North Carolina Newspapers

II fnc UTPATUFD.;, f" I 11 ' ' - r-t 1 mm ir V f f..' . ii - .-V : v.. . ( : : ....... - "11 12 Pages Today ONE SECTION I M ABATED. GREAT RTrri t7: CONTWimAlMGEtMbli FRONTS WITHOUT bcpirniHn kHrIiiu IriL awicuiwu j Hnifir b riLinyugniijy uuli unHnDC iviHUt uiii umuiHLa I uniMnnEH krb w Progress M IN HlNflfl (IF I A1W 1KIFRIR1N RFIlMFHii I .," ' " y- - ' ' . 7. , s.-E,? I S B . Wlhikalllll III ; ill llllllwU An Ll 1 1 1 I lllll-IIIWI 111 Wl-I ll-T-rci - Austro-German Offensive Against Russians and the Attack of Allied Forces ' Upr n Trenches of Germans in "the West : (Continue With Heavy Losses, Chiefly to - the Attacking Columns FULL TILT AGAINST IMPENETRABLE LINES ATTACKING FORCES Germans Cease Their Attacks on Bzura River, Behind Which Russian Troops Are Banked and Attempt to Find New Way Into Warsaw Fog Interferes With Fight ing in Flanders The Turks Expect Attack. London. December 26. Neither the Austro-German offensive operations against the Russians nor the Allies' attacks on the German Hues on the West have made an appreciable progress, although fight ing continues along the greater part of the two fronts with unabated intensity. In both cases the attacking armies, appear to have run full tilt against almost impenetrable lines. . The Germans, in the official report, announce that they have eased their attacks on the Bzura river, which, with the Russian mass s behind it, stands across their direct path to "Warsaw. They are now trying to find a way to the Polish capital along the Pilica river, a considerable distance south of Warsaw. Fog has interfered with battles in Flanders, but along the. French front the Germans have been delivering fierce counter attacks. In these, as in the Allies' attacks, the losses .on both sides have ,been con siderable but heavier on the side which has been attacking The slowness of the Allies' progress is explained in London as due 10 the general staff s refusal to sacrifice:, a-great number of soldiers. .Miey are satisnea -mtir-smaif saceesses- fTnxongH sairiiierxracxiTw, Aril ich in time, it is pointed out, should prepare the way for a general forward movement. ; " .J . According to information from Constantinople, the Turks under pdvice of the. Germans are fortifying their shores in the Gulf of Saros and on the sea -of 3Iarmora.' indicating that they expect visits from the Allied fleets. " K.VGLAND MAKES CHANGES Many Additions to Absolute Contraband T.ist Made Washington Kotlfle-d Washington, Dec, 26 Great Britain today notified the United States of a revision of. the British contraband list. The previous list of conditional con traband is maintained, .but Sulphur mid glycerine are transferred to the absolute contraband class. Tbe following additions to the list of absolute contraband were made: Tngredients of explosives, namely, nitric acid, glycerine, acetons, calcium acetate and all other metallic acetates, sulphur, patassium nitrate, fractions of distillation products of coal tar be-tvi-een benzel and cresol inclusive, anl leine, methylaniline ' dimethylaniline, aramonium perchlorate, sodium perch lorate, sodium chlorate, barium chlor ate, calcium nitrate, mercury. Resinous products: Camphor and turpentine (oil and spirit). Ferrb alloys, including ferro-tungs-un, ferro-molybdenum, fero mangan-f-se, ferro vanadium, ferro chrome. Tungsten, molybdenum, vanadium, selenium, cobalt, manganese, wolfram ire, scheelite, molybdenite, manganese or e, zinc ore, lead ore, bauxite. Vlumins and salts of aluminium Antimony together with sulphides ami oxides of antimony. Copper, part wrought and copper wire. . s Submarine sound signalling, appara tus. Tires of motor vehecles and cycles together with articles or materials es pecially adapted for use in manufac ture or repair of tires. Kubber, including raw waste and reclaimed' rubber and goods made wholly of rubber. 