The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE. SATURDAY, AUGUST 21, 1915. THE WAR.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 280, 21 August 1915, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 21, 1915. THE WAR.

(With which is incorporated The Tab hape Post uaa Waimannu News,)

The war is becoming a burdensome, heart-appalling subject; the full truth of the enemy’s strength has been so cleverly concealed that only now are w e realising what a .stupendous worki dher e is before the Allies before final victory comes. When the- German arm-! ies were held up at the Marne, before Paris, it wa s reasonably presumed that if so much could be done at that early stage of cur unpreparedness, the end was within measurable 'distance to those who were directing operations.' With all our pristine hopes being swept! away from time to time, our only safe anchor now seems to be Lord Kitchener's estimate of three years. Yet can scarcely conceive that this ■colossal war-waging, this rapine and ■murder, can proceed in anything like Its present intensity for another two ■years. At the rate of expenditure the world would be on the verge of bankruptcy, and were it not for imminent eventualities among nations that are at present neutral the world would assuredly suffer all that, and more. A number of 'these neutral peoples must soon range themselves on one side or the other of this conflict; they cannot ■remain out of it, and it is in this fact that a little daylight is shed. It will be remembered that it is only a vei> few years ago that the Balh-an States had to fight for their existence against Turkey. Bulgaria was particularly chagrined at having to return what She had won through the blood of her people. Bn’garia to-day has either to accept. the assumed friendship of Turkey or the genuine friendship of Britain and her Allies. Bulgaria has no doubt asked herself th e question “How am I to benefit territorially if Germany and Turkey win this war?” In such an I event the Hire* leading partners, Germany. Austria and Turkey will certainly want the-r frontiers very lately extended. Nothing is of any importance to us unless W" can have Adrianople but .in all probability we shall be, callrd upon to give up to our old-time enethe Turks, some of that we al rpa dy possess. The Turks are not going to h-1 satisfied with vrsseM

ritorial limitations, and it is more than probable they will insist upon having that, which has been taken from them aforetime. Bulgaria and her sister states realise that for Germany and Turkey to win means practically national extinction, for the Allies to win means full freedom to develop an c l progress on .their own national lines, devoid of that form of domination which in the end spells absorption. We have never been .in doubt about the Allies gaining final victory, but that end withour the intervention of th e Balkans seemed so deprcssingly and appallingly far off that it would indeed be hard to estimate what such a victory would be worth. Th e ranging of these neutrals on the sid e of the Allies will rapidly open the

Dardanelles, release foodstuffs from Russia, as well as from their own territories and will enable such a flood of munitions to flow into Russia as will enabl 3 her brave, strong armies to again push the Germans back on to I heir own territory. Turkey, without doubt, will collapse, and a clear, unfortified, unentrencbed way will be open to the march of Allied armies into the vitals of their enemies. Turkey will hav f been eliminated and thereby Austro German difficulties will be about doub’ed, for what the keeping of the Dardanelles means to the new Triplice only Germany really knows. It keeps Russia almost powerless from want of munition?, and absorbs a large proportion of the Allied army and navy, to say nothing of the drain of munitions from Western operations. The prospect o' the Balkan States interven:ng any day now are indeed bright and hopeful. New Zealand and Australia o rfi deeply concerned, as such an event w : U at one'* lessen the tension on Galn'po’i Peninsula, and thus shorten the long casualty lists that have been all te o freement of Me. With prospects of Balkan intervention and the attitude been compelled to assume we ha. vo ov°ry reason to feel confident, '■■rd t’M the rii'i has been brought appreciably nearer.