The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-03-17
BeIgians and British Con- solidate Ground Captured Recently From the Ger man Forces
HEAVY FIGHTING NEAR ARRAS; BOTH
 CLAIM SUCCESS
Russians Even More Active in the East, Where Ger man Offensive Has Failed to Materialize

London, March 18.-(1O.5O p. m.)
 With the increasing activities of the
 British, French and Belgian armies.
 the reappearsnce on the coast Of Bell
 eium of British and French wnrships,
 and the time drawing near for n biz
 effort in the west, the British public
 is following with renewed interest tbc
 daily reports of operations. The Belgians, supported by the allies
 warships, have consolidated the ground
 they have won in the last few days.
 while the British have done likewise
 with the strip of territory taken from
 the Germans near Neuve Chapelle, and
 bave recovered most. if not all, of the
 trenches lost in the region of St. Elio Simultaneously there has been heavy
 fighting north of Arras, in Champagne. In the Argonne and in the vosges in
 which both French and Germans claim
 successes.
 All the operations are believed here
 to be due principally to the general offensive the allies will undertake when the ground dries.
 Russians Active
 The Russians are even more active
 than their western allies. Tho Ger
 man offensive against Przasnysz hay Ing failed to materialize probably ow- Ing to the thaw, the Russians have un- uertaken the offensive, and, accord L. Ing to their own account are ad-
 Nancing successfully along both banks
 or the Orzyc river and have occupied the village of Stegna, on one os the
 main roads leading to Przasnysz from lne nofa hetst At thtis point ss1ey res pulsed a determined counter attack, The Germans, however say the Rus
 slams attacks have been repelled and
 that they captured 20O0 Russians
 In the Carpathians and in Eastern Gallcla the Russians report q series of successes against the Austro- German armies, which, despite deep snow, have kept up almost continuous attacks In the BaligrodA region, and in some cf
 the central passes, in the hope of re- heving Przemysl. The Russians are closing around the fortress and their infantrymen are within rifle shot oi northern forts
 l From unofficial sources 1t is lcarne d that the Russians have resumed the l offensive in BulSowina, and battle is
 in progress near the Bukowina iron tier, along the Stanislau- Kolomea rail- 1 way.
 Again on Move In the Caucasus, too, the Russians again are on the move, and. according to Petrograd accounts. are pushing the Turks back along the coast of the Black sea and are threatening the Turkish army at Olti, on the Russo Turkish border.
 The allied fleet continues it's opera tions in the Dardanelles and off Sfnyr- ma, but no official report of it's prog ress has been made for some days An Athens report says the British cruiser, l Amethyst has penetrated the straits as far as Niagara The cruiser is said to have been hit by three shells, which killed a number of the crew. There is belief in some quarters here that the Turks will capitulate, if the fleet gets through the straits, to save Constantinople from lombard : ncent
 Lord Southwark at a meeting Of the Associated Chambers of Commerce tonight said that since the outbreak
 of war, Great Britains output of war
 material has increased three hundred fold.