1 GERMAN COAST ATTACKED. Rwlh Navsl Vessels Make Raid on f.crman Coast With Aid ot Aircraft fc Berlin. Dec. 26, (Via Wireless to Say viiie), The German admiralty made tho following announcement -today: On December 25th. eight British " arships made a dash into a German - Hydro aeroplanes, convoyed by hpi:. made an advance against the 'ninths of German rivers and dropped ' ombs on ships lying at anchor and a Ka tank near Cuxhaven without hlt ''ik them or doing damage. . "Tiie hydro-aeroplanes were, fired at nd withdraw- in a westerly direction, 'erman airships and aeroplanes recon "oitered against the British forces and su, reeded in hitting with bombs two British destroyers and one other ves of the convoy- On. the -latter fire l,rr-' OUt. T: 5"o prevented a continuation, of the fighting." . " German admiralty announcement n attemnt bv British warships nf :,Hinst the German coast is the .first '"tir.iation of what appears to be a re "'y U) the recent German-raid against Kiigiish ports of Scarborough, 'viiii by and Hartlepool. Thei British atjiorities have made no mention of ihis operation. " .i,:' " 1 1 orn the reference to Cuxhaven in 'uh. German announcement" , it would "9m that the German rivers Indicated ar" the Elbe and Weser. , Cuxhaven ; is 1 fortified German seaport, j 58 miles of the Contenders. FIGHT FOR AN OPENING west-northwest of Hamburg. It is at the mouth of the. Estuary of the Elbe. The approximate distance across the North Sea from the English coast to Cuxhaven is 360 miles. SO NAVAL BATTIiE YET. Report from Chile That Cruisers Ea saged Prove to be n Mistake. Valparaiso, Chile, December 26. No new sea fight has occurred off the Chil ean coast, so far as can be ascertained today at Valparaiso. ' Cannonading reported last night 15 miles off this port, by the Chilean tor pedo gunboat Tome, and which was supposed to be an engagement between the British cruiser New Castle and the German cruiser Dresden, and don verted cruiser Prinz Eitel Freidrich, is now be lieved to have been the New Castle sa luting " the., flag of Vice-Admiral Sir Frederick Sturdee, commander of the British squadron which sanJc the Ger man, squadron off the Falkland islands. The Australian battle cruiser Austra lia anchored; in the bay this morning. Vice Admiral Sir George Patey, com mander of the Australia,-came ashore and paid his respects to the Chilean authorities. He saidTthat he -had not met the cruiser New Castle while on his way , to Valparaiso, and he declared that he was unable, to explain the ori gin of the firing reported off the coast. The Australia has been cruising along the Pacific coast of. South Amer ica for several weeks. - ARMY TRAINS COLLIDE Troopo in One and Wounded Officers In Others-Many Killed London, Dec, 26- Reupter dispatch from Warsaw says that 400 men were killed and 500 : wounded in a collision between troops and hospital trains at Kalisz, Poland. The troops were com- Ing . from Prtissna and the. hospital train was preceeding to Germany with wounded officers. The trains were run ning at .full v speed when they col lided. More than tweiity cars ' were wrecked. .' ' v - An investigation discvlosed that a railway switch bad been changed at the last moment. The. statiohrmaster, switchmen and others are under arrest. XANCY TISITED AGAIN Two Persons Killed and Others "Wound ed by German Bombs ' , Paris, Dec, 126-A dispatch received here from Nancy says that, a Zeppelin airship flew over that city early, this morning and dropped a total of . four teen bombs. " Two: persons killed- and two others wounded. '' . - Several houses in Nacy were slightly damaged, but none of the public build ings was injured. . ; :r :yiENA STATEMENT. Desperate -Fla;htlnaf.1n Galleia .Is Be . port Russian Tike Two Towns. , Vienna, ; via : London, : Dec. 26. The war; department. Issued. the; following communication this afternoon: : i-y-S v "After four, days of heroic flgrhting i Continued From Faxa 0 ; : . Danger to American Life and is Over. CAMPS ARE DESTROYED Three TVlns of Attacking Force Are Withdrawn Under Cover of ,Nfarh Kn trained and Ieft tor ' Parte Unknown u ii o, Ariz., Dec, 26 Governor Maria Mprena, of Sonora. lifted the siege off: lico, Sonora, today and retired to thj Southwest with his troops. He de il,tyed his Jworks, burned his camp an f removed all .' his artillery. If S.ringr the night May torena's troops Ty4 - ;,and south .of Naco left their posi t V -A- daybreak they concentrated fourmiles to the, southwest where they boarded a train which had been there Since the siege Was begun nearly three months ago. '.