The War Cloud

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 199, 11 January 1913, Page 5

The War Cloud

THE PEACE CONFERENCE. TURKEY ASD ENGLAND. By Gable— Press Association—Copyright Constantinople, January I). Kiamil Pasha, interviewed, said that Turkey was looking for intervention by the Powers. Fresh instructions will be sent to the London delegates in the hope that the conference will be reopened. He continued: "England is doing all it can for us. but it is not in a position, as formerly, to do much." STARVATION IN ADRIANOPLE. Belgrade, January 9. Officers and soldiers are deserting from Adrianople daily. They report that bread ttas been reduced to less than four ounces daily, and that there is no other food.

MASSACRES AT SALONIKA. UNTOLD CRUELTIES. Berlin, January 9. Heir Bn;nau, a German pastor at Salonika, in s '.etter to the Vossische Zeitung, says that thousands of the Turkish inhabitants have been massacred. Villages have been burned, and untold cruelties committed. It is impossible for the expelled Turks to return, and they are perishing from hunger and cold.

THE BOUNDARIES OF ALBANIA. Vienna, January 9. It is stated that Austria desires Janina and Prizrend included in Albania, and that Italy supports her. DENIAL OF OUTRAGES. London, January 9. The Daily Telegraph's Belgrade correspondent states that the Government categorically denies that atrocities were committed against Albanians, and adds that the disarmament of the Uskub Albanians was a necessity, owing to the murder of several Christians in the streets. Possibly some Komitajis wiped off some old scores against their oppressors.

REOPENING THE CONFERENCE. Received 10, 10.35 p.m. London, December 10. The French Ambassador banquetted the peace delegates, Sir E. Grey, and the leading Ambassadors. It is expected that there will be an informal exchange of views, thus enabling the conference t" be called together again. Both sides affirm their unwillingness to meet again unless the question of Adrianople is settled.

CESSION OF ADRIANOPLE. TURKEY PREPARED TO COMPROMISE. Received 10, 10.35 p.m. Rome, January 10. The newspaper Tribuna states that Sir E. Grey has proposed that Turkey •hall cede Adrianople on condition that ehe is granted privileges -with regard to her mosques and Crown property. Reschid Pasha gave Sir E. Grey an assurance that Turkey was no longer uncompromising regarding Adrianople, though she would insist on the retention of the Aegean Islands, dominating as they do the Dardanelles and the Asiatic coast.

ROUMANIAN INSISTENCE. Received 10, 10.35 p.m. Sofia, January 10. The public are indignant at Roumaia's insistent demands al the present stage, but it is generally felt that some cession is preferable to a fresh war. Vienna, January 10. Tt is believed that Russia's and Austria's energetic remonstrances have induced Roumania to postpone for a day or two her threatened occupation of a portion of the Bulgarians' territory. THE RUSSIAN >LEET.

Received 10, 10.33 p.m. Vienna. January 10. It is stated that the Russian fleet is watching the Bulgarian coast. FURTHER FIGHTING. Received 10. 10.30 p.m. Constantinople. January 10. There was a slight engagement near Lake Derkos, the Turks Tepclling the Bulgarians and cutting the telegraph Hires.

"THE MOST VFRTLE PEOPLE IN EXISTENCE." The Bulgarians (write, the ISystand er's war correspondent) are one of tho. most moral and virile people now in existence. Drunkenness is rare anion.!.' the men; among the women it is unknown. And if drunkenness is rare among the men. so is immorality among the women, the Bulgarian woman having a very high conception of her duties as wife and mother. Since the country was liberated from the black shadow of Turkish misrule, a wonderful change lias taken place. Sofia, from being a collection of sijualid hovels, is now a line city of 120,000 inhabitants with every convenience such a city should have. THE FALL OF MONASTIK. Reports which have been received from Servian heaibjua iters give fuller detaos of the. first day's fighting round Monastic A Servian division found itself opposed to a force of -20.000 Turks. The ■weather was v>-ry bad. and the ground was almost impassable, the Servian troops being up to their knees in water. In spite of these diflieulties the Servians captured the two important heights of Oblakova and Kochista. both about 3600 ft high, by a brilliantly-executed night attack. At the same time tlnTight wing swung around, and seized the Dolentze-Oiawar road, cutting into the Turkish line of communication, and destroying the possibility of an unmolested retirement upon Ochrida. The Turks, being hemmed in, fought desperately, aware that it was their last chance, and the Servians suffered severely, losing 250 kilW and wounded. Tt Is not known how many the Turks lost.

(Several officers were among the. Turkish prisoners, including a colonel and a' j major. A GEEAT CAPTURE. All events at the seat of war were hv the capture of Monastir and 40.000 Turks by the Servians and t <!reeks. This is the greatest individual success scored by any of the Allies m> far. Apart from Constantinople itself, Moriastir was the chief town in European Turkey. Tts population is (50.000, and the vilayet of which it was the capital had a population of 800.000. It was the strongho',d of Turkey in Macedonia, and with its downfall Macedonia may at last he said to have passed out of Hie hands of the Turks. The victory \va> not (d)tained without hard fighting. The delay of the Servians in following up the success at Kumanovo was no doubt useful to the Turks in enabling them to complete the defences of Monastir. which was supposed to contain the best equipped troops in the Turkish army. The fighting, says the Standard's representative, lasted two days. The Servians occupied all the high points north-west of the town and brought up a great number of field batteries with 17 howitzers and other heavy guns, which were able to silence the Turkish artillery fire. A Servian division was ordered to take up positions on the heights to the west of the town, in order to cut off the retreat of the Turks. . The position was held bv -20,000 Turks, with 17 guns. Despite the great difficulties caused by the flooded state of the country, the Servian troops from the Moravia district, led by Colonel Nedics, after wading through deep water, stormed the position. This prevented the Turkish garrison from retiring into Albania. The Servian attack was from the north and west, and the Greeks cut off the retreat to the south.

A SERVIAN COLOXEL'S BRILLIANT MANOEUVRE. There was much excitement, ir; Belgrade on the evening of November 18 on the occasion of the fall of Monastir. Tt was thought that the Servians would have to make considerable sacrifices in order to capture the town, as it was known that the Turks were placed in an excellent fighting position. Colonel Xedics, however, as the result of a brilliant manoeuvre, succeeded in cutting into the Turkish line of retreat into Albania. Additional credit falls upon Colonel Xedics' column, as it was only after terrible hardship that they attained their object. A great part of the ground to be crossed was flooded, and in .some places the .soldiers were wading up to their chests in water. Seeing his lines of communication broken into, the Turkish commander recognised the peril of his position and surrendered.