A DEPRESSING REVIEW

Marlborough Express, Volume XLIX, Issue 248, 19 October 1915, Page 5

A DEPRESSING REVIEW

"FIGHTING UNFAVORABLE TO

OURSELVES."

'TRIBUTE '[TO/AUSEELALIANa • AND

NEW ZEALANDJCItii.

(Received' Oct. 18/;6:ip.m.) LONDON, Get.'l 7. The.'Smfday 'Times publishes an interview with Mr Ashmeadlßartlett, irho is "enthusiastic over the-wonder-£ul fig.h tin g .qualities 6f * the.' Australian* dridJ'Nww'Zealariders.

"The results of the fighting:onGfcl- ! lip^oli a re' h'igMy unf ayoarablet <to< > *>wseives. .'.Apart -from the conception .and doubtful paternity of the expedition, we ' have committed every con«ceivabJ© ' blunder in the methods of • carrying it out. Few minds engaged "in the- enterprise knew : the Turk's 'fighting quality or the -geography of 'Jms country. 'The -appalling slaughter •on Gallipolivwill not prove-altogether -.vain blocld. "The Australians arid ..New Zealanclcrs. "British ; iarid "In'■dians have'proved ■ that they are- still a grwrt fighting people. rOnr-rpre»-tjsje is higher than before: the vwa/, <<3espite the reverse, which-is- serious. "Wo carniot "fiilifil the \i4ld promises •'which wo made to: Serbia. ;/As>>usnal, W« were scriiptilotisly fair -to our >«nemieii, and -warned them iin -time for them to be iprepared. 'The Allies nought to !havo -occupied rSeribi&n /Macedonia two months ago. 'Instead, TBtilgaria waited;until failure at the Dardanelles was manifest, -and itlwri ; joined Germany. It is out of tho .^question for 'the/Allies to win :•» '.vic■tory m the Balkans this winter, it'ivill require half a million oven to win m. in I)he spring. If defeated. tho: (Germans wlllnweeely retire tto*ttbe ifrontitrs, leaving us to keep Bulgaria .and Turkey in -ailbjaction. The -few •divisions sent to Salonika can do litt-le. The time has come seriously *to reconsider our «\jithoirt sseif-deoeption. We must no longer »oxhaust our resources in enteiipiiiaes ©if -«(ioouditry impmttanee."