- ;. . General Benjamin Hill, commanding the Naco garrison, sent out skirmishers who had a bloodless encounter with the Maytorena rear guard. Hill's men took three women prisoners and picked us a - shrapnel" shell left in the May torena camp. ' It was brought into the garrison and exploded while being ex amined, killing three and wounding thirteen, two of whom died. . Army Disappeared Hill's scouts reported tonight that Maytorena's army had disapeered. The railroad leads to Nogales and Cananea. The scouts did not learn Maytorena's objective.- Detachments of Hill's men visited Maytorena's vacated trenches and returned tonight with' considerable ammunition and a few rifles. Twenty one cases of cartridges are said to have been found at one outpost. Dead were reported lying all along the line that had been - accuptei j1y i-Maytona. In - one spotiHill said ;hfs men found 166 bodies; at another 78. The total loss of the Carranza garrison during the siege was placed at 185 by General Hill tonight. Maytorena's total loss was figured at 800. s - Oh' the American ' side stray bullets from- the .Mexican fighting lines killed five and wom&Q&'ifc..-- ,- r-V !- r-. Bnlletsr the thounarifl ftew:Ovr khe f i tng : the sieges etiremfnt or siayore- na's besieging, army TuanilG v- an .an- riouncement made by Maytorena after his5 conference, Thursday with General HUgh L. Scott, chief of staff of the United Stafes army who came here in an effort to stop permanently fighting at .border, points iwjhtere. bullets endan gered American lives and.jroperty. DEEPEMXG OF UTIiAWO , ' WATERWAY IS REJECTED. Plan, to , Accommodate Barges from Beaufort to Norfolk Disapproved. Washington, Dec. 26.- Plans to ac commodate barges-of maximum draft between Norfolk andvBeaufort Inlet, North Carolina, .' by increasing the depth of Trent riVer between . Newbern and'Pollocksville from nine feet to 12 fet Vere disapproved today in a War Department- report to Ctmgress. Work now is under way to establish a chan nel 11 feet deep at Newbern, SO feet wide and four feet deep to Trenton and nine feet deep to, a point four mils above ""Newbern. ' Other Southern projects adversely reported included that to deepen and straighten Coan river, "Virginia, at its main entrance to the Potomac, and one to deepen the ''channel of Slades creek, North Carolina; a tributary of Pamlico. DEWEY HAS LIVED FDR SEVENTY-SEVEN YEARS Many Friends Called to See Famous Admiral Yesterday. Retires at 10 Every Aiffht and Reads the Papers First of All . In the . Morning Is Still Young !Boy,Says Friend Washington; Dec 26 Admiral Dewey was 77 years old today. - Secretary Daniels, his aides and members of the navy general board, called on him at his home and found him in good -spir-j its and health. . - . . 1 feel very proud of the fact," said Secretary Daniels to the admiral, "that you were appointed to the Naval Acad emy by a. Secretary of .the Navy ': from North Carolina, Mr. Dobbin." "I suppose,", returned the admiral, -'that's-, why I ; have been, a Democrat ever, slnce'j ; ' " He added he was enjoying life, but thstt Henry - Qassaway , . .Davis had told him he slept top much. : -"What time do you go to bed, Mr. Sedretaryr asked the Admiral. - "JBefore,I came to Washington when I edited a morning newspaper? I used to get to sleep about 3 A- M." said Mr. Daniels. "I have reformed." , ' "I have beenretiring-every -night at 10 o'clock, ' said Admiral 'Dewey, "and I am up at 5 o'clock every morning, reading the newspapers before anybody else in Washington Mr. 'Davis, how ever," who is 92 years old, and says Fm a mere boy, thinks I'm missing half of life -iy going to bed so early.?' -The admiral took his customary drive during ;thniomihgV then . received a 10,00a ConnccteitH Out break, but Lached Leaders. AND POORl-ANIZEb Eight Arrerteda't VlwsWf n aid Others to Follow U ReporidbUar Aetion ' In tk Dark. Manila, Dec. 26.i-Eight Filipinos have been arrestee .pp. '. the charge of sedition as" a result dt an abortive ris ing in Manila and ,: ; Its environs on Thursday nigrht. , ; Further arrests are probable. From army sources, it is learned" that a geneVa,! warning was sent to all , officers T;hjlrsday afternoon stating that fully idO: Filipinos iii Manila alone were reity for-a concert- ed attack on Fort Santiago, the Cuartel Espana, the Cuartel Infante ria arid the medical depot.' " The ' military units were prepared and a 'street patrol was started at .dusk. . . - Coristabular agenta who .are .mem bers of the" secret societies disclosed the plans for an Uprising, thus enab ling a force of. constabulary and police to disperse gatherings at Bagumbayah, Paco and- Navotasi near- Malabon.', Caloocan a squad of American sailors seized chairs when a force of Filipinos approached -a' dance hall in which they were, gatied, and, using the chairs as weapons; routed the Filipinos, of whom quite a -number were injured. Was Poorly Organized. The 'rising' was" ''evidently poorly or ganized and lacked leaders. It was composed for the, most'; part "of persona implicitly trusting' the.TCprd of.Arte mio Ricarte, a revolutionist, who con ducts a continual - propaganda from Hong Kdng.to-which place he was ban ished by the American authorities some time ago. Ricarte, it is stated, advised that the. ariti-American - attempt . be made on Christinas dye, when the Amer lcanofncers -would be expected to cele-brate-the-horidavr, : . Jttftports -irrorrt : we4- pro yioce s te of mtnot f ipgciiiOTial ? violence, ing.. The situation' todayy from all ap pearances, 'according, to- official state ments is well under control of the mil itary authorities. . Governor" General. Francis - Burton Harrison happens to be 'away on- offi cial business .'and Winfred T; Denison, Secretary: of the Interior, is in charge of affairs, pending Mr. "Harrison's, re turn. 1 . Fight Near Capital. Reports from Navotas, - six miles north of the capital say that simultan eously with the outbreak at Manila Christmas. eve, 30 men entered the mu nicipal building, seized three policemen on duty there and tried to open the safe. . Later the Filipinos seized attendants conducting midnight mass and captur ed the Filipino governor, "Melendres. When police reinforcements arrived the revolutionists fired a volley and then retreated. Later they exchang ed a?s Kith apother force and m this engagement the constabulary SucreevJi ed in arresting ten men. In all 21 Filipinos were taken pris oners at Navotas. The nationalist newspapers - accuse the other political parties of fomenting the revolution and they also hint that some Americans were concerned in it in an effort to quash the Jones bill, which contains provisions for a great (Continued on Page Two) BANDIT DIES !M FIGHT Appearance of Marshal Saves Twenty Men. - - . . ... T - Except for Timely Appearance of Offl ' eer Hold Tp of .Crowded Pool Room in Oklahoma Town - --Was a Success. Cleveland, Okla., Dec. 26. An un known bandit, was killed, Chief of Po lice W. fe. Fenton was shot through, the leg and two citizens -were wounded in a sensational battle here today, result ing from an attempt to' hold up 20 men in a billiard room. , Fenton was passings the place and saw the men inside with their hands up. The bandit was making them toss their money upon a pool table. The policeman stood in the front door and emptied his revolver at "the robber, who returned the. fire. Fenton was- shot through the leg. two other men re ceived flesh wounds and a bullet pierc ed another's' hat. . ''..-' 1 ';"-' .' The chief rushed out of the place, se cured another, revolver - and met the blood ' covered robbet as he came out of the rear door.; Lying on the ground, Fenton riddled the fellow with bullets. - . Thedead man was about 26 years old and used a white silk handkerchief for - : -; .. -:' . Washington; Dec! 26. Thirty-six rifle clubs from" .34 cities participated - this week In the opening match" of the rifle club gallery championship, under aus pices of' the -National Rifle -Association; Of America. Bridgeport, Conn., lfead class A, scoring 99Q against ' or score of act .nhfcttr. .BL'JI-';.,- - ' WITH WESTERff OFFICER yt ' ' '- i. - at BUT IS DISREGARDED Washington ' Government, Much Inter ested in -the Release of Former . Governor at Mexico City May be Arrested, Washington Deo. 26. Secretary Bry an said today that the Unite'd States government, was continuing"its efforts with the Gutierrez government to ob tain a general . amnesty for ; political offenders, both in and, out of Mexico. He declared the question of recogni tion of the Gutierrez administration had not been considered and made it plain that "the amnesty had not been asked for as a prerequisite to recogni tion. Officials here are taking much interr est - in the safety of former Governor Iturbide, who has left Mexico City for the United States through the influence of the American government. General Palafox, a Zapata adherent and member-of the Gutierrez cabinet, is quoted as saying that Iturbide would be ar rested if caught before -he reaches the border. Should that occur, it is proba ble urgent representations in his be- . 