The Daily News. THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 1916. THE BALKANS SITUATION.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 August 1916, Page 4

The Daily News. THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 1916. THE BALKANS SITUATION.

Events in the Balkans are moving swiftly. The Allies have gathered a formidable force at Salonika, and the enemy is advancing on Greek territory with a view either to anticipate the Allies' offensive or to bluff the Greeks into postponing the elections and thus stave oil' the possibility of Venizelos returning to power, with the certainty of the immediate intervention of the Greeks on the side of the .Allies. There can be little doubt that the sympathies of the ruling caste in Greece are with the enemy. That' has been apparent from the time they left the Allies in the, lurch over the Gallipoli enterprise; but that the feeling of the bulk of the people is different is shown by the disinclination of the troops in Greek Macedonia to retire Siefore the oncoming Bulgarians. Orders for withdrawal are being disregarded, and the occupants of one fort that fought the Bulgarians are regarded by the Greek populace as heroes. Anti-Gounarist feeling, the cables tell us, is rising; collisions between the Greeks and the enemy are increasing; and it is quite possible that the Greek army will break away from the rulers and assist the Allies in smashing the hated Bulgarians. But the Allies, of course, are not counting on that possibility. Thqy are in strong force, the latest additions being detachments of

Italians ami Russians, making tlie ajmy a truly united one and quite capable of resisting and overwhelming the enemy forces. The latter, according to a German report, is from 700,0110 to 800.000 strong, including a l>ig leaven of AustruClenuans—probably a gross exaggeration. The Allies, so far, have been .sparring only; feeling the strength, or the weakness, of the enemy, 110 doubt, in readiness to strike decisively at the right moment. That moment may be governed by the attitude of Roumania. There are many signs that Koumania is about to declare for the Allies. The fact that Austria and Germany are preparing an ultimatum to her is significant. Roumanians sympathies have been with tlie Allies fi'om the beginning of the war, but she had to walk warily until she was ready to help in gaining a quick victory. It is stated she has munitions that will last lier only six weeks, and the task of supplying her with more is not an easy one for the Allies. Ronmania's hereditary enemies are the Austrians and Bulgarians, and she'would welcome ail opportunity of joining in the defeat of bo.h. mainly because she would gain so largely in territory, wealth and population. The recent victories of Russia in Galicia have greatly reassured her of the ability of the Allies to carry the war to a successful end. She occupies a unique strategical position. Through lier lands the Russian Cossacks could attack Hungary in t'he rear, thus imperilling the whole Austrian communications. v ln such an enterprise lier troops would no doubt, assist. To the south she could, with the advancing Salonika forces, crumple up the Bulgarians, w'ho would be caught as in a vice, whilst tlie Turks would be isolated from the Central Powers. The intervention of Roumania at this stage must prove an event of the very greatest importance and calculated to appreciably shorten the war. Then the enemy would be bereft" of the assistance of his Bulgarian and Turkish victims, he would have another five hundred miles of lines to guard, and another million troops of the finest kind arrayed against him. He is also feeling the effects of the battering lie is receiving on the other fronts, and would be in no position to offer serious resistance to the Balkans force. First of all, however, the Bulgarians and Turks bave to be dealt with, and that this undertaking is well in hand is shown by this'"morning's cables. Hard fighting and important developments from this quarter can be confidently anticipated during the next week or two.