THE ROUMANIANS.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 132, 14 January 1916, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE ROUMANIANS.

HOLD THE KEY TO THE SITUATION. FROM THE IRON GATES TO THE BLACK SEA. The possibility of Roumania siding against the Allies is attended with the danger of the Teutons using the Danube to push submarines and destroyers into the Black Sea. The Danube is navigable from Vienna to and through the Iron Gates for vessels of 1000 tons, drawing not more than ten feet of water. The Iron Gates are at the j unction of the Hungarian and Roumanian frontiers. For a distance of sixty miles before reaching the Iron Gates the Danube passes through the narrow defile in the Transylvania Mountains.

At the exit of this defile is a series of rapids, which until 1896 barred the passage of all craft. These rapids were denominated the Iron Gates. In 1896, however, a ten-foot passage, navigable for 1000-ton craft, was effected through the Iron Gates, and this piece or engineering oonnected the Black Sea not only with Vienna but with Prague Mid tlie eatirc system of the German inland waterways.

Below the Iron Gate? the Danube deepens, until a depth of 18 feet is attained as high up as Braila. Just below Brailia is Galata, an important shipbuilding point, and one to which vessel- of 7000 tons are accessible. The lower reaches of the Danube, that is, below Galatz, are kept open to deepdraught craft by constant dredging. This dredging is necessary, since the s\i ,'ft and turbid waters which flow from the north frequently form large shoals with great rapidity. The Austrians have maintained for many years a fleet of monitors on the Danube, but owing to the neutrality of Roumania it has not been possible to pass these vessels through that portion of th.'i Danube lying below the Iron Gates. If Rotimama sides with the Teutons, it may reasonably be expected that the Germans would make use of the Danube.to reach the Black Sea with undersea craft, and even armoured monitors.

ROUMANIA A FERTILE COUNTRY. Roumania's wheat fields yield sufficient in normal times to take care of the wants of tho entire United Kingdom. In general the Roumanian country is 'iiven over to agriculture, but nlong ti;e lower Danube there are many industries and manufacturing plants. Roumania, under the impetus of natural growth and need of expansion, hat, long coveted the Transylvania territory to the westward. The danger to tho Allies lies in the possibility that concessions in the Transylvania region may have been proffered to Roumania by tile Austrians as a reward for the former't- aid.

Roumania has means of her own for supplying her army with munitions of war, but in the main the Balkan States are deficient in factories and nrsenals for producing projectiles, artillery and ammunitions for small arms, as well as small arms factories. As late as 1912 Bulgaria was endeavouring to induce English and American interests to erect a small arms arsenal in htat country. Scrvia posseted a smallarms factory largely equipped with American machine tools, but Roumania. tServia, Bulgaria and Greece have made n practise of purchasing field guns and fortress artillery from Europe. The Servian and Roumanian artillery i<? mostly of French make, the Servian guns having come from I-e €reusot and St. diamond, while the Bulgarian ?.vtillery ; s almost wholly, it is understood, of Krupp make. The Greek artillery and, Greek war equipment ha ft been largely purchased in Trance. In recent months the Greeks have made extensive purchases for their military services in the United states market. The Balkan Peninsula is only onefourth larger than the United Kingdom. This estimate includes Montenegro and the Austrian province? of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Except in the cititv and principal towns the population is scarce. The general character of the country is mountainous, with well-defined valleys and watersheds. RAILWAY COMMUNICATIONS Railways are not numerous and those in operation are maintained largely through meaas of communication with European points beyond the Danube. 'The Orient express runs from Constantinople to Paris. There also is through connection by the same, express between Constanza, in Roumania, and Paris. The erain from Constanza, connects with the Orient express from Constantinople at Szegedin. The through trains to the Balkans all run through Buda Pesth, and thence to Vienna.

The train for Constantinople follows tho valley route from Belgrade to Xish, thence crosses to Sofia, in Bulgaria, continues on to Adrianople and Constantinople. Salonika L-. reached < .or the Orient route by branching off at Xisn.

The note of the Orient express is t'.'O military note for any Teuton advance through Servia towards Constantinople. If the Austro-German forces propose crossing from Servia into BulUirinn territory they will in all likelihood do so to the south-east of Xish. When the Russians advanced tnv irds Constantinople in 1878 they did •■•■> along a north and south line through v e centre of Bulgaria. Both the north -nd south frontiers of Bulgaria are i :ied with mountain ranges, and in crossing on the north the Russians had

to take Plevna. This plaoo was I Id l.y the Turks with the proate>t t»' ihljornncts. The southern range of t e Bulgarian mountaias was crossed I.' the Russians at the Khipka Pass. T'io Russians constructed a oarriaper ;id acres- the Shipka the hipliist point heing 4000 ft. The drawn t (••.; the southern side is ton ahrupt for railway. !>ut the northern side : s open I" railway gradients. The climate of the Balkan, i> hot in -"mnier, nnd in many parts, partieci ly in the north, it is very cold in .'.• liter. \\\ far the greater pari of tlie i -ainsnl.! ha.- a full month ../ ueatln r i" the v. int. r time n whieli the mean <! sly temperature is lielow the freezing "\\ hile tee principal eoinmereial pn c!' ts of tli.- p. tvn-ula are agricnltuther. are sections rieh in niinerThi- is particularly in;. Id Servia. h ;:ero silver, lead, iron, < opper and coal i nes ar.' all worked to advantap. . ? U larpeiy due to defecti\e i niiimuni:ons and -par-.o population that nior, . neral territories n the Balkans are ■. )t Worked. Ore.-v is the only eoillli v in tin peninsula where the mineral I • .duct.- tak. a chief plaee in the . \-- ! ■ - ts. The chiei cities on the peninsula are '■ irianople. near Constantinople: Phi. ! ipopolN, hipher up; Sofia, the capital •■ Bulparia : N'ish and Belpradc the i leer the capital of Servia : Athens and I ,-ifiria in Greece, and Yarina in Alt' aia. Ni-h i- an important place, -' largely to the fart that it is the ! .neipnl junction point of waterways r the peninsula. In anv drive down throuph the Bal- ! .ns the city of Nish would he a naUi- :•. ohieetive. From Nish it would !■■• j >,,ihle to tontrol all the avenues of .i-i/anee or approach of any oppo>'np f .• coming from tho somo.