'half would. be-renewed. grateful to Iturbide, although an offi cial under preceding governments, he remained in Mexico City to protect for eigners and maintain order after the Carranza troops evacuated rather than make, good his own safety by flight. Charges Against Silliman. American Consul Silliman at Mexico City reported today that General Pala fox had issued a statement charging that he (Silliman), special Agent Leon Canova and others had accepted a bribe of 500,000 pesos to effect the release of Iturbide. Mr. Silliman, in his report, dismissed the story, of the bribe as absurd. Consul , Canada's ' dispatches to the State- Department from "Vera Cruz to day made no. reference to fighting there yesterday between Carranza arid Villa troops, and the. other .sources of infor mation on , Mexican, affairs here were without advices. . , V V- ' ', I A,d,e.layed offtclal dispatehfrojWn- plfc"p"f eaehetf . the' $tat 'e' jLypartrtuto day , giving additional, ilifbriliation or the fighting on rDeceinbef 23rd between the Carranza and Villa forces at Eba np station,- near, there. . The message said the Carranzo forces under General Velasco were .gradually falling back in the. direction of Tampipo. Official re ports given, out at Carranza headquar ters last night said . Villa's troops had been defeated at Ebano station. starvation in Mexico. Reports' Issued by Red Crocis Equal to . European Countries. Washington, Dec. 26. Conditions of amine and suffering in Mexico, said by some observers to rival the distress in the European theatres of war, were described in reports issued today by the "American Red' Cross.. Consul General Hanna sent the fol lowing message" from" Monterey: "There is, .an alarming shortage of staule food supplies Several outlying 7 towns- are appealing to me for help. If the wintet keeps cold,' there will be great suffering. I need 2,000 cheap blankets. After four years of war this whole country is short of food." The consul at Matamoras. said: "The conditions in Europe which shock the civilized vorld have existed here against our borders for four years (Continued on Page Two) BLACKS IN PISTOL DUEL WHITE GIRLS WOUNDED Feeling High - at Jonesville, South Carolina- Prominent Young . Ladies of South Car- ' ollna Town Seriously Injured . Both Negroes Are Wounded in a Shooting Scrape. Jonesville, . S. C, Dec. 26. - Marie Fowler and Myrtle Coleman, members of prominent local families, were struck by stray bullets when Will Haney and Cranford Thomson, negroes, engaged in a pistol duel at the railway station here late today.. Miss Coleman is said to be dangerously wounded, one bullet having passed entirely through , her body. ' "Miss Fowler's hurts are reported to be painful, but not dangerous. The negroes,' who are in jail,-probably will be taken to linioh for safe keeping, - as i'ndignation' here is gen eral and county officials fear an at tempt vat Lynching. Haney is said to have been dangerously' wounded. The other negro ,wai sligiitly in juried only. ,r ' LANDED I JAIL. . Officers Reach Unpn,' S. With Pri oners Safely Locked- Up.' .- - Union, S. C.,' Dec. S.--The two ne goes - arrested at- Jonesville' late today for firing shots which ; wounded two white girls, were brought to the county Jail' here' for safe-keeping 'tonight. 'Of ficials ,s ay the danger of an attempt- at ' vti -tvi n or . tV. nr r r rtljtgXv fa n3L&t In f Regard to Iturbide, Mexico City; General Clean-Up at Terre Haute Includes Mayor, CITY JUDGE 4ND OTHERS Arrest Made on Indictments of Federal Grand Jury Charging Conspiracy to Corrupt Recent Elections. afinety-Three Taken. 