NOTES ON THE CABLES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16594, 18 January 1916, Page 6

NOTES ON THE CABLES.

Bi Sotoiß.

vrfrtSTtCX AND THE BALKAN OUTLOOK- i AH reports 'with regard to the state of fairs at Bakmika seem to bo eminently tisfactory. The Anglo-French Forces ore ling given ample timo to make their deaces as »»fft as it is humanly passible to tl »Vf\ them. Heavy artillery is still being a int forward, it is to be hoped that 8 tcJaded in tie list of heavy gnus are some javy howitzers. The country to the north id east of Salonika is rugged and broken mestooe country, which affords excellent iding positions for artillery, and it will f a very difficult to find some of the enemy i ana by direct fire. Very contradictory messages are being sceived about the intentions of the enemy, 'o-day we are told by Mr Stevens, the I •afly Telegraph's Salonika correspondent, 0 iat he does not believe an attack is imlinpnt He says that the enemy will rouire 400,000 troops to afford any hope of ioccss. If there are 350,000 Anglo-French •oops at Salonika, it would take more than r 30,000 of the enemy to capture the town f Salonika. The Germans, who have ssted the qualities of the British and rench in France, will be the least keen \ f any of the four allied enemy nations to ndertake the attack. Seasoned troops have j een seat from France to Greece; the Germim know their qualities, and the terrible owers of the French 75 millimetre guns ihifh are so scientifically handled by the 'reach artillerymen. It is, therefore, very xobable that a ' ""bluff" attack will be lade. He reason why only a simulated attack i likely to bo made lies in the fact that n the east-west front the forces of the Central Powers are being firmly held to heir positions. Neither Germany nor Lustria can spare men for a divergent peration, and especially for an operation n which success is most difficult to obtain, t will be found that the German, tactics rill oonsist chiefly in attacks with heavy , rtiflery of all kinds. If the delay vn asking the attack is due to the arrange- < nents that the Germans are making, it ' oeans that they are going to trust to their 1 jtillerv rather than to the mettle of their j roops in order to shift the Allies. TRANSFERENCE OF BULGARS AND TURKS. There are rumours that Bulgarian troops 1 ihd Turks are being transferred to France, md that their places are being taken by Jermans. There may be something in such j tones. Germany has so much at stake n Bulgaria, Turkey, and Asia Minor that he must, with reliable troops, defend the Belgrade-Constantinople communications. ' ilao, the hope of the Germans is that by ireating another great theatre of war in ( he Middle East, she will greatly weaken he British in France by threats upon India . ind Egypt Such a scheme is worthy of J Napoleon, but in the present parlous state >f affairs oil the east and west fronts, and ;he. increasing depression in Germany, it is loubtful whether the magnitude of the demands upon her resources can be met by ier. That in her desperation she will make great sacrifices to accomplish her aims is nost probable. She is determined to test ihe might of the British Empire, which ier wiseacres have ridiculously under-eeti-nated. Her attempts in that direction will ' break her financially, as her attempts in France and Russia have broken the striking power of great armies. With regard to the substitution of Germans for Bulgarians and Turks, it is not unlikely that such an action is an extension of Germany's octopus grip upon the States of Bulgaria and Turkey. The temper of the peoplo of both these nations is, according to recent and former accounts, i very uncertain. If such & feeling spreads, there is always the chance that the soldiery may take the side of the people. With a strong element of Germans distributed throughout the forces of the Bulgarians and Turks, the Germans will be powerful enough to nip in tie bud such dissensions, as they appear to havo already done in Constantinople. MONTENEGRO. The Tribuna of Borne announces that it has been authorised to state that Montenegro will not make a separate peace with Austria. If that is the determination of the Montenegrins, it does credit either to their hearts or their heads, for it means that they have made up their minds to die fighting against a race which they mistrust and which robbed them of Scutari, or they might have, reasons for believing that the Austrians cannot conquer their mountain fastnesses. With Cettinje in the hands of the Austrians the roads to Antivari and Dulcigno on the coast are open to them, and the Montenegrins now will not be able . to procure arms, munitions, and foodstