THE BALKANS.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 September 1916, Page 5

THE BALKANS.

PANIC IN TRANSYLVANIA, FLIGHT FROM ROUMANIANS. BUDAPEST CRCmiHiD, ~ York, Sopt. 5. Mr yon Weigand reports from Budapest that on Sunday 100,000 refuses from Transylvania were in the cuuntrv Columns miles in, length were flcein" ii'om the Roumanians for a distance -if •/Oil kilometres northward from Orsova their homes and belonging, |, aV( . i, ueu abandoned, and the aged and sick are (lying on the roads. Rabies are carried for burial beyond the reach of the invaders. A veritable panic is prevailing among all classes. Twenty thousand refugees, principally of the better classes have already reached Budapest, which is crowded. SETTER FEELING IN • GREECE. COLLAPSE OF BULGAR OFFENSIVE. _ Athens, Sept. 5. i.lr. Jeffries- says the announcement that the Allies are only acting against the Germans and pro-Germans has more and more tranquilised fears. He opines that Greece will shortly join the Allies the Opposition Party is at its last gasp. Complete mobilisation is doubtful; probably a small force will be organised and gradually strengthened. Should Bulgaria separately make peace Greek military preparation will be continued against Turkey. It is reported from Macedonia that the Oth Division and other Greek forces have obtained freedom of movement and are concentrating at Seres and Kavalla. The Bulgar offensive appears to have collapsed. The Greek forces at Vodena and Parissa have decided to resist the Bulgars in any case and similar feeling is irresistibly spreading through the whole country. ... EFFECT OF ROUMANIAN ACTION. Received Sept. 6, 7.5 p.m. London,' Sept. 0, The Daily Telegraph's Milan correspondent states that Roumania'? action lias ve-aroused advocates for a separate peace. SCHENK SURRENDERS TO BRITISH. Received Sept. 6, 7.5 p.m. Athens, Sept. 5. Newspapers state that Baron von Sehenk visited the British Legation and placed himself at the Allies disposal. He then returned home, awaiting the decision from London.

A BIG BATTLE EXPECTED. London, Sept. 5. A Gorman communique states: The Bulgarians stormed the bridge lead at Tutrokan and occupied Dobric. German military circles expect a big battle on the Dobrmlja frontier in a few tlnys. It h stated the Bulgarians are under a German general. SEQUESTRATING GERMAN CAPITAL. Bucharest; Sept. 5. The Government has sequestrated forty millions sterling of German capital, including the bonds of Germany's loans to Roumania. The latter are worth thirty millions, and Germany would probably have sold them to neutrals. This intention is thus frustrated. No doubt Germany will retaliate, but she will only be able to sequestrate twenty millions. PRINCE BORIS. Petrograd, Sept. 5, The newspapers deny that Prince Boris I of Bulgaria is " GREEK MOBILISATION. London, Sept. 5. The Daily Chronicle's Athens correspondent says it is understood that it has been decided to call up the five classes 1905 to 1800. AUSTRIAN SPY ARRESTED Athens Sept. si. Those arrested by the Allies include the secretary of the Austrian Legation, who had motored to Cantrawos in order to spy on the Allies' fleet. British police followed in motors and arrested tlie Austrian after a struggle, in which one of his companions was wounded. FERDINAND'S iFROCLAMATION Amsterdam, Sept. 5. King Ferdinand, in a proclamation, recited the chapter of wrongs committed by Roumanians in Bulgaria, and exhorts the llulgars to destroy their perfidious ucighbur. GERMAN REINFORCEMENTS Petrograd, Sept. 5. A correspondent states that the Germans are reinforcing the south-eastern Russian front from the French front. Forty thousand Turks have been sent to Lemberg. It is reported from Roumania that the Chief of the Bulgarian General Staff did not die naturally, but was murdered in consequence of his efforts in ihe direction of the withdrawal from German influence of Bulgaria and the replacement of King Ferdinand by Prince Boris. BULGARIAN LOSSES. Salonika, Sept. 5. It Is estimated that the Bulgarians who are facing the Serbians hare lost 10,000 men out of 00.000. ' A BULGARIAN REPORT. Sofia, Sept. 5. Official: Our armies on the 2nd crossed the entire Dobrud.ja frontier, driving back an advanced detachment, and occupied Kurtbunar, after heavy fighting. The forward march is proceeding on the whole line. TURKISH SPY ARRESTED, Times Service. Received Sept. 7, 12.45 a.m. Athens, Sept. G. The British have arrested Riza, Pasha, a noted Turkish spy.

