The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-05-30
JAPANESE TROOPS MUST ACT
 QUICKLY ID BE EFFECTIVE
Will Probably Not Lay Siege to Port Arthur But Will Attempt to Take 1t By As
 sault.

 tense interest is displayed in the Japanese reports of the Kin Chou battle The peo- pie in the streets almost mob newsbpys to secure extras containing the dispatches. l Crowds keep around the official bulletin boards awaiting the news but none arr rives. The official world. as we'll as the public, is entirely dependent on the Japa- nese for news. Further details are eagerly l looked for, especially regarding losses. The prevailing conviction here is that 1 the Japanese must have carried Nanshan at tremendous sacrifice. The accounts of the heroically stubborn dcrense made by the Russians, notwithstanding their po- sition, subjected to the fire of artillery l from the front and from warships on the l flank, are a source of much satisfaction. Their own reports, the Russians say. could not have placed the fighting quali- ties of their soldiers in a better light than do those of the Japanese.
 Both the admiralty and the war office are without news, and frankly confess they d. not expect to hear from the be- leagured garrison In Port Arthur again directly, except by accident until the for tress had been relieved or surrendered. CT the war ended Some native reports that drifted into headquarters at I4ian Yang and were forwarded here. say thal the Japanese lest many thousands.
 Will Push Operations. The impression in army circles is that the Japanese will push operations against Port Arthur with the greatest energy.
  will be required to bring up siege guns. In the Chino Japanese war, although Kin Chou was taken practically with out op- position, eleven days were necessary to prepare for the storming of Port Ar thur.
 Colonel Novtsky of the general staff. in an interview points out that Port Ar thur although generally denominated a fortress, is in reality an entrenched camp, whereof Kin Chou was only an ad- vanced improvised position. It would be unw.se to judge of the strength of the permanent connected fortiications around Port Arthur by Kin Chou. These fortifi- cations, he said, support each other scien- tihcally Operations by them will require the most careful systematic preparation.
 ''The Japanese now before Port Arthur said Colonel Novtsky, may proceed in three ways: First, an open attack after preparatory artillery fire; second, a pro ,, gressive siege and third, blockade. I think the Japanese will adopt the first course, as 1t Is not to their advantage to wait while Russian endorsements are arriving. The second method Is a long and complicated operator that might last months.
 Nothing Is Invincble. Port Arthur, generally speaking is im- pregnable, but impregnablity Is rela- tive term. Nothing in Notifications Is really invincibe. Guns will destroy any structure. Cannon will defeat each other. Sappers can remove impediments outside and fill ditches. Scaling ladders will overcome any wall. Mines can be met with counter mines.
 "A blockade would involve passive activ- ity for many months, and an enormous number of troops Therefore. 1 believe that the Japanese will attempt to carry the place by assault with the aid of their artillery
 The Japanese are copying on a large scale their campaign of 1894. While Gen eral Oku Is at Port Arthur General Kuro-
  army, landing at Takushan, will move on Hai Chang and New Chwang until they are occupied. I do not believe Gem eral kuroh will move against General kuropatkins main position until he has formed base at New Chwang"
 One of the Associated Press Russian correspondents has just returned from Port Arthur. He has been over and is thoroughly fan liar with the forts and .{t,fA f- hot fI7aa fortress cannot be taken except by sys- tematic siege operations, and that will require many months.
 Will Relieve the Garrison. Unless the Japanese are able to carry 1t in less than three months" the corre- spondent says, Tit will be too late, as General Kuropatkin will then have enough men to send an army to relieve the gar rison. Fock is a great fighter Stoessel has 4O,O00 men, including the sailors on the warships. The garrison is provisioned for a year"
 The correspondent also explains that the abrupt declivity in the rear of the posi- ton at Nanshan made it impossible for General Took to take away heavy guns when he retired.
 The Novoe Vremya says that whatever the Port Arthur squadron does, 1t must rot initiate the squadron at Savantopol longer than to have a good chance for open fighting with the enemy. It was better than to sink the ships in the har- bor.
 Viceroy Alexieff has notified the native peasants in Manchuria not to SOW corn or other plants whose tall stalks might afford cover for the chunchus. A special envoy of the ministry of agri- culture is now at Liao Yang organizing the planting of vegetables along the rail road to meet the requirements of the Lrmy.