'Indianapolis, Dec. 26. Nearly every member of the city administration of Terre Haute is in. the hands of United States authorities tonight as a result of wholesale arrests last night, today and tonight on indictments charging a conspiracy to corrupt the election of November 3rd, last. Early tonight 93 person, including Mayor Don,'M.Rob-. erts, a xjandidate for the Democratic nomination for Governor in 1916; Den nis Shea, sheriff of Vigo county; Judge Eli H. Redman, 'city judge; Thomas S. Smith, and other, leading Terre Haute politicians had been taken into custo dy. , Unable to .furnish bond of-$10,Q00 de manded by United States' Marshal Mark Storen, Mayor Roberts tonight was in cluded in a party of 2i prisoners who had failed to provide bond, and was being brought here to be jailed.1 The others had been released on bonds ranging from : $2,500 to ?10,000 eacn. Sheriff Shea and Judge Redman were freed on bonds of $10,000 each. About the only important official of Terre Haute not arrested is Edward Holler, chief . of poliee, who is now serving a sentence in the Vigo county jail for contempt 'of court. Frank C. Daly, United States district attorney for Indiana, who conducted the investi gation which resulted in the grand jury indictments, said today that Hol ler was among those indicted but that he probably would not be arrested un til he had completed his sentence. Steps taken by Marshal Storen in Terre Haute tonight indicate that oth er arrests. are to be madel , It is said more, than 125 persons were named. in the indictments. . , - Mayor Roberts is charged with many overt acts-in the indictment. ' He. is ac cused of levying assessments against propriators oS$ saloons, ' dance halls, amliKj.ixousjndeort.9.o be used f a?oir-;the jrggjstcation,Tpf voters; pf .hir-; ing meii to-'transport .repeaters;" from one precinct to - another; of conspiring to place only men-his n-oney could'in fluence . on certain, election boards, " of ordering-; the arrest-'of certain men to prevent their' voting and of directing the making of -false-registration cards; Similar overt acts are named against all arrested and some also are charked with strong, arm tactics to intimidate the electoriate. ' 'Ie is-charged that- the postal laws were violated in that the alleged conspiracy was further through the mails. Federal authorities con tended that inasmuch as a United States senator and congressmen were voted for the Federal government has jurisdiction. PROGRAM FOR REVISION OF STATE TAX SYSTEM OUTLINED State Tax Commission, in Report for the Legislature, Recon mends Re-Assessment of Real Property in lfft6 at Its Real Money Value, With Reduction in Rate of . Levy Made Definite and Certain in Advance. Present System Admittedly Inadequate. Raleigh, "n. C. Dec. 26. That all property in the State, real as well as personal,- be placed on the tax books at its real value in money; thU ja, record of the selling prices of real estate in the respective communities be averaged for a yea'r to be used as a partial basis for ascertaining the value; that the tax rate be reduced to such a .level that the re-assessment of the property will result in an increase of not more than 6 per cent in the State's revenue from this source, and that this re-assessment not to be made before 1916, are some of the- vital recommendations made to the Legislature by the State Tax Commis sion in its report just submitted to Governor Craig. The report in fact outlines the Tax Commission's proposed programme for the solution for the vexatious problem of the State's 'system of revenue and taxation. Tne commission cites nu merous complaints pointing out de fects, inadequacies and inequalities in the present system of taxation, admits the existence of such defects and un dertakes to outline the remedy, the ap plication of which the commission be- lieves will solve the problem. The re port is signed by E, L Travis, chair man; Geo. P. Pell anJ W. T. Lee, who constitute also the Corporation Com mission, and by .A. J. Maxwell, clerk. The Tax Commission cites the fact that it recommended to the. last Gener al Assembly changes in the Revenue and Machinery Acts as to levy anI list ing of license taxes under Schedules B and C; the levying of a franchise tax on corporations that would reach the large foreign corporations doing busi ness in the 'State, and to enforce col lection of income and inheritance taxes, from which-sources it . predicted- there would be substantially increased reve nue. "Our recommendations' as to these taxes were, adopted, except that the rates we suggested on corporations and inheritances were modified," says the Tennessee Reported to Have. Threatened Bombardment TRIPOLI IS