GERMANS ESCAPE FROM ATHENS. .VENIZELOS' PROCLAMATION. Received Sept. 0, 7.5 p.m. London, Sept. 8. The Tageblatt states that the Greek archives have been removed to Laurissa. Several hundred Germans, including officers, have escaped from Athens. M. Venizelos has issued a proclamation calling on the Greeks to drive back the Bulgarians. 'ROUMANIAN STRENGTH. MILITARY AND NAVAL FORCES. Military service in Roumania is compulsory and universal. The voung men from 19 to 21 years of age receive a certain amount of preliminary trainin" iu their homes. At 21 they enter the ranks, serving for two years in the infantry, and three years in other arms, followed by five or foui years in the reserve if the first line. The men then pass to the second line, or reserve force for ten years, after which they are transferred to the territorial force at the age of 38, and remain in it four years, thus completing 21 years' service. Young men exempted from service in the ranks, and those surplus to the annual contingent, are posted to >, supplementary reserve, in which they will, in future, receive a certain amount of instruction. The ißoiinmnian held army consists of five army corps and two cavalry divisions. Army corps are composed of two divisions, and a reserve division, and to each is attached a brigade of cavalry of two regiments. A regular division consists of two brigades, each of two regiments of three battalions, a battalion of chasseurs (13 battalions in all), an artillery brigade of two regiments (12 batteries), and three howitzer batteries, three squadrons of cavalry, and a company of pioneers. A cavalry division consists of two brigades of two regiments each (24 squadrons) and two batteries of horse artillery. There are altogether 40 infantry regiments of three battalions, 20 cavalry regiments, 20 regiments of field artillery each of six 'batteries, five howitzer divisions,-three hor.se artillery batteries, 22 companies of fortress artillery, seven engineei battalions, and a railway battalion, Batteries have four guns each. The strength of the field army of five army corps and two cavalry divisions would amount to about 290,000 men.

The second line, or reserve, troops at present consist of 40 battalions and nine batteries. Tho peace establishment of the Roumanian army in 1914 was 5740 officers, 124,389 men, 28,585 horses, 808 guns and 57 machine-guns. The Roumanian infantry is armed with tho Mannlicher magazine rifle, calibre .250. The cavalry carry the Mannlicher carbine The horse and field batteries are armed with the Krupp 'Q.F. gun of 75mm. (1903). The war Budget of Roumania for 1913-14 amounted to £3,924,500. At Galate, on the Danube, at the mouth of the Sereth, are three lines of fortifications, and at Nemolassa, on (ho Sereth, are two lines. Again at I'ocsani, to the north-cast, near the Sereth, aro extensive works in. three lines. All these fortifications are in the nature of entrenched camps, and are armed with numerous Krupp and Gruson guns. Around Bucharest aro 18 forts and many batteries. Roumania has in her navy the Elisabeta, launched at Elswick in ISS7; a protected cruiser of 1320 tons displacement and 4900 liorso-power, 3y 2 -inch armor at the belt, four 0-ineh and eight machine-guns; the Mireea, training sliip, a composite brig of 350 tons; seven gunboats; six coastguard vessels; a screw despatch vessel (240 tons); six first-class and two second-class torpedo-boats. On October 4, 1907, twelve vessels for naval police were launched at Galatz, with eight vedettes. A floating dock has been purchased in Scotland. There are four river monitors, lightly armored, of 000 tons each. It has been proposed to order four destroyers and 12 torpedoboats. At Galatz there is a ma-vine arsenal.