THE WORLD WAR

NZ Truth, Issue 539, 16 October 1915, Page 12

THE WORLD WAR

THE BALKANS IN A BLAZE

GOADING THE GREEKS

Two Treaties Tattered and Torn

Comments and Considerations — Rival Rases for Rivers and Railways

(By "Campeador")

At last we see. as Indicated some weeks back, that the Grand Alliance can lick thumbs, to all appearances at any rate, with the Teuton. Greece was forcibly invaded, and the city of Salonika seized. The Greeks were greatly perturbed, and Premier Venezelos was made to stand down by the King. On the face of things the Greek people are against war, and the world at large has been made aware of the fact. Nevertheless, Greece must fight, or be a house divided against itself, for a goodly portion of the array will UNDOUBTEDLY FOLLOW VENE- * ZELOS'S LEAD and support the Allied troops. A logical interpretation of the ruse that led up to the seizure of the big city of Salonika would seem to amount to this: The Premier, Venezelos., undoubtedly realised that be had only a bare majority of the Greek Chamber eager for war against th« aggressiveness of Bulgaria. He felt, however, that he could not openly Invite the Allies, so the Allies realised that they could with Impunity take advantage of Venezelos and his fellows, seize Salonika, and thereby invade a divided nation. As a* consequence two treaties now lie torn and trampled m the dust — the Treaty of Bucharest and the lesser one between Serbia and Greece, and which go to show, as already long ago indicated, that treaties are made to be broken. The invasion of Greece by the Allies may force the Greeks reluc- | tantly into the desired channel, or else disrupt the nation. No doubt it' was a! matter of necessity that compelled the Allied seizure of Salonika. From the enemy's viewpoint it was also a matter of necessity that forced the German legions through Belgium. In each case it was the. vital matter of successfully getting m the initial punch. Small nations have, little chance of salvation when big neighbors fall out. The Gtaeco-Belgian affairs, however, reduce us all, friend and foe alike, to the one level. We are all out for an unfair punch when the chance offers, for an unfair punch has knocked out many an opponent. Hence we see, after ft.ll, that despite howls, curses, and parsonical ejaculations, that all's fair m war. There never was a truer saying, war is fundamentally wrong, and what follows is justifiable even If one side could succeed In utilising the colossal power of hurling the sun at the other fellow. It's the essence of true war to cut-up and wipe out your enemy, and surely when that's the dominant objective In batUe, any and all manner of means ure quite permissible. When that pious priest. Friar Bacon, Invented powder {which invention was also claimed by another priest, the German Friar Scnwaru), he was no doubt ACCLAIMED A MARVELLOUS SCIENTIST by the side that eventually went to battle with his perfected invention. The other side, however, growled exceedingly, for they hud only bows and arrows, and axes und .ponderous catapults. Yet it was fair, for the Inverse reason, that war m itself is grossly unfair. The using of gases by the enemy was a very unfair thing, according to many good people- But m the writer's opinion it was just as fair as old Friar Bacon's notorious InvonUon. The latter was most unfair, as powdor was limited to one side In the long ago. In our times every side hud gas, as much as they could uae, but only the Teuton knew how to use It! On the same lines of reasoning the Invasion of Belgium \va« abominable, but the invasion of Greece, ami the propulsion of a quiet peasantry into war was merely clever. WiitertJ In the Dominion who have not had the dust of Muoriland off their feet for the fraction of v duy. uro declaiming the selsuru of Salonika, and the Allied advance to the frontier, a« two distinctly clover sirokvH. They may be right; they usually are! Hut we huve yet to «et» what Gvrmany ahull K»ln by the coercion of Belgium, and what the Allk-a muy Kuin by dragooning the democracy of Greece. It muy turn out vory favorably for th« Allk'H

if the sufficient preponderance of men and material are poured m and onwards to the Greek and Serbian frontiers. About 70 miles "north of Salonika the Bulgarian frontier dangerously dips south menacing two lines of railway. That to Salonika from Dedegatch, portion of which belongs to Bulgaria, and that from Salonika via Kuprill and L'skub. The latter line is of vital importance to Greece and Serbia. The Dedegutch- Salonika lino will be hotly contested. Dedegateh runs a chance of a big menace from the Allied fleet, and Kavala as well by both sides. Further north considerable forces are being thrown into Monastir, Serbia's southern mobilising centre. There is also a safe railway line from Salonika to this old town. But Monastir will only be utilised as