In the Balkans

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIII, Issue 54, 2 November 1915, Page 5

In the Balkans

TO-DAY'S NEWS. Reports 1 to hand .ar© more or lessl of a contradictory nature. Dr. Dillon,! writing from Rome, says’that the Allies ar© in a position in which they can only hope to preserve Serbia’s maintenance of her , army on her own soil. !pe adds that the Serbs cannot possibly resist an enemy five , times superior , numerically. In tine,, he says that tlie Serbs are already beaten..- On the other hand a message from the Serbian Minister at Paris says that the Serbians are now (now, he says) assured of effective Allied cooperation, and will fight to -the last man. Also the Serbian legation in London discounts the Anitro-German advance, and adds that the armies are still intact. The Legation states that it has already been recognised as impossible to prevent the enemy frornj overrunning the north-eastern corneV, The Franco-Serb offensive in Macedonia, says the, Legation, justifies tlie optimism that re-inforcements will save the Serbian 'army. The writer prefers to rely on the later messages from the Serbian Legation. Dr. Dillon is an authority on Balkan matters,’ but his writing must, on account of the time it has taken to get here, be a little old.

However, it must be admitted that the Serbian,army cannot prevent ad-vance-in certain directions by the enemy as far as the railheads go, for instance, to Yaljevo,- Aranihelovatz, and Kraguevatz. Along the railways the enemy can bring his big guns that will render retention of these towns useless to the Serbs, They will vacate all these towns and retreat to the mountains south of them. Word comes as this is written that the enemy have taken Kraguevatz. The Austrians last year defeated the Serbs here, and the Serbs retreated to the north of Krnchevatz, south of Kraguevatz. When they were attacked here they thoroughly defeated the enemy in the biggest battle of the campaign. It is hoped that they will repeat the effort, especially as they will bo out of the reach of th© big guns which have played undoubtedly an important and decisive part in the campaign so far. The report that a council of high officers in Boumania by a majority of two-thirds favoured joining the Entente is very pleasing news, because it shows that things in the Balkan campaign are in favour of the Allies. Both Greece and Roumauia are hound to go the way the wind blows, and such a pronouncement from Roumauia is evidence of their faith in the Allies.

There is nothing much to be alarmed at in the news that the exterior forts at Nish are under the fire of the Bulgarian artillery. It must be remembered that the enemy are not very far from their own, boundary, and have been operating, in |tbis region for somje time past; also, that the removal of the .-,eat of government some time iigo - was but the shadow cast by .the cmrArrg aiid espfected eveht‘. The capture of the roads leading to Nish and Rela Planka (betw.'en Pirot and Nish) shows that’ ‘the Bulgars are working along the Nish-Sofia railway. Southwest of these operations, the enemy are attacking the Nish-Uskub railway, and claim to have secured important junction roads. Here, also, tliey are not far from their own frontier, all of which goes to show that,they are meeting with strenuous resistance from the Serbs. In reference to the occupation of ITskub, it is strange that the Serbs sboulcl have left behind such a' ■bn’gernuml)er;of rifles as 19,000. together with 950 casks of powder and 15,000 bases of Cartridges.' ‘Perhapji the sudden arrival of Bulgar cavalry and the shortage of transport was the cause. )The adviPPt- of a force of Montenegrins would be most opportune at this time to back up the plucky and hard-pressed Serbs who arc probably falling back on Mitrovitza.