THE SCENE Sailors From American Merchantman; Attacked ' and Captain AVounded - When French Citizens Taken ' ' on Board Ship ' ; ,Washington, Dect 26 Secretary -Dan-1 iels today called on Captain Oman,' commander of the arinored cruiser North Carolina, to report, whether threats of violence had been- made by Turks at Tripoli against American sailors. Athens dispatches published today said an American warship had threatened a bombardment as a result The North Carolina and the Tennes-; see both are at Beirut today, the Ten-,, nessee .having, gone to that port fron Jaffa after depositing gold. Beirut is forty miles, South of Tripoli, where the, disorders were '. said to have . occurred. One report was that Turkish authorl-j ties sought ,to prevent the- departure ot American, British and French consuls, and that the attacks on the American crew of a commercial ship and the threatened bombardment of Tripoli by the ' American man-of-war followed. ' REPORT FROM ATHENS Crew of American. Merchantman Re-' ported to Have. Been Attacked, - London, Dec, 27- A Reuter dispatcfc from Athens says it was the United, States cruiser North Carolina which (threatened to use. its guns at Tripoli, Syria. The North Carolina, convoying the American 'steamer Virginia , had proceeded to Tripoli and the .command-, er requested the Turkish: authorities 1 to permit. the British and French cbh- isulsjto depart .witli their nationals re-' J.sident in Tripoli. This request was'' refused. ' . . ' k . Several French residents-boarded the J Virginia, but .were a ttacked by a ,mob 1 who wouudeil the captain and first of ! ficer.-' When the North Carolina threat ened to fire the mob fled. The Virginia.-, escorted by the North Carolina, left for Dedeaghatch and. the North Carolina later ; proceeded . for. Smyrna. Many French refugees, the dispatch I adds have already arrived at Piraeus. -A The United States cruiser North Carolina, according to a Washington dispatch of December 16th "proceeded , from the Island of Scios, on the coast of Asia-minor, for Alexandria, to take gold to Jaffa for the relief of Jews in Jerusalem. Jaffa is about ISO miles South of Tripoli. port that there has resulted increased revenue from these sources during the two years, 1913 and 1914, as compared with 1911 and 1912, as follows: , "Automobile licenses, $117,781; Corpo ration franchise,'' $53,395; Express com panies' franchise, $21,170; Inheritance taxes, $21,485; Railroad privilege, tax es, $36,929; Telegraph companies' priv ilege taxes, $3,417; Telephone , compa nies' privilege taxes, $11,6SC; Licenses B and C Schedule (from counties) $109,216. Total $375,079. "There Were also increases in insur ance tax receipts of $111,609, making a grand total of $486,688." r The report sets forth that "the ad ministration of the Machinery Act, in which we have had the co-operation' of local authorities, has resulted in . in creases,1 without a re-assessment of. real estate, in the value f general property listed from $747,500,000 lh" 1912 to $783,919,000 in 1.913. Reports from 83 counties, in 1914 show an in crease in these counties of ' $21,000,000 over 1913. This will very probably amount t,o $25,000,000 when all the counties have reported, so that the val ue pf all property in 1914 will be abodt $808,000,000." Present System Inadequate. After citing the Commission's activ-. ities in the matter of inheritance tax-" ee, related to which subject the body nowihas a suit pending before the Su preme Court, the report refers to the proposed constitutional .' amendment . Oil revenue and taxation saying: ! V "The failure pf" the people tq' ratify the recently .proposed amendment ta the Constitution in respect to taxa tion has been interpreted - by some as an expression of satisfaction with, our present' system of taxation. While w'e regard this c conclusion as correct ' as regards the principles of the present system, and 'especially as to the -principle of equal and uniform! taxation of rail property, we by no means construe it as expressing satisfaction with ; the existing assessment and listing of prcp-' erty in - the State ' under- that system On the contrary, inasmuch as the prin ciple of equal and uniform taxation; .Continued on Page Threai. M f iU'L;'.'" 9 I I I ti lt I! v't t;: Sit - r , -ts' r-: J. 9 , - j '.- t" ' '