BULGARIA'S FATAL PLUNGE.

North Otago Times, Volume CIV, Issue 13666, 7 September 1916, Page 2

BULGARIA'S FATAL PLUNGE.

OPERATIONS IN THE DOBRUDJA.! , BIG BATTLE IMMINENT, ■' (Australian and N.Z. C'abla Association), SOFIA, September 5, A Bulgarian official massage says:"Our.armies on the 2nd inst. crosset 1 the entire Dobrudja frontier, driving! back an advanced Rumanian ineiit. We occupied Kurtbuuar ;aftjfct--i heavy lighting, Our forward march is ' proceeding along the whole line. LONDON, September 5. A German communique says: The" Bulgarians stormed the bridgehead at Tutrokan and occupied Dobruic. . German military circles expect a big battle in-Dobrudja during'the.next.few' days. It is staled that the' Bulgarians are commanded by a German general.'

[the Russians are officially announced from Bucharest to be inarching through the Dobrudja, • It will be noticed that though the Allied policy is to crush Bulgaria first, the invasion of Transylvania is well under way, whereas the. attack upon Bulgaria has nptjet begun,'. But that is because everything, was ready on the northern frontier of Rumania, but on the southern front the; Rumanians are waiting for the arrival of the Russian army'to assist in turning the Danube line. 'That army has' 100 linlcs to inarch across Rumanian territory, The Dobrudja.is mainly a saudv Waste iiow fairly well supplied with roads, but having no railways except one which crosses it laterally from Bucharest to the port of Coustanza, half-way down the coast, where Bussian war vessels have arrived. The 100 miles will have to be inarched, The Hnssians will have the. assistance of the Danube and the sea as lines of communication, and as the march will kve been fully prepared before Rumania declared war, they should make good progress—say tea miles.per dav. Thatwould bring them into touch with the Bulgarians about the middle of this week, so by the end of this week the attack upon Bulgaria from the north may be well under Way'. From the south it may commeiico any day. There arc already reports'that the Bulgarians are retirijig from Greece.]

BULGARS SOUTHWARD DASH, ' HEAVY LOSSES, (Australian And N.Z. Cabin Assoclnlion!) SALONIKA, September -5. ■lt is estimated that the Bulgarians facing the Serbians lost 10,000 of the 60,000 invaders,

MORE BULGAR CRIMES. REPORTED MURDER OF CHIEF OF STAFF. ("Renter's Tclcgraum.") PETROGRAD, September 5. It is reported from Rumania that the Chief of the Bulgarian General Staff did not die naturally, but was murdered in consequence, of his efforts in the direction of (he withdrawal .of German influence from Bulgaria and tho replacement of King Fei'dinand by Prince Boris, . ■■ .

[A message from Sofia ( on Monday ■announced the death of General Jostaff, Chief of the Bulgarian General Staff, ft'ivas reported from Athens that General: Jostaff committed suicide,, as he ,» did not wish to lead his army to what " : he considered certain defeat. The suicide delayed the Bulgarian declaration of war.] *.'■■■.•■

BULGAR v. SLAV. ,

FIRST CLASH REPORTED. FIGHTING THEIR LIBERATORS. (Australian and N.Z, Cable Association). LONDON, September 5. A Russian communique says: The first encounter between Russian and Bulgarian cavalry occurred on Monday in the Dobrudja. DESTROY THE PERFIDIOUS NEIGHBOUR. y BULGAR EXHORTATION. ("Reufer's Telegrams.") AMSTERDAM, September 5. Czar Ferdinand of Bulgaria, in a proclamation, recites a chapter of wrongs committed by, Rumanians in Bulgaria, and exhorts the Bulgars to destroy their perfidious neighbour.

NOT A RUSSOPHILE. DENIAL CONCERNING PRINCE BORIS. (Australian and JJX Cable Association.) PETROGRAD, September 5, The newspapers deny that Prince Boris of Bulgaria is a Russophile,