If Greece refuses to come in, and the Ahi es decide to press her, an extraordinary situation will be created. For, although on the one hand the whole of the Greek coast could be blockaded, and Greece’s trade brought practically to a standstill, the Fran-co-British force would run the greatest danger. Unless it wore so strong as to bo able to hold off Greeks and Bulgarians a s well it could be cut off from the ships, and its position in Salonika, if it were an enemy city, would be exceedingly difficult. But it does not at all follow, if the Allies decide to force a decision upon Greece, that this decision will go against them. It may lie' argued that there is even a bare possibility that some understanding may have been come to with the Greek Premier, as a result of which the Allies will press and Grepco will yield, so that King Constantine may be able to plead to bis Kaisealy brother-in-law that he would not have aided but for force majeure! According to official German and Austrian figures, the rise in food prices has not been anything like so

groat as was expected when the war broke out. -Berlin, for instance, while the prices of several articles of food advanced considerably in Juno there were important reductions in others, and the genera*- level sftCwed scarcely any change as compared with May. The greatest advances in July, as compared with a year ago, were in th e price of peas, beans, lentils, rice, bacon, pork, and eggs. Beef and mutton cost only 4.4 per cent, more, sugar only 16' per cent., milk only 18 per cent., and wheat bread (of a kind) -28 per cent. The average increase in foodstuffs came to 65.4 per cent. more. But the, increases were much greater in Vienna. There, in August, rice cost 460 per cent, more ;• eggs and peas, 300 pel* cent.; beef, pork, bread, and potatoes, 150 per cent,; milk and butter, 100 per cent. Beef costs 2s 6d per lb. in Vienna ; pork, 2s 4d; and bread, adulterated, of course, but not necessarily unnutritious, 3:\d.

What sort of peace terms would Germany be likely to suggest if she thought it a good time to draw out of the war? The enquiry has a certain practical value, because of the light it throws upon the German programme and point of view. The lines upon which they would probably bo drawn have been made clear more than once; for instance, in the “profession of faith” that was, made by the German agrarians hi June,' and in the manifesto published hy'ii number of German professors and other learned or intelligent people in August. A still later, and rather more moderate, example is the following, which was contributed recently to an American journal by “a writer in close touch with the German Embassy, who attributes the promised settlement of the submarine controversy to the Kaiser’s desire to gain the aid of President Wilson, as head of the foremost neutral nation in the world, towards the establishment of peace while the Gorman arms are still on the high tide of success” :

Creation of an independent kingdom of Poland as a buffer State between Russia and Germany; Cession ttf Germany of part, if not all, of Courlaud; , The autonomy of Finland; Partition of Serbia between Austria and Bulgaria, possibly a part going to Grqeye; , Cession of Belgian Congo 'as compensation for the evacuation of Belgium ; , . : I;. Cession of French African colonial territory as compensation for- - the evacuation of Northern France; Restoration by Britain of German African colonies; ' j International guaranteelthat private property at sea shall be immune from attack. FALL OF KRACUEVATZ. TEUTONS CLAIM POSSESSION dF SERBIAN ARSENAL. I j 1 Unitejj Peebs Association. . ; Hi _ . ■ 1 ■ (Received noon.) Berlin, November 1. Official.—The have captured Kraguevatz, which contains the Serbian arsenal J. " t i■■ . I BULGARIAN ARTILLERY. EXTERIOR NISH FORTS UNDER FIRE. Berlin, November 1. (Received noon.) An unofficial despatch from Sofia states that the exterior forts at Nish are under the fire of Bulgarian artillery.

ALL ROADS LEAD TO NSSH. BULCARS CLAIM SUCCESSES. (Received 11.30 a.in.) Amsterdam, November 1. A Bulgarian commumque claims to have captured Terzilrata ridge, from where roads lead to Nish and Bela of Greefjiva at the junction of the Planka. We also captured the town Vranya-Leskovatz road and the road through Vlassiua Valley. Wo found 19,000 rifles, 950 casks of powder, and fifteen thousand cases of cartridges at Uskub. MISCELLANEOUS REPORTS. [United Press Rome, November 1. 11 Comoro Della Sera’s Bucharest correspondent reports that a council of high Roumanian officers, by a twothirds majority, favored joining the Entente. Palis, November 1. Le Temps says that General Joffrc met Lord Kitchener to decide on common measures. The nearest result will lie the sending of reinforcements to Salonika. It i s reported that a Greek demonstration in favor of siding with the Allies is being arranged. The Serbian Minister states that the Serbians are now assured of effective Allied co-operation and will fight to the last man. Athens. October 31. The Bulgarians are pouring reinforcements into Krivolak, in view of the critical position at Uskub. Athens, November 1. The Gounarist press is endavouring to provoke M. Venizelos to outvote Cabinet, thereby offering a pretext for dissolution. M. Zaimis opposes 'dissolution. j Bucharest. November 1. ! The bombardment of Varna was ex[tremely violent on Thursday. The i Bulgarians are returning the fire.

