THE BALKANS.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 January 1916, Page 5

THE BALKANS.

IN MONTENEGRO. AUSTRIANS ATTACK. Cettinge, Jan. 11. The Austrians made furious onslaughts for several days on our front at Ipek, and reached our first line at Mount Loochen under cover of an uninterrupted stream of shells from the warships and Cattaro forts. We tcputeed them with enormous loss until asphyxiating gas forced us to abandon a portion of our position. The fighting continues.

THE SALONIKA CONSULS. " SERIOUS•:CHARGES PENDING. Paris, Jan. 11. The ar/ested Salonika Consuls are interned on boara a cruiser at Toulon. It is reported that serious ch*r«£> *«- pending. MONTENEGRINS SUFFER. FIERCE BATTLE RAGING, Received Jan. 12, 9.15 p.m. Amsterdam, Jan. 12. An Austrian communique claims that the Austrians have captured Lovtchen and Berane. Cettinge, Jan. 12. A communique reports: A most violent battle is raging on the Herzegovinian front. The Austrians brought up 23 battalions and 80 guns. The enemy are fiercely attacking Lovtchen, and are constantly using gas. The Montenegrins failed to hold liie important position of Kuk, but the enemy were driven hack' near Berane with heavy losses. DEFENCE OF SALONIKA. WU-Yi/JUwwL PROTECTING nuiULS.

WHAT TUJi EXEMY HAVE TO PACE. liiiov-iUKITOX 01-' Tui. *„.-., Ul SECTOR, Tunes and Sydney Sun Services. Received Jan. li, 3.5 p.m. London, Jan. 11. Mr. Ward Price, reporting from Salonika, says that now is the most favorable time for the Bulgar-German offensive against Salonika. They have had time to repahr the bridges and tunnels that were destroyed on the Vardar railway, and King Constantine has promised not to order his army to oppose them, but the whole matter remains problematical. What we know is tiiat the Germain dislike the prospect of leaving us as a perpetual menace to their communications, and also on a jumping-off ground for a spring offensive. Describing the Anglo-French lines. V.v Price sayg that the French arc responsible for the western flank line, which starts in the marshes at the mouth of the Vardar, and runs up the east bank for fifteen miles. It turns eastward at right angles and joins the British sector, which follows the chain of lakes across Chalcidiee Peninsula to the Gulf of Orfani. Much of the French sector is in low-lying swamps, and trenches are not needed, as an army could not cross this malaria-haunted delta. Searchlights play at night and the ship?' guns arc ready to sweep the plain. This system of relying upon I.lm artillery to protect whole sections of the front is characteristically French. Their confidence in their guns is such that they do not hesitate to dispense with infantry. At right angle to flip turn the hills dominate a plain over which the enemy must attack. Ridges six miles behind the plain will enable the enemy to shell the French entrenchments with heavy artillery, but the enemy' 3 heavv guns an» insufficient to do serious damage, while our »r-ventv-flveg have every rans;e of the plain marked. Even if the enemy gets across the "lain they must cross the Vardar. which is a most formidable obstacle, and they must assail the trenches, which are wonderfully complete. The ground in front of them is simply blue with barbed-wire entanglements, which stretch out and are affixed to specially bent steel rods