THE New Zealand Herald. AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1916. THE ROUMANIAN CAMPAIGN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16327, 6 September 1916, Page 6

THE New Zealand Herald. AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1916. THE ROUMANIAN CAMPAIGN.

The easy initial successes of tho Roumanians in Transylvania may have given rise to a suspicion that the Austrians are waiting for their opportunity and nursing their forces for a counter-stroke. However this may be— it is safe to assume that the Austrians, Hungarians and their German overlords havi formed certain defensive plans—it can fairly be said that the Roumanians' attack is based on sound principles of strategy. They have not merely been seeking newspaper victories and advancing fortuitously where resistance was weakest, but they have been striking at points where they may hope to secure command of the railways, roads, and water communications essential for the advance of a modern army. There are two railways through the Carpathian passes from Rouraania !to Hungary tho principal Roumanian advances have beon along these lines. The more important of the two railways is that through Torsburg Pass which runs through Kronsfcadt to Klausenburg (Kolozsvar), the capital of Transylvania and on to Buda Pesth. This line the Roumanians now command beyond Kronstadt. Intimately connected with the Transylvanian advance, although actually in tho Banat, south-west of Transylvania, is the progress made in the Orsova district. This also has for its object the possession of an important line of communication, the Danube. On the higher reaches of the Danube lie Belgrade, Buda Pesth, and Vienna, the respective capitals of Servia, Hungary, and Austria. Even above Orsova the Danube would prove a great convenience for' tho supply of an army. River steamers reach Orsova, but above the " Iron Gates" navigation is confined to vessels of sft draft. Commercially it has been found possible to transport an enormous traffic in tugs and barges, and one of the companies engaged in the carrying trade of the river is controlled by tho Roumanian Government. From Orsova a railway runs to Teraesvar, where there ia a choice of railway routes to Buda Pesth. Half way up the Danube, between Orsova and Belgrade, is the terminus of another line to Temesvar.

It is difficult for anyone but a Roumanian to judge how rich a prize Transylvania appears to the army of liberation. Although nearly half the size of Koumania it is desired less for its acreage than for tho millions of Roumanians who have for long lived under a foreign yoke. Apart from national sentiment the country is well worth fighting for. Although mountainous it contains many beautiful and fertile valleys, and is rich, in minerals. Of the total area of Transylvania 22.6 per cent, is arable land, 16.6 per cent, meadows, 9.5 per cent; pastures, and .5 vineyards, while 37.3 per cent, is covered by forests, and 13.5 por cent, is unproductive. Fruits a- the finest quality are grown, with maize, wheat, ryo and other grains, potatoes, saffron, hemp, flax, and tobacco. Thousands of horses are exported annually, and tho mountains maintain large flocks of sheep. Silkworms are bred. The export of honey and wax is npt inconsiderable.

The richest gold mines of Europe are in Transylvania and this metal is also "washed" in some of the streams, chiefly by gypsies. The gold is often found in conjunction with tellurium—first discovered in Transylvania in 1782. Silver, copper, lead, »nt? iron are* worked to

some extent, while arsenic, alum,! graphite, marble, precious stones and building stone are also found. Coal is mined in the valley of the Zsil, but the abundance of timber has retarded its exploitation. Some of the saline springs are used for the commercial production of salt, The annual value of mineral products is well over £1,000,000. The industries of Transylvania, although by no means developed, have made some progress in recent years; flour, sugar, leather, paper, oil, cloth, tanning, earthenware, and spirits are produced. The making of linen from hemp find flax is a home industry throughout the country. Klausenburg (Kolozsvar), the capital of Transylvania, has a population of over 60,000.