TO-DAY'S NEWS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIII, Issue 55, 3 November 1915, Page 5

TO-DAY'S NEWS.

In the Western theatre Mr Asquith has informed. the House of Commons that there arq now a million British troops in Flanders. This is good news, and it shqu:s,tha't ,the west is going to be the scene of hard fighting in the near future. TJie Prime Minister also stated that Lord Derby's recruiting scheme would make conscription probably unnecessary. The statement- regarding recruiting is 'important', for it clearly shows that the Government would advocate conscription' if Lord Derby's scheme failed. Conscription will he the alternative if voluntary recruits are not sufficient. The success of Lord Derby's scheme should be food for thought for our recruiters who are faced with an increasing difficulty in getting sufficient men.

From the Balkans comes the pleasant news that Anglo-French trans- - ports laden with troops have appearf? ed off Kavalla and Salonika. The awaited re-inforcenients 'are to'hand, and are apparently to land at two places to make' a more speedy landing, us the Salonika quays will not permit more than 80 tons: of material to be landed daily. Kavalla, moreover is not many miles, only 20 in fact, from the Seres-Constantinople railway, and much less than that from Bulgarian territory. The troops who land at this place may make an attack on Bulgaria along the south towards Turkey. . But it is more' likely that they will proceed to Drama, ' on the Seres line and proceed to Serbia and co-operate with the troops who are to-day reported to have inflicted enormous losses on the enemy at Krivolak.

There is nothing fresh, of importance, from the north. That the German forces are not as strong as they are commonly believed to be is sshown by a Renter message, which says that from an authoritative £»J source has shown that Germany has only 150,000 men in Serbia. The Germans report some progress at I Milanoyatz on the border. The Aus- ■ trian advance from Visegrad is not ' alarming, and apart from their bare , statement of advance, nothing definite is given. On the'Black Sea Coast, the Russians are reported to have landed at Varna. This news implies that the ■Turkish ships which attacked the Rus- . sians have been beaten, although noI thing definite is known. There is also the news from Roumania that Vienna pap*ers regard with alarm the possibility of a grave situation if Roumania allows Russia' to send troops up the Lower Danube to Bulgaria. The Russian landing at Varna will considerably influence Roumania, and it may add Greece. On e effect the landing will have is this: It will deflect large bodies of Bulgars and Turks who can be ill afforded to the defence of the . coast. Serbia will thereby be considerably relieved. jp|jr Russja has got the upper hand in her northern campaign, and is rapidly approaching an equality in artillery. i A Petrograd message tells a pitiful tale of the condition of the German troops, who are to be subjected to a < deadly guerilla warfare when Winter sets in fast. Later reports of the severe, reverse at Misse .state that the Russians poured a deadly firo into the German entrenchments. The Germans were unable to effectively reply. A ! Shortage of munitions for Germany (who is supposed to be sending munitions to Turkey) will prove probably ,j» perpetual shortage.

The Germans want Riga for several -reasons. First, take the sentimental [side. Riga.is almost a German to"n. Gerri Jan "is the language spoken there, and a great part of . the country's population, including the hulk of the upper classes, is German. So that tliere is no need to be surprised when, if the place is taken, the invaders are received with a warm welcome. Rigaoccupies a prominent place on the programme oij, the Pan-Germanists. There are other more practical reasons, however. Riga would he needed as an important part of the Dvina line, in case the invaders 'decided to settle down upon it for the winter. And if they are not going to settle down, the city will become an absolute necessity to them, for they certainly could not leave it, uncaptured behind them. Finally, and here is perhaps the mast t important point of all, Riga, or rather the" port of tTst Dvinsk, a few miles off,., where the river runs into the Gulf, is one of Russia's Baltic naval bases. That, the Germans would be exceedingly pleased to take, for one of their objects undoubtedly is to drive the Russian Navy as far north as possible, and ultimately cage it up, if they can, in the eastern end of the Gulf of Finland. They have already taken from Russia the ice-free port iof Libau, and as soon as winter comes the Russian warships may find themselves in a fairly awkward position, since the Gulf of Finland is usually' blocked from November to April. That and, of course, -the closing of Archangei, which, like Yladivostock, is only open during July, August and September, is why the now ice-free port of Ekaterina, on the coast of Lapland, is to be opened.