CURRENT WAR TOPICS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 7, 11 April 1916, Page 5

CURRENT WAR TOPICS.

The most prominent of the cables to hand to-day concerns the evacuation of Gallipoli, which is dealt with at length by General Monro, who, on assuming supreme command of the Mediterranean Army, appointed General Birdwood to the command at the Dardanelles, the evacuation of which was ordered on December 8. Altogether, General Monro’s report does not make pleasant reading, but there are many bright ‘fepots in the account of how the position was faced, and after all we cannot forget that “Failures are with heroic minds the stepping-stones to success.” Certainly, since Gallipoli there has been a turn in the tide of the Allies’ fortune which promises sucbcss not anticipated quite so soon. Destiny has looked after our ends well, notwithstanding that the path on the Peninsula was remarkably rough-hewed 'by ourselves. ,

In the nearest seat of war to the hallowed scenes of Gallipoli, namely in the Balkans, the-i^porWci| finding attempt of the Bulgarians to recover part of Dobrudja, the province of lloumania bordering on the Black Sea, is referred to in the Bulgo-Roumanian position. Relations are said to have been aggravated by the Hungarian Premier, Count Tisza, with the object of precipitating a conflict in order to weaken th‘e : prospective Roumanian pressure on Transylvania. Strange to relate, these efforts are not meeting with the support of the Kaiser, who is reliably stated to hold the opinion that sooner or later Roumahia with her forces intact would be useful in suppressing his present Ally, Bulgaria. Indignation is growing in Roumania at the nature df 'flffi Bitlgar preparations on the frontier. Greece is not too well placed, as Germany ’has warned her that the Bulgars and Germans have decided on an early 'offensive in Macedonia. In fact, the Bulgars have already invaded Greek territory. Coupled with this is the disquietingly news that there is an increasing bitter and aggressive tone being shown by a section of the Government press, and General Sarrail has demanded the retraction of various baseless and disparaging reports. The “ruin of.’ Hellenism” is the term with which the Greek Liberal papers refer to the policy of the Government, and they wax hotly indignant in the process of scarifying Constantine’s puppets.

News'from France shows that there has been some fierce fighting. A violent all-day battle ensued along the whole front at Avocourt-Cumieres. on the West of the Meuse. The Bethiucourt salient was evacuated by the French on Saturday night, which one would have liked not to have to chronicle, but the movement was one 'planned, and the line was straightened ned, and the lino was straightened from Avocourt northeastwards to Haucourt. To-day’s cables tell us that the enemy were enabled, after terrible losses, to occupy some five hundred metres of our trenches, but in another sector they were thrice defeated and “mowed down” as the report puts it. On the cast side of the Meuse, on the other hand, the French captured 150 metres of enemy trenches south of the village of Douaumont. The British, under General Haig, appear to be holding the ground captured on March 27, and on top of it all,is the statement that it is believed the Verdun offensive, after lasting for fifty days, has (hr.J< bed, and that in future only de-

solutory attacks may be expected. An Allied offensive along ,this front will be a nice change, and would hearten up the Balkans and all the neutrals. | Holland is amused at the tone of the letter of Count Reventlow, the German, to the Tages Zeitung. With Ids usual want of campeaisance, this scllassunled authority says that England wants to secure a station off the Scheldt, and that he is preparing Antwerp for a siege. Failure to visualise the scheme, he warns Holland, wilt mean the loss of Dutch independence. In view of the recent protest which Britain entered against the false reports being spread in Holland concerning the strained relations between the two countries and the good effect ot which cannot yet have faded from the mind of the Dutch people—there can he no, doubt?’that this, time Reventlow has "missed the bus” badly. But it is only another string to the German bow of intrigue, in which Captain von Papen, who made a notoriously had name for himself in America, is also engaged in Holland, where the spy agency is stated to be amazingly widespread.

According to a French wireless message, President Poincare will preside at : the Allies’ t Parliamentary Conference, which will commence on the 27th of April. The Observer says that the conference at Paris will be preliminary and exploratory, ’and it is not intended to invite decisions involving a new departure in fiscal policy or new immediate trade agreements. The conference will he sufficiently formal to warrant full and general recognition of all component parts of the Empire. Mr Hughes will attend in a personal rather than in an official capacity.

An official message says that the German military casualties since the war have been 2,700,000, including 682,000 killed.