New Britain herald., 1917-05-03
BRITISH ATTACK ON
 FRONT OF F MILES
Hai6 Orders Another Offensive
 Against Germans on Scarpe

n60AuNt WVAW0lO Vu OVul PV
 GOOD PROGRESS REPORTED
 French Also Report Success on Their End of Northern Llne and Cla1m Capture of More Prisoners Mon astir stin Under Bombardment. New breaches in the already badly battered German line on the Arras battlefield arc being made by the British in . heavy assault launched 1 on twelve-mile front today. Striking in twelve miles south of Lens on the Acheville-VImy road, General Haig's troops drove at the Germans all along the line as far south as Croissolles southeast of l Arras. Virtually the whole front of the attack at the beginning of the Arras battle on April is now sub ject to a vigorous British artillery fire.
 The attack came at a moment when 1t seemed as If deadlock had been established. for time at least be- cause of the heavy reserves which had been brought up by the Germans
 and the strong resisting powers they were displaying. Of the initial suc- cess of the renewed offensive, the Brit. :. tsh reports speaks positively, record ing the capture of a number of strong enemy positions.
 Unofficial accounts of the fighting specify British progress at several points. From Arleux, captured last week, progress has been made towards Fresney, marking . still deeper thrust into the Oppy positions.
 This operation seems likely to force the speedy evacuation by the Ger mans of the town of Oppy to which they have been clinging desperately. The British had already advanced south of 1t when they captured Ga- vrelle and now are pressing into the north of 1t at Fresnoy.
 While not pressing ahead on any wide front, the French along the are giving the Germans no rest, em- ploying their artillery vigorously and nicking out | section of the enemy line here and there. Last night, in the hills east of Mont Haut where strong German positions recently were taken. an Isolated position was reduced and its 1arr1son of more than 200 mon captuHed.-s> German counter attacks In this rea1nns ware repulssd. y There may b1 1k0ntdcance In the reports of activity which are coming from the verdun sector and the lines to the southeast of 1t. There has been considerable patrol fighting in these regions and active artillery work is in progress east of St. Mihiel.
 Braxil has drawn one step nearer to war with Germany and today is one Of three countries lowering on the brink of the maelstrom which has convulsed two-thirds of the world. Norway. and China are the two other countries which may shortly be added to the ever lengthening list of Ger many's foes.
 Two events have happened in Bra gil which may easily form the impe- tus to the last remaining step on the road to war; Dr. LAuro Muller. Bra gillian foreign minister, has rendered his resignation on the eve of the day set for Brazilian congress to decide whether the republic shall draw its sword. pr. Muller has been persist cntly reported as. if not actually pro- German. at least a firm opponent of hostilities between Brazil and the
 Teutonic empires. Ills resignation l coincides with an order by President Brax detaining the dismissed Ger l man minister. The order was issued on receipt of news from Berlin that the Brazilian minister in Germany had
 been refused permission to leave the country.
 The possibility of Norway's entrance l into the ranks of the allies Is based on the havoc wrought among the Nor 1 wegian mercantile marine by German submarines. Norway, prior to the war, fourth among the worlds. seafar- ing nations. has suffered so heavily from the ravages of the U-boats that her shipping Is actually threatened with extinction. The bitterness among the Ncrwegians over German war
 methods is growing rapidly and many
 voices are urging that she could not
 be worse of as belligerent and might find compensation If peace found her in the ljsts with the Entente.
 All reports from China agree that the advocates of war are in g. ma-
 tority at present, but the president is still reluctant to take the fateful
 step. It has been reported that Japan
 was unwilling that China should en-
 ter the struggle but the Japanese
 foreign office has officially denied this
 In the meantime the entire situa-
 tion in Europe remains obscure
 though conflicting reports and the extraordinary efforts of the censor