THE WAR.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 27 November 1912, Page 3

THE WAR.

At the end of the week the Tuiks took a sudden turn for the better: making plain the object of their recent tactics in the line of diplomacy. While parleying for armistice and en* joying a whiff or two of the same th'iy were hurrying up every man, gun, and pound of stores they could, to move to the front. Having got enough in the front to make good, they threw over the terms of the allies and practically told them to " come on." In this they have to some extent verified the criticism of the Times military correspondent, who, when all Europe Avas predicting an easy win for the Turk, said that it all depended on his manner of opening the campaign. If lie took the initiative and threw his men forward on the A:lrianople KirkKilish lino he would be overwhelmed because the Bulgarians were concentrating v«ry much faster than ho could. Now his forces being the more numerous he ought, the Times writer contended, to concentrate on his last line instead of his lirst. If he left Adrianople to its own garrison and bent all his eneigies on the ChndaN joja line he would have tiire on his sido, and by the time the enemy attacked.the last line ho would be strong enough to beat him by sheer force of numerical superiority, The Turk would be playing the forward game and lose the opening of the campaign added this critic. And as he predicted so it htis happened. The Turk threw himself forward instead of playing the waiting game : he was overwhelmed, and he lost the opening of the campaign. It turned out however that the loss was not irreparable for the Turk has found time to get up his reserves fi'om Asia and his guns and material of war. He is able to make a strong defence of his capital and he is making it. One account has told us that the Bulgarians have ex« hausted all their powers and have now the last man and the last gun at the front. If so it will be only a case of a few weeks before they are in full retreat for home. Decidedly a very interesting chapter of the war has been reached. At the present moment however, the allies are in actual possession of the whole of Turkey in Europe except the small strip along the Sea of Marmora which includes Constantinople, To get the territory back will require some wrestling.