans and Turks in resisting the combined attacks of French, English, Italians, Serbians and Montenegrins. In no engagement of modern history have the armies of so many nations been in clash along one battle front. Forced to yield advanced positions under the first Bulgarian attacks, the allies have re-enforced their lines and are strongly on the offensive in the Vardar valley, northwest of Kaloniki. On the wings, the Bulgarians have made further slight advances by reason of the numerical superiority, but Anglo-French artillery and the stubborn resistance of the Serbs lias considerably checked the momentum of the advancing enemy forces. South of Demir Hissar, the Bulgars progressed four miles, taking small Greek villages, but were abruptly halted by allied artillery. All press dispatches from Koumania bear evidence of close censorship, but from indirect sources it is reported that the fighting in the Balkans has caused a profound impression in Bucharest. The latest news from Berlin indicates some feelings of uneasiness in the German capital. But, despite war reports brought to London in a roundabout way, many persons well informed on the Balkan situation do not believe that Koumania will enter the war, at least until the allies have advanced up the Vardar valley and have scored decisive gains against the Bulgarians. It has been known here for several weeks that the third Roumanian army was mobilized and in readiness for instant service, but there has been no other positive evidence of military movements to wan-ant the belief that Koumania is about to declare war. Developments in the Balkans take first place in both news and editorial columns of the newspapers this morning. The papers display keen interest not only in the landing of the Italian and Russian troops at Saloniki, but also in possible actions by the Greek and Roumanian governments and in the new Russian offensive which is developing in Bukowina. A dispatch of yesterday from Rome says: The Italians are making a strong and successful thrust at the Austrian lines in the Alpin region on the extreme northern front, according to the war office announcement today. Italian troops have carried strong Austrian positions in the Tofana area in the Dolomites and in the Travenanzes valley. The announcement says: In the Astico valley on the night of August the enemy shelled our positions at the bottom of the valley with great intensity, but did not develop any infantry attack. On the same night an attempt of the enemy to advance between Gasera Zingarella and Gasera Zebio las-torile, on the Asiago plateau, was cheeked by our fire. In the Tofana area yesterday, after effective artillery preparation, detachments of our Alpine troops and infantry carried strong enemy positions on the western slopes of T.otana and in the Travenanzes valley. The enemy suffered heavy loss and left about forty prisoners in our hands. In the Gorizia area artillery fighting is in progress. An enemy detachment which attempted to approach Vertoibizza stream yesterday afternoon was repulsed by our fire and left numerous dead on the ground. The way was paved for the widening of Twelfth street from South Ashland boulevard to Michigan boulevard yesterday when announcement was made that the building at 1201 Blue Island avenue would be demolished. This will be the first building razed of those which must be demolished for the new thoroughfare. The project, according to Charles II. Wacker, resident of the Chicago plan commission, will cost about ,000,000, of which the city will pay ,750,000. The house at 1204 Blue Island avenue is owned by Mrs. Minnie Connelley, 3002 Grand boulevard. It is three stories high. Michael .1. Kaherty, president of the board of local improvements, completed the negotiations with Mrs. Connelley early in the day and gave instructions to put the workmen on the job. Mr. Faherty also gave a cheek for i17,020 to Thomas J. Fitzgibbons, 4523 Irairie avenue, in full payment for property at West Twelfth and Laflin streets, which was acquired by the city for the widening of the street. Arrangements an. almost complete for the work of tearing down fourteen other buildings in West Twelfth street," Mr. Faherty said. "This work is expected to be begun in a few days." The way was clear yesterday for an early meeting of the joint American-Mexican commission to settle international difficulties. Secretary Lansing announced the selection of the American commissioners. They are Franklin K. Lane, Secretary of the Interior; George Gray of Wilmington, Del., a retired Federal Circuit Judge and former United States senator, and Dr. John R. Mott of New York City, general secretary of the international committee of the Young Mens Christian Association. The Mexican commissioners have already been chosen. A New Jersey coast resort may be selected as the meeting place of the joint commission. Judge Gray, a retired Federal Circuit Judge and a former United States senator, has had much experience on international bodies and since 1900 1 ! has been a member of the international permanent court of arbitration under The Hague convention. Dr. Mott is general secretary of the international committee of the Young "dens Christian Association and author of numerous religious works. He was , offered the post of minister to China by President Wilson, but declined it. j A London dispatch of yesterday says: "A new gain of great tactical importance has been won by the British on the lozieres-Thiepval front in their yard-by-yard offensive. Not only were German positions on a half-mile front near lozieres carried, but the English troops have pushed their way to a point within less than a miie of Thiepval, taking further sections of the powerful Leipsig salient. In a local action during the day a further advance toward Martinpuich was registered, the British capturing 100 yards of trench between that village and Bazentin. The new successes bring the British front in the Poziercs sector to a point just outside the fortified Moquet farm, and for some distance along the right of way of the Miramount high road. Thiepval is gradually being encircled. The war office at Berlin admits the loss of positions on the Thiepval saliant, but declares that at other points the British were repulsed. The claim is also put forward that trench positions south of the Somme, lost in an attack by the French, were regaiued by a counter attack." A dispatch from "Field Headquarters" in Mexico of yesterday says: Only six deaths from disease and a present sick rate of 1.5 per cent for the American punitive expedition since it entered Mexico more than five months ago, was the record contained in official figures given out here today by the sanitary department. Adding the number of Kick being treated at the base hospital to those in the field, the rate is increased to 2.5 per cent. There lias not been a single case of typhoid, the prevailing ailment being dysentery. This is a re- markable record for an expedition serving in this sort of a country with nothing but field