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Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume VI, Issue 265, 25 October 1916, Page 4

The importance of Rumania to the beleaguered Teutonic Powers as a source of essential supplies can scarcely be exaggerated. The cables have from time to time told us of immense deals in wheat and other cereals measured by the millions of tons. But by no means second to this is the question of the supply of mineral oils, without which the wheels and joints of the great German war machine must inevitably begin to creak and rattle. The “Petroleum World,” before Rumania’s decision was made, said that- “if Rumania did not kill a single enemy soldier, or take a foot of enemy land, her entry into the war would deal a terrific blow at Germany, simply by bringing, that country face to face with a famine in petrol, lubricating oils, fuel oil, and even lamp oil.” A military writer, commenting on this text, tells us that Germany had been in the habit of securing from abroad the great bulk of her supply of these products. Her supply of oil from America was cut off after the war broke out. She calculated on obtaining, in part, what she required from her own wells, but her main sources of supply were to be the Austrian province of Galicia, with a yearly production of nearly a million tons of oil, and Rumania, with a pre-war production of about 1,800,000 tons yearly. She did not make allowance for the Russian invasion of Galicia or for interference with the supply of oil from Rumania. The Russians conquered Galician oil fields in September, 1914, but upon their retirement they seem to have left them in good condition, easy for the Austrians to utilise again for their own and German benefit. But once more the Russians are in Galicia, and their capture of the great centre of the Galician oil production is regarded as assured. After the war broke out the Rumanian Government for a time prohibited the export of petrol and ether oil products, but pressure from Germany and discontent over the loss by the oil industry of its markets brought about a change and of 214,000 tons of oil products exported from Rumania in the first half of tlje present year, 201,000 tons went to Germany, Austria and Turkey. The German petroleum wells are estimated as producing’ about 140,000 tons a year, while for two years before the war Germany had been importing petroleum products at the rate of 1,200,000 tons per annum. It may not be easy to say when Germany will be at the end of her oil resources, but it is certainly clear that not only is Rumania, as an unsubdued enemy, capable of embarrassing Germany, but that she represents a rich prize which Germany may well consider worth a costly and determined effort to secure.

With the exception of the overnight messages, the cables published to-day have become available too late for any considered comment. Rumania has undoubtedly become the centre of temporary attention, and the word through to-day does not, from a casual perusal, relieve the impression created yesterday that in the Dobrudja region the Allies have suffered a distinct and severe, even if only transient, setback. The eastern half, at any rate, of the railway which runs across the district from the Black Sea to the Danube, and for whose especial protection the Russo-Rumanian position was selected, is practically in the enemy’s hands. There is, oi course, the usual flcod of palliatives in evidence, and Bucharest even gees so far as to say that the evacuation of Constanza, the terminal port on the sea-coast,has been in contemplation for some time. This, we doubt, is a little too much like the Berlin explanations for us to care much about it. Mackensen has, in truth, effected a very decided coup, and it is best for us to recognise it frankly, and look forward to the Russo-Rumanian forces, which are promised a new Russian commander, making an early and complete recovery. We shall have to stand many such rough taps as this ere the final round is fought. The situation on the northern Rumanian frontier is not much illuminated by a hasty glance at tp-day’s later news, which must stand over for future reference. The most that can foi the moment be said is that no very decisive development is readily manifest/ A Petrograd overnight message indicates that the AustroGermans are making desperate eflorts at the southern end of the Carpathians to break in between the Russian and Rumanian lines, but so far without any show of success. On the Salonika front there has been but little change, the Serbians again claiming some slight further progress. On the Somme Sir Douglas Haig reports an appreciable success southward from Bapaume, while the French north of the river have pushed forward the north-eastern curve of their line.