King Constantino has arrived at Salonika. Amsterdam, November 1. An Austrian communique says: IVe stormed several strong Serbian positions at Tilanovac, capturing lour guns. Germans co-operated and entered the town. Our troops are progressing everywhere north-west ot Kragujevac, and the Germans captured the heights south-west of Lapovo. A Bulgarian communique says : Since the capture of Phot on Thursday, we defeated and are pursuing the Serbians. The Anglo-French fleets have resumed the bombardment of the Aegean coast. Copenhagen, October 31. M. Rodoslavoff, in an interview with the Cologne Gazette’s correspondent said that Bulgarians deplored the conflict with Russia. The latter had, however, systematically ignored Bulgaria’s righteous aspirations. Bulgaria had long been in a state of defence against Russia. A message from the Austrian front says that it is expected the final battle between the Austro-Germans and the Serbians will occur in three weeks' time, at Kraguesoevar. London, October 31.

The Serbian Legation discounts the Austro-German advance. The armies are still intact, and it has always been recognised as an impossibility to prevent the Germans from over-run-ning the north-east corner. The Franco-Serb offensive in Macedonia justifies the optimism that speedy reinforcements will not only save the Serbian army, but also will possibly prevent the triumphant entry of the Germans into Constantinople. The Pall Mall Gazette states that King Constantine’s duplicity has gone to such extremes that he will not hesitate to strike the Anglo-French from behind if he is convinveed that Germany is winning and retribution will not be forthcoming. The Allies must convince this double-dealing potentate of their resources.

The Budapest Vilag reports that Greece has informed the Allies that she maintains her demand for the reembarkation of all troops landed at Salonika, including those in Serbia. She would regret to find it necessary to disarm and intern them, but is prepared to enforce her demand and has taken the necessary measures. There are sufficient Greek troops at Salonika for this purpose. The report is not confirmed. Paris! hasl been’authorised to declare that there is no foundation log 'the. ‘lhischievbrisf rtunprs ..that Grecce', "under pressure’ from c Germany and Bulgaria, : intends to ; 'expel J the Allies’ 1 contingents fro hr ! ’Salonika. |i! The Paris Figaro says that M>- Asquith will probably announce on Tuesday H Wat It aly% sending-a large army to co-operate with the Serbians on the west front. The Serbians should net despair, as help is coming .effectively and simultaneously from several noints. i The Paris Journal says that from Salonika the most important news lias been received despite strict censoring. ■ The gravest internal difficulties have arisen among the Bulgarian troops and they have broken out at, various points; London, October 31. I? Doctor DiUoiiA from Rome, writes, that now.a-gfihpti'on has been effected; of the Bulgarians! and Turkk, tire utmost the Allies can hope to achieve is the preservation of the Serbian army’s maintenance on Serbian soil. If it is driven into Albania, the consequences will be extremely grave. Greece’s real interests in Albania have recently become greater. The Serbians cannot possibly resist an enemy five times superior numerically, and the Anglo-I reneh troops, owing to lack of time, cannot despatch sufficient numbers to reinforce them. Greece and King Constantine, without the slightest doubt, are in league with our enemies, and King Constantine will redeem his promise to the Kaiser, If neutrality is untenable be will side with the Aus-tro-Germans, unless constrained by the Entente, but if the Entente bestir themselves they may transform the enemies’ advantage into a source of weakness.