The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1915 THE WAR.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 348, 27 November 1915, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1915 THE WAR.

i,\Vith which is incorporated The TaiInipe Post and Waimarino News.)

We are asked to believe that negotiations with Greece have been successful, and all that France has demanded, and all that Kitchener had expected has been conceded. On the public's part it is purely an act of faith, for so far nothing but talk has been disclosed. Pei'haps, we ought to feel secure after a hard, stem soldier like Kitchener seem s satisfied, but it does strain one's credibility after Constantine's scrapping of the Greco-Serbian treaty, and after his marvellous volti face with Venezelos. What the (real risk the Allies are taking in movingtroops from Salonika is, we know nothing about, and we have, until something more elucidating comes through, to take for granted that all is well. The Allied troops are, apparently, rapidly preparing to move inland from the camp around Salonika where they are said to be waiting in the best of health and spirits. The move is being made none too soon, fcfr the Servian arms are in dire straits. After having made such a magnificent defence of their homes against a multiplicity of invaders they deserve something better than a final crushing. We are told that something of a welcome surprise is to eventuate in the near future; it may be help for Servia, for nothing seems more desirable at the present moment. Cables have recently appeared so contradictory that an estimate of the position made t'hereon could be regarded as little more than a guess. With respect to the Balkan situation the chief features are, that Kitchener has pacified and satisfied Greece and that he is still in the 'neighbourhood putting operations on a safe footing; Italians are landing an army in Albania, only a short distance from the Servian frontier, near Monastir. What their objective really is we are not told. Roumaiiia seems to be friendly towards the Allies, having refused to allow Austrian gun boats to traverse the Danube, and finally there is said to be an 'army of two hundred thousand Russians waiting at the gates of Roumania for the order to move into Bulgaria. Perhaps it is because thefr readiness is not quite complete that the move has not yet been made, for we have it from a German source that huge consignments of big guns are arriving 1 at Odessa from Japan. It seems evident ■ these guns ?Jre for the equipment of t'he expediton into Bulgaria. The time to strike on all sides—in Southern and Western Servia, in South-western Bulgaria, in South-central Servia and in Eastern Bulgaria from the Black Sea— I is evidently at hand, and there is the utmost probability that news of a startling character will reach, us within the 1 next few days. To us the situation is

iruly obscured, but with, all the fever-

isii yCtijjara.uous mat are suing on we kiiow tnac bometliing important is de-

veloping uxiu, ou tUuL our enemies Biuy not know vnac luat sumetuiua io, wc

nave to Wi.iL. rlie eUomy io uolng no

very utniOb,. to cruoii javsrvm, Wii.it; trie

Allies are o ti' lUJ o ii««.uy; uic*r c~u>«.^c

has been slow, ana u now seems thai there are goua prospects of tne Ahies ccming to rlieir assistance beiore destruction overtakes tliem. That is the position in the iialkaiis; to repeat Constantine's talk would be waste of time, Kitchener's remark to the Greek Ministers seemed to be the clincher.

In France good solid progress is being made, the hustung for commanding positions is ending m almost every case in the Allies' lavour, and there appears to be another decimating, continuous cannonading going on in readiness f°r another rush to break the enemy's lines. It is not at all certain that the same locality will be chosen again, for very prominent attentions are being paid to otheir sections of the German trenches. Here again we have to wait.

On the Eastern front developments are extremely gratifying. It is said that in some sections the Germans are beaten. In the Riga to Dvinsk area the enemy is surely retiring; they have admitted their failure and a strongRussian offensive is following. The Russians aire also successful from south of Warsaw to Galicia, while in Galicia, to the Roumanian border, Russian successes have been of a brilliant character, such as would impress Roumania and help her in her final decisions. The Russian front is extremely satisfactory and when the six million unequipped men receive the equipment that Kitchener told the Greeks Britain had all in readiness for them, Russia's weight will prove a mighty factor.

Unfortunately our enemies at the Dardanelles have been given fresh supplies of both guns and munitions,which are enabling them to shower new attentions on our men entrenched there The Allies have commenced an offensive movement, but. under conflicting statements and owing to the meagreness of reliable information the situation and future intentions are difficult to indicate or estimate. Present indications, however, seem to point to a vigorous offensive being generally adopted, while on the othejr hand, M. Clemenceau, former Minister for War in the Prenc'h Cabinet, expresses some doubt: He says the project must either be liquidated Avithout loss of time or at once prosecuted on a very large scale.. With respect to Salonika, he says the French Government has decided to go no further, whatever that may mean!