The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1915. THE WAR.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 290, 11 September 1915, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1915. THE WAR.

(With which is incorporated The Taihape Poat 'lfia "Waimarinu Newa.)

While almost all the world is waiting in eager expectancy for some great happening on the western battlefields, it is some relief to learn that Russia has inflicted a defeat upon her erstwhile pursuers that is of sufficient importance to have a considerable bearing on the whole, aspect of the war, but notably so in the south-east corner of Europe. Russia, by this decisive act has, demonstrated to the Balkans, . and particularly to Bulgaria, that her armies can in no way be regarded as beaten,' or even rendered temporarily incapacitated, and has also rendered the possibility of assistance to Turkey very remote indeed. The great victory, with the enormous captures of men, munitions, and guns at Tarnopol, happened too close to Balkan frontiers to render the position of any of the Balkan peoples who are inclined to be influenced by German lying, to be void of all feeling of comfort and security under German protection. Tarnopol is an important centre some 40 or 50 miles south of Lemberg, well in Galicia, and on the line occupied by the Russans on the anniversary of the declaration of war, and not very far from the Roumanian frontier. So it will be seen that, although the grcadrive has put the Russian lines back along their whole front further north, Russia has tenaciously and effectually held her position on the Roumanian frontier and has refused to be driven from it, and'this lust German defeat discloses that Russia has not only not been driven: out of Galicia, but that shp securely holds a very considerable, portion of it and forcefully refuses ■ to quit. .It is not certain that supreme German' effort in Poland and on the extreme Russian' right, ■ la which- her bottled-up navy, was to ostentatiously vaunt its powerful assistahee, was not intended to. clear Galicia in the general retreat such an organised attack in massed force of artillery would bring

about. As tins now seems apparent, the battle of TarnopoU becomes more significant, because it means that German strategy has again failed, and that the war lords have again boon compelled to revise their plans. It ■ another evidence of the piecemeal strategy hitherto employed; the. wan of that final and most vital touch of cohesiveness and absoluteness in German organisation; that unseen some thing that is almost sure to brim about disaster where adventure is substituted for strategy. The Knisor's surprising-malting proclivities appear • to have nervedofi or influenced- ’

course followed by his armies, and it seems that these surprise tangents are doomed to failure by the stubborn purpose disclosed in the strategical' meth- ) ods of the Allies. Not one of these surprises, not even the great Russian drive which is yet in process, can do regarded as successful, simply because I they have secured nothing that will j materially help toward ultimate German victory. }

From cables which arrived yesterday it seems apparent that some sort or an agreement has been entered into between Bulgarin and Turkey.. We are Cold that Turkey has cut off a slice of her most cherished western frontier and is. handing it over to Bulgarian occupation in ten days’ time. It is significant that this ceded territory cortains a most important railway from the Aegean Sea, where the Allied fleets are now operating, to the heart of the Turkish Empire—the Dedeagatch railway. This railway runs for many miles along the valley of the Maritza River, which has hitherto been the boundary between Turkey and Bulgaria, but which is also to be handed to Bulgaria with a good strip of country on the Turkish side. This looks very like another Goeben incident, but if Turkey and her friends think the » Allies will bo influenced bv such dodgery another serious error may be recorded against them. If. when the Dardanelles are forced and Turkey capitulates, as she assuredly will, no swopping away territory will prevent the Allies from making what use they please ot the ceded railway or the Maritza River. The mouth of this river in the Aegean is only a short distance from Enos, a place which may yet figure in operations. While we have been told what Turkey cedes to we have no inkling of what Bulgaria gives in exchange. It is not i likely to be very much, and may not be more than a promise of neutrality, which means that Turkish forces in Adrianople and along the remainder of the Bulgarian . frontier can be transferred to Gallipoli to assist in putting off the evil day there, but within the coming few hours other information may arrive that will make the position clearer. On the western front—in France and Belgium—the great preparatory bombardment continues. For nearly three weeks there has been such an expenditure of artillery munitions that, the world has never known. What the effect is we have not been permitted to know. The only informstion has come from deserters from the .German trenches. Holland’s neutral ity has again been violated by Zeppelins and we may shortly look for turf ther violations by Germans being, pushed back in Belgium, even if violations to date' are not considered sufficient for Holland forcibly endeavouring, with British assistance, to prevent a recurrence. 1