Las Vegas optic., 1914-08-05
WAR Is DECLARED
BY ENGLAND TO
GERMANY

lceeded satisfactorily and everything to
be in readiness with General Joffrs,
icommander in chief, at the frontier.
| AS the Black Sea has been tightly
closed by Turkeys shutting the Darda-
nelles and Bosphorus in order to main
tain her neutrality. the Russian fleet
There has no difficulty in making cap
tive many German and Austrian YES
sells.
Austria and Servia appear to have
stopped their activities or at least to
have put a strict censorship on the
news of any important events as no
news dispatches of Importance have
reached the British capital from those
two countries.
The French fleet in the Mediterra-
mean is reported to have captured or
destroyed three German cruisers, but
the dispatches are conflicting
The plans of campaign of the vari-
GUS nations at war are being develop
ed with methodical deliberation and
military authorities here are of the
opinion that fighting on the Russo
| German and Franco-German frontiers
nave consisted of nothing but skfrm-
ishes between accommodating bodtes
of troops. They point out that it
will take at least another week for the
main armies of Germany, France and
Russia to get into position for the
decisive struggle.
1t is known now, however, that Sc
we're fighting is in progress in Bel
gium between the Belgians and the
Germans, and it is reported that S0,-
900 Germans have been repulsed near
Leige, although the Belgian war MN
lister only permits himself to say in
his official reports that the Belgians
are successfully meeting the German
invaders. Little credence is placed
in authoritative quarters here in the
alleged authentic information from
Algiers in regard to the sinking ol
, capture of German warships in the
: Mediterranean.
| The Gazette, the official news
= paper today published the noti
a fication of the state of war exist
t ing between Germany and England as
!. we'll as an order in council signed by
the king relating to the merchant yes
q sells of the country with which th'
g British empire is at war
j, The order specifies as absolutely
contraband arms of all kinds, clothing
and harness of a military character
= ard animals suitable for war purposes
Articles specified as not contrabanG
, fare foodstuffs, fuel, harness, telescopes
and field glasses.
The British government will pay il
the neighborhood of $25,O0O,OOO for The
two Turkish battleships being con
structed in English yards and which il
has taken over. The one which has
been renamed Agincourt is completed
The other, Osmani and which will be
known in the British navy as the Erin
is nearly completed. They are frs
class battleships.
Bank Rate Reduced
Chancellor of the Exchequer Lloyd
George announced in the house o1
common today that the Bank of Eng
land rate was to be reduced to pei
cent by Friday. The government, ht
said, had not decided to suspend pay
ments.
Chancellor George contended tina
any ona boarding gold was assistinf
the enemy of his country.
At the same time, with the view
of economizing gold and maintaing the
integrity of the gold standard, it wal
proposed to issue notes of 15 an,
los $3.50 convertible to gold at th,
Bank Of England.
These would be available ON Frida,
? to the extent of $15,OOO,OOO, and afte
that would be issueo at the rate .
100000. Postal orders are also t
be made legal tender on the sam
terms *
He made an appeal to patriotic pee