The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE. FRIDAY, APRIL 23, 1915. INDEFINITE NAVAL NEWS.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 193, 23 April 1915, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE.

FRIDAY, APRIL 23, 1915. INDEFINITE NAVAL NEWS.

(With which is incorporated The Tai hape.Post '}.&& Waimarino Newg.)

We are permitted to know so little of what is taking place in the Dardanelles that what does reach us rather tends to confuse than help our understanding. News of an occasional bombardment of a fort, the grounding and subsequent destruction of a submarine to prevent it falling into Turkish hands, the attack on a transport in the Aegean Sea, all tend to the thought that an almost entirely new plan of campaign in that quarter has been inaugurated. The loss of three battleships in an effort to force the Dardanelles has probably led those in command to conclude that forcing a way by water was attended by too much risk of lives and ships, And they have decided to take what they consider more economical methods. We have been told that immense Allied armies were massing not far away, and we can only conclude that the troops on the French transport Monitou were being landed as pari of a large force to attack Turkish positions along the straits from the land rside. The Turks have been able 'to repair the forts destroyed in the early bombardment, and they have laid now' minefields in the waters from the entrance to the Narrows, making it necessary to so over the work a second time. It is obvious that military operations of an extensive nature are deemed necessary and that the waterway to the Black Sea will bo the work of military force? as-

sisted by the warships. It is im- ; possible for the forts to have been ; fully -..restored and consequently rthessuae ' resistance from them. ! cannot be. given. From the nature of the preparations in conjunction with what reaches us by : cable from Constantinople, the campaign is intended to be on a large scale to ensure its 7 rapid success.

New Zealand is particularly interested in operations in Egypt, in the neighbourhood of the Suez Canal, in Asia Minor, and also in the opening of the Dardanelles waterway, as the bum of forces sent from this Dominion must be in one or other of these ed to France or Belgium we should of a certainty have heard something about it; that they have been taken from Egypt may be undoubted, and the attack on the French transport by a Turkish destroyer gives a clue to where troops are being landed. This transport most probably had been carrying French soldiers, with perhaps a few British, but it is doubtful indeed whether any Australasian men were aboard. Tke vessel had most likely reached its destination and was engaged in disembarkation when attacked, because we are told that those who lost their lives were drowned from boats. A transport at sea would not be likely to have boat-loads of soldiers on the water, more especially while being attacked by an enemy's destroyer. The loss of life is more •likely to have been caused by the 'confusion that would result from such an attack than from any other cause. Anyway, there is no. reason to believe that New Zea;landers were on the boat, or even in the vicinity; it was probably conveying French troops from their concentration camps in quite another quarter from that which our boys occupied. There are strong grounds for believing that New Zealanders have already crossed the Aegean Sea, but riot even the slightest indication, beyond this transport incident, has been vouchsafed to us. However, we may be assured that this immense gathering: of Allied forces will not long remain a secret, for any day may bring news of the downfall of the Turks, and the actual occupation of Constantinople. There seems to be a tacit arrangement among , the Allies that Russia shall participate prominently in the operations; the vigorous bombardment of the Bosphorous and the. harassing of Turkish shipping lends strong colouring to such a view, but whether this is so or not early news of an important character may be expected from Turkey, with perhaps a surprise from the Asiatic side of the Straits.

The cause of the explosion at | Lerwick, in the. Shetlands, still remains a mystery. Lerwick is an exceedingly important naval base, with naval equipment of the highest class, and it is here where the North Sea Fleet found its natural rendezvous while engaged _in watching the enemy and keeping open the seaways of, commerce and transport. There is,nothing to warrant the assumption that the explosion was due to outside attack from the enemy; indeed, one can scarcely imagine that Zeppelins or aeroplanes could get near without being observed by the cordon of scouts that, are ever vigilantly patrolling the surroundings. The importance of theplace is emphasised by the British Government immediately taking over the telegraphic systems between England and Shetland to prevent the flood of wild rumours that usually follow such a happening. It seems that it is fairly safe to conclude that the misfortune was from within rather thai 1 from without, but whatever may have been the cause we are not likely to be allowed to know anything further for some time to come. That it had no connection with a rumoured North Sea battle has been- made cKw by the First Lot-d of the Admiralty's statement in the House of Commons that no engagement had taken place and that the N-vry had sustained no loss. At the same time v,r. do not think Mr. CrureMl s utterances on the subject entirely covered the reported engagement off the Norwegian coast. It is not reasonable to assume that spontaneous report could be made from sources manv miles apart of a naval battle unless there was some smoke, and it is quite probable that German cruisers -were endeavouring to sneak up the Norwegian coast when discovered by our warships and promptly sent homo again, very likely, juddnc from reports, ii) a crippled condition. As i.i the two l preceding subjects, we are not | to be permitted to know the full i facts until the seemingly overdrastic censorship of news is removed.