CURRENT TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 October 1915, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

THREE YEARS AGO AND NOW. A period of three years has brought its changes. tLast -Sunday was the third anniversary of tho declaration of war by Turkey upon Bulgaria and Servia in the Balkan war of 1312. The mobilisation of the Bulgarian, Servian, Greek and Montenegrin forces had been commenced at the- end of September of that year, and on October 8, as Turkey had not complied with a demand from !.:ie allies for tlieg ranting of autonomy to Macedonia, Montengro set the war ball rolling by declaring war upon Turkey. ■ The other Balkan States afforded further chances to Turkey of making peace, but a joint note produced no effect. On October 17 Turkey declared war on Bulgaria and Servia, both of which States promptly replied with counter-declara-tions, whilst Greece declared war upon Turkey upon the same day. The allied States at once crossed the frontiers into Turkish territory, and a state of war soon existed at four different points. The Bulgarian troops went into the war with great enthusiasm, a marked contrast to the half-hearted spirit in which they are entering upon the present campaigu. The first decisive Bulgarian victory was achieved on October IS, when Mustapha 'Pasha, an important outpost of Adrianopie, was captured. A week later Kirk Kilisse fell, and this success was followed a few days later by the great vietorv at Lule Burgas, where the Turks were completely routed in what was described as the greatest debacle since the retreat of Napoleon's army from Moscow a hundred years previously. The Turks were forced back to Choilu, and a dav or two later they fell back on the Ohataldja lines. The fall of Constantinople then appeared imminent, but the Turks made a stand at Chataldja. Turkey, however, felt that she was worsted and applied to Bulgaria for a cessotion of hostilities, the result being that an armistice was arranged on December 3. Peace negotiations followed, but these were defeated by the Young Turk- coup d'etat on January 23. 1913, in which Nasiim Pasha, the Turkish commander-in-chief, was murdered. Tiie armistice was denounced, and the war was resumed on February 3, with further disastrous results for Turkey.