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GENERAL NEWS NOTES OF THE DAY. From London a cable of yesterday says: Parliament was prorogued today by King George. Parliament will not convene until February 7. In the address from the throne. King George declared that "the vigorous prosecution of the war" would be the single aim of England until the security of Europe has been established. He indicated that peace is not yet in sight. The kings address follows: "The vigorous prosecution of the war must be our single endeavor until we have vindicated the right so ruthlessly violated by our enemies and have established the security of Europe on a sure foundation. I am confident that we shall finally aehieve the victorious confirmation of the aims for which we entered the war." Summaries of the latest war news are as follows: Petrograd reports violent battle in progress in northern Dobrndta. where the Germans carried several heights, but later were driven from a portion of the captured ground. Berlin reports advance in Great Wallachia and a successful raid on encmr trendies in the Sonnne region. Artillery in Verdun sector resumes duel. Paris reports manv German airplanes brought down on western front. Petrograd reports enemy attempts to advance on eastern front were repelled. Berlin savs heavy attacks by foe failed. Four neutral and four allied ships sunk as evidence appears that submarine war peril will be revived, perhaps in an intensified form. An Exchange Telegraph dispatch from The Hague says it is announced semiofficially that should the entente allies in their reply to the peace proposals of the central powers leave the door open for negotiations, Germany will make known her chief peace terms immediately. The. German newspapers that contain the announcement say that the speeches of Premier Lloyd George and Premier Briand do not contain a word which justifies the supposition that the answer of the entente powers will deliberately reject. Germanys peace offer and that therefore the German government will define its attitude after receipt of the reply of the entente allies. The British government will make no statement at the present time in regard to President AVil-sons peace note, considering it a question that can be dealt with only in communication with the other members of the entente. Announcement to this effect was made in the house of commons by Andrew Bonar Law, chancellor of the exchequer and government leader in the house. Mr. Law was asked whether a statement could be made regarding the American note. He replied: "It must be obvious to the house that this is a question that can only be dealt with in communication with our allies and that it is absolutely impossible to make a statement now." President Wilson yesterday nominated the following to be members of the government shipping hoard: William Denman of San Francisco, Bernard N. Baker of Baltimore. John A. Donald of New York. John Barber White of Kansas City, Mo., and Theodore Brent, of New Orleans. The board, under the law. will have general supervision over freight rates in American waters. It is empowered to organize? a 0,000,000 corporation to build or buy merchant ships. Forty-nine per cent, of the stock will be available for public subscription, and that which is not subscribed will be taken by the government. The countrys foreign trade this year probably Will reach a "total of .,800,000,000. A statement of the bureau of foreign and domestic commerce shows that for the eleven months ending with November oxnorts and imports combined aggregated ,148,000.000. November exports of 17,900,000 set a new monthly record. The highest previous month was September, when exports were S3.000.000 short of November. Imports fell off slightly last month. In accordance with the original recommendation of the special machine gun board, the War Department has let contracts for 4,000 Vickers machine guns and accessories at a cost of ,500,000. It was announced that additional contracts soon would be let which would bring the sum to be expended on such weapons for the regular army and the National Guard up to about 1916.sh,500,000. Gen. Luis Lyautey. minister of war in the reconstructed French cabinet, arrived in Paris Friday morning after a voyage full of incidents from Morocco, where he was French resident-general. The new war minister crossed from Tangier to Gibraltar in a submarine and his train was delayed by the snow in Spain, thus obliging him to decline King Alfonsos invitation to dinner. In Berlin diplomatic circles, says an Exchange Telegraph dispatch from Amsterdam, it is understood that the German emperor soon will summon to headquarters the American ambassador, James W. Gerard, with the view to discussing with him possible American mediation and action. A definite plan for universal military training in this country will be laid before Congress next month in the shape of a bill formulated by the general staff of the army, accompanied by complete estimates of cost as compared to the present volunteer system. Russian troops in the northern part of the Roumanian province of Dobrogea, having been attacked Thursday along the whole front by superior Teuton forces, savs the Russian official statement issued jesterdayhave begun a further retirement north. A volcanic eruution near the small village of Lower Verapaz, Guatemala, has caused the death of fifteen persons. The Greek royalists have sent a protest to the entente poweres against aid given to the Venizelos faction. . . : . ; . , . I . , 1 I