equipment, declared Gen. J. .1. Pershing, commander of the punitive expedition, when shown the department figures. It probably is as low a record as any similar expedition ever has set and shows the wonderful strides made along sanitary lines within the last few years and the high efficiency of the sanitary department. It also shows the high appreciation of sanitary regulation by line officers who have been held to a strict account for violations by these commands. Reports that the railroad officials had decided to "yield to the president" are not borne out by dispatches from Washington. While the railroads have not yet yielded, they are expected to submit a counterproposal this week. The meeting at the white house last night, it is learned, had for its purpose mere submission of figures by railroad presidents showing in detail exactly how the presidents stand as to the eight-hour day will affect wages, trains, etc. The committee made no proposal, merely answered questions. The committee of eight presidents is not yet authorized to frame proposals. It is a committee to watch all angles of the situation and separate the important issues raised from the unimportant. The railroad presidents are watching public opinion carefully, and are surpised to find the south solidly with the president, the west against him and the east wobbly. It is expected they will submit a counterproposal with strong emphasis on the preservation of arbitration principle in the future. Spring duck killing in the states of Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska and Kansas hereafter will be prohibited, it was announced yesterday by the federal advisory committee to the department of agriclture which for some time has been holding hearings in New York City. Sportsmen all over the country, it was said, . have been up in arms because a concession was recommended which gave the sportsmen of these states a special fall shooting season and an additional spring shooting season lasting from February 10 to March 10. Every other state and was given, under recommendations, a single open season, with spring shooting barred. Debate on the emergency revenue bill designed to raise 05,000,000 was continued in the Senate yesterday. A resolution by Senator Penrose to send the bill back to the finance committee for amendment to raise an equitable portion of required revenue from a protective tariff still was pending. An explanation of the necessity for the proposed legislation by Senator Simmons, chairman of the finance committee, and an attack on the measure by Senator Smoot, republican, occupied yesterdays session of the Senate. The crop prospects in the occupied portions of Poland are good, which means the turning point for the Polish population, the Berlin Overseas News agency says. When the German troops entered Poland they found only smoldering ruins, as the Russians had destroyed towns and villages. For a time the Germans supplied grain from upper Silesia, Posen and other districts and also from the stores captured in the fortress of Xovogeorgievsk. The Germans also attempted to import food by way of Sweden, but this was prevented by the Russian government. It is expected, the news agency says, that the crops will permit of a considerable improvement in the provisioning of the Polish population. Says a dispatch of yesterday from Rotterdam: "According to information here, the American steamer Owego, regarding a reported submarine attack on which the American government has inquired of Germany, arrived here August 13 and reported encountering off the Isle of Wight a German submarine, which fired ten or twelve shots at it without warning, it is declared, some shells striking close to it, but inflicting no damage, apt. Barlow, of the Owego, according to the account given was at first unable to discern the submarine because of a prevailing haze, but upon the undersea craft approaching, he sent a boat with the mate and the ships papers, after examination of which documents the Germans allowed the Owego to proceed." Major Baird, representative of the aerial board in the house of commons, replying in the house Tuesday night to criticism of the air defenses against recent Zeppelin raids, announced that since the war began the allies have accounted for thirty-five Zeppelins. "There have been thirty-four raids on England," said Major Baird, "in ten of which there were no casualties; in the remainder the number killed was 334 civilians and fifty military men." Basjl Hallam, formerly widely known on the English stage, has been killed at the front in France. Hallam commanded the kite section of the British flying corps. Hallam appeared in New York in support of Miss Billie Burke in "Mrs. Dot." lie also played the leading role in Cosmo Hamiltons "The Blindness of Virtue." Last spring he was reported in the English press to be engaged to Miss Elsie Janis, but this was denied by the actress. German troops made a powerful attack Tuesday night on trenches south of the Somme south of Kstrees and west of Soyecourt, which were captured by the French in Tuesdays fighting, and succeeded in penetrating the French line at several points, it was officially admitted yesterday at Paris. The attack was preceded by an intense bombardment lasting several hours, in which the whole French front south of the Somme was under steady fire. The German admiralty issued yesterday a statement asserting that the losses of the British and French navies in line-of-battle ships and cruisers to August 1 comprised seventy-two vessels, with a total displacement of 496,050 tons. The German losses in the same classes during the same period were twenty-five warships with a displacement of 02,007 tons. Liberation of 120 political exiles sent to Siberia by administrative order has been ordered by Alexander A. Khvostoff, Russian minister of the interior, according to advices received in London. This action was due to the work of the English committee for relief of the administrative exiles, whose secretary, Mrs. Sonia Howe, visited Petro-grad recently and appealed personally to the Russian cabinet. Eliseo Arredondo, Mexican ambassador-designate, announced after a conference with Secretary Lansing late yesterday that the international joint commission would meet "on the New England coast during the first week in September." Further discussion with the commissioners will precede selection of a definite time and place. The army appropriation bill with revised articles of war approved by the war department was passed yesterday by the senate and now goes back to the house, where the amendment is expected to be accepted. President Wilson vetoed the bill because the revision of the bills previous passage gave exemptions to retired officers which the war department disapproved. Lieutenant Lovel Hardwick Barlow, son of Mrs. II. H. Barlow, the widely-known golf player, was killed on August 14 while fighting with the British army in France, according to advices received at Philadelphia last night. He left there more than a year ago.
