THE BALKANS.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 November 1915, Page 5

THE BALKANS.

THE FATE OF SERBIA. >RE THE ALLIES TOO LATE? A TRAGIC PICTURE. 15Y ITALIAN WRITER?. London, Nov. 3. Writing in II Secolo, published in Milan, Signor Luciano Magrini, the wellknown correspondent, paints a tragic picture of Serbia, the result of a twelve flays' tour he took.

Be describes the anxiety of the Serbian general staff owing to the Allies' delay. General Pavlovich, chief of the Serbian staff, said there was an impression that there was still hesitation en the part of the Allies. He added: If efficient and prompt help fails, we will be obliged to abandon the country in order to save the Serbian people. If the population survives the nation Will not die." N Signor Magrini. continues: "The Serbians unfortunately scattered from the frontier are likely to be beaten separately. The Austro-Germans bluffed the Allies that they were without reserves to crush Serbia, end so collected troops from all fronts, and pretended that they had concentrated half a mil-ion-men. -As a matter of fact they had Only a small body of men, with an prtmndance of powerful artillery." The Germans kept up an artillery Art for- four days, without using their infantry, and the Serbians were swept off the ground by the hail of shrapnel After vainly trying to reach the enemy ths Serbians are retreating to the Horava valley, in order to take up positions in the mountains between Kaplana and Topola, where King Peter is ill and exhausted, waiting to retire with the rearguard. It is a retreat of the people, not of the army. Tens of thousands are streaming southward on the muddy roads, none knew whither. There is an unending procession of soldiers, mixed with peasants, gun <aytiages and carts loaded with war materials, alongside vehicles filled with old women, children, men sick and wounded, nocka of sheep. Heeds are intermixed ■With' groups of wounded. Some of the wounded are carried on stretchers, while others are attempting to walk, owing to the lack of gtretAers, Many an wounded by shrapnel, and art not even bandaged. airs. Stobart, head of the British hcapital at Kraginevataz, who was previr ously in the Red Cross hospital at Brusjsete, did wonderful work iu reK;v:n:r (their sufferings. J NISH DESERTED. "Nish is deserted, the ambassadors left, and the shops are closed. The majority of the inhabitants have fled, and many are now bare-footed on the raoMy The hire of a carriage for two days is forty pounds. ANOTHER BELGIUM. M. Yovanovics, the Minister of Justice states: ''We have lived through a tragic hour. When Bulgaria mobilised we vainly besought the Entente to allow us to attack, but the Entente were still under the delusion that Bulgaria would march towards Turkey. We obeyed, and that was our ruiu. If the Allied troops don't come in time Serbia will be no more, and the fate of Belgium will be ours."

ANGLO-FRENCH AGREEMENT. WILL NOT ABANDON SERBIA. Paris, Nov. 3. ST. Briand, in the Chamber, stated: "We came to a complete agreement with the British Government regarding military operations in the Balkans. The Allies wil not abandon the heroic Serbians, whose resistance fills the world with admiration." CAPTURE OF KRAGUIEVATZ NHW SEAT OF GOVERNMENT.

Bucharest, Nov, 3, There were four days' fighting near Kraguievatz before the Germans were able to advance. When they were reinforced they opened a general attack with 45,000 men. Their casualties were 20,000. The Serbians defended work after work with the utmost valor. The Germans exercised terrible reprisals on the population, taking women and phildren prisoners. The copper mines at Bor, between the ■Danube and the Timok, have been flooded to prevent the Germans working them. The Serbian Government has been installed at Mitrovitz»