The Daily News. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 1915.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 September 1915, Page 4

The Daily News. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 1915.

ARE WE ABOUT TO FORCE THE PACE! The cable we publish this morning that a force of 110,000 men has been landed at Mudros, on the island of Lemnos, which is icing used as a base for the Allied forces iu their attack on Gallipoli, is of more than ordinary interest, for it indicates that the Allies are about to make a grand effort to force the Turkish positions. Only numbers, backed up by the necessary naval and field artillery, can defeat the Turks, who have shown surprising powers of resistance and an aptitude for defensive, entrenched fighting that is little short of wonderful. Judged by subsequent events, it seems a pity that Sir lan Hamilton had not at the outset an adequate force to carry through his great task. Sir lan, in his first despatch, shows clearly that had the southern force had sufficient backing at the first, they could have captured Krithia and secured the features dominating the Narrows. For this underestimate of the Turks' prowess we have paid dearly. Our casualties are mounting up towards the 100,000 mark, though it is certain that those of the Turks have been almost double this. It does not state in the cable, which originates from Berlin, what is the constitution of the new | reinforcements. It may be British and French; it may be Italian. Italy has troops available than she can effectively utilise on the Austrian frontier, and she could easily spare from i*ne to three hundred thousand troops for an enterprise of such vast importance to the cause of the Allies. We must act swiftly and with overwhelming power if we are to make good at Gallipoli. Winter is coming on, and it will be a very difficult matter indeed to keep up supplies for the troops that are strewn along the shores of Galiipoli in the bad weather that in winter prevails in these waters. But apart from this, we must secure command of the Dardanelles before the Germanic Powers endeavor to break through Servia and reach their Turkish allies. Bulgaria's attitude. is still uncertain. She has played false to her whilom fricnd3 on previous occasions, and shown herself to be a nation with ethics essentially German in character —which is to say, she is a country totally devoid of scruples—and it is conceivable that she will do the bidding of the Teutons and attack the Servians as soon as they are pressed. This contingency Greece is providing against. She has' mobilised her entire manhood and is taking measures which clearly indicate that she will shortly take a hand in the war ori the side of the Allies, whom Roumania also favors. The next few days will probably see momentous tilings happen in the Balkans. If we could hut secure immediately a passage for our ships to Ihe Sea of Marmora, and thereby settle the fate of Turkey, it is possible that even Bulgaria would withhold lier hand. We have Lord Kitchener's statement that the Turks are much hampered by lack of munitions, and if the new force just landed at Mudros can be thrown into the field at once, the early defeat of the Turics is probable. Let us hope that the report is true, and that the Allies an; going to force matters at Gallipoli. The loss of a few thousand men that such a desperate enterprise would eutail would probably prove the cheapest course iu the long ru»

A WARNING. When Lord Ourzon, out of the depths of his wisdom, recently stated, "There are several ways of losing the war, but one of the surest was to poison our own wells," he meant to convey a rebuke and 9. warning at a time wlien events were happening in Britain that bid fair to undermine the great efforts wliich wero being made to secure ultimate victory in the war We may rest assured that such an able statesman would not have spoken so strongly and pointedly had not the circumstances justified the inferred strictures. It may come as a startling surprise to many that thei'o can be any other way of losing in this war except by defeat on land and sea. Dbfeat it must be for one side or the other, but so far as the British ark eon. cerned there are many ways in which defeat could be courted, though we cannot for a moment accept the probability of such a dire calamity. What did lord Curzon have in mind when he made the statement quoted above? Tire question cannot be anßwercd directly, but it is more than probable he referred a number of factors that were adversely affecting th\ prospects of the Allies. He doubtless bad in view the crass ignorance of individuals whose desire to pose j in the limelight led them to express on the public platform or in the press views that can only be described as rashly pernioious. He may also have had in] view a noisy section of the community who refuse to serve their country except .j in a way of their own choosing—or not at all. It is not likely that he lost sight of the attitude of a section of the British Press whose chief occupation seems to be that of inventing political scandals, misrepresenting facts, stirring up doubts, and creating friction instead of cohesion. Then, again, there was the unpleasant ajid unpatriotic action of the organised workers carrying a resolution against what t v ey termed conscription, but which was really a wise move of the Government to ascertain the resources of the nation, with the object of ensuring that every man should do his share for his country in the hour of peril. The mere mention of national service is to the workers like a red rag to a bull. To them it is Prussian militarism, which is anathema; yet this same militarism is what has to be met and overcome, the only possible way of success being the outpouring into the conflict of every available British citizen assisted by an adequate supply of munitions. In referring to the subject, the Duncdin Star aptly says: "What the Empire needs is not the wild talk of the misguided and unintelligent, but that an attentive ear and ready will be given to the councils of the wisest men. This is no time for silly bluster; it is far too serious a crisis for that. We have to fight a skilled and courageous though unscrupulous and barbarous—enemy, better equipped than we are —at present. The one prime necessity is unity of thought and action. We know only too well what we have to face, and that nothing but the utmost resources of the Empire will suffice. It therefore behoves every unit to assist to the be3t of his ability and in the way the responsible authorities consider most' desirable. The war can only bo won in this way, and the knowledge of this fact should impell us all to glory in laying our all on the altar of sacrifice."