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Show ' i I Stories of Great Ameri-; Ameri-; can Casualties Over-' Over-' seas Are False. JROOPS GOING OVER .Advance on the Western MFront Decidedly ! I WASHINGTON, Aug. 2-1. Members of the senate military committeo were assured by General March at their weekly conference today that stories of great unpublished American casualties casual-ties overseas are wholly false and that all casualties among the expeditionary expedi-tionary forces are given to the public as promptly as the cables can transmit them. The chief of staff said the situation on the western front now was decidedly decid-edly favorable to tho allies. Further improvement in the shipping ship-ping situation was noted and General March said the program of transporting transport-ing troops to France was going ahead without change. Commenting upon the militaiy situation, sit-uation, the chief of staff pointed out that, since last Wednesday, the French advance has continued from the plateau pla-teau overlooking Noyon down to the Oise river, making a maximum advance ad-vance for these troops of nine miles since August 18. This has forced the enemy back across the Oise. German Counter-Attacks. The French success, he said, has been duplicated by the British who inaugurated in-augurated an attack Wednesday south of Arras. Rapidly advancing, the British Brit-ish reached a depth of three miles but their progress has been hold by German Ger-man counter-attacks. The railroad 'o Arras still is in German hands, according ac-cording to latest olllcial advices, and the Germans are utilizing largely in their defense the railway embankments. embank-ments. The British thrust Thursday in the Albert region resulted in an important advance between the Ancre and the Somme rivers, which General March said, has developed a new salient. Total Number of Troops Embarked. Tho total number of soldiers om barked now has passed the 1,500,000 mark. General March, chief-of-stafr, announced today. General March spoke warmly of the achievements of the American soldiers in France. American Soldiers Deliver the Goods. "The American soldier deserves tho confidence of the American people," ho said. "Every time they have been tested they have absolutely delivered the goods." Every man who has served with American troops has absolute confidence confi-dence in them, he added, citing the reports re-ports made to him by American officers of-ficers returning from France. One or these described an action in which an American division captured sixty- ! eight German guns and brought them back at the rear of army trucks. This division at the same time captured 3500 prisoners. ! Batteries Presented to Pershing. Another division in a single action I look ten complete German battoriea and presented them to General Pcrsh- i inc. General March said statements he made recently in hearings bofore the I military affairs committees were tho ' results of cold blooded military opinion ; and wore not intended to raise the 1 hopes of the people. He apparently re-i re-i f erred to his testimony that an army j of 4,000,000 Americans could win the war next year. I No recent reports have come to the ! department from General Pershing re- garding progress in tho organization , of the first field army. General Marcii I was unable to say whether the Amcti-I Amcti-I can divisions forming this army have been concentrated in a now American sector j He said the S3rd division (Pennsyl-! (Pennsyl-! vania and Ohio troops) is serving as a j replacement division; the 37th (Ohio troops) is. in the Fourth army corps. ' Tho 70th division (District of Cd- lumbia, Maryland and Pennsylvania ' troops) is in training in the rear of the I line. i Complaints recoived by senators j from invalided soldiers of delays in receiving their pay while detached from their commands were brought to General March's attention. Goneral March assured the senators that everything was being done to expedite the pavmcnt of these men. i |