Northern Advocate Daily With which is incorporated the Northern Mail Daily. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1916. THE ALLIES POSITION.

Northern Advocate, 7 December 1916, Page 2

Northern Advocate Daily With which is incorporated the Northern Mail Daily.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1916. THE ALLIES POSITION.

Registered for transmission through the post as a newspaper.

The cables to-day are hot with news of considerable importance, news which is, also, not very pleasant, reading. The situation in Die Balkans is very unsatisfactory. Despite the hopes held out of Russian help it seems plain that the Roumanians continue to fall back, and the fall of Put.barest is reported. Cm to the time of writing this statement (received from America) has not. been confirmed, but the trend of events justifies the belief that it. is subslan tially correct. The fall of the capital does not mean Ihe complete possession of the country, a-1 all may not yet ha lost, but the saeeess of the enemy threatens to eon sol Plate the Balkan corridor between the Germanic Empire of to-'':iy and i's projected eastern ext•, n■■.-.'"0:1. while the piercing of the Taurus bainoi offers to the German and Tail'ah strong In in the East a. most formr'abm pKiaase ia its mobikty. Thf Balkan ctvritloi' calks therefore for immediate alienlion. Its important 0 ceat.'es hi RounuMijd. Ron m.anil's dee i a ration of war was regarded by most, reason, able people ?s sure to be fatal to the German hoi) 0!" Hie corridor. Put by an >ineximatod snoke of the fortune of war Romiruiia stands in danger of being conquered by the German power. .As that power has shown itself mastm- of the art of digging itself firmly in wherever p. goes in a manner roprring for its dislodgnicni. the costliest and iii;kl prolonged lighting, t!u> possiiy'Pios before m' in Roumae; ■ have acquired a start'iug significance. DettPks of Hie campaign we need not enter into imr-\ Kaouch that the enemy's, invasion his obtained sudden possession -of Wall.mhia, that ho is harrying it forward against the line o< d.-q'en."e to whlcli Hie Roumanian forms have 'men withdrawn after imrd iig'a'in'.'; iitt.i many risks by a great effort; of military skill, ami that he has apparently solved the problem of supply so that he has it in his power to establish a has? strong .enough for his most exacting requirements. In addition to this it looks as if the Russian attempt to break through the wooded Carpathians into Transylvania had failed. Jf this lie so small hopes can be entertained of saving Roumania from disaster. in the Macedonian area the progress of the Allies is more, satisfactory, but here again we arc held up and placed at a great disadvantage by the Greek disturbance which promises to bred a great d' a! of f- abb-. Our initial blunder in the East was ;it Gallipuli, our SP'.Otll P'e lo ;: ,; ~f t"erviu. oar third the dalliance with Greece and —apparently—the fourth the devastation of Roaur.nra. Thes-e facts tiro coming home to the. people, and the wholesale, sweeping changes in the Impeah'l administration show that the people have determined to demand a more vigorous prosecution of (he war. It is unnecessary io name individuals in the allocation of blame, but there has boon a slackness which all have observe,!, but which all htne also felt should not be commented upon. Put the time has come now \'or open thought and criticism, and I here should lie a. sej.n'hnu", investigation into the conduct of "■■.<■■ \ department, military or civil, and the best men put in command. We have the troops, the gnus, the ships and the moncv and we ought to have the bmdtr.- —it i.~ for tho naaton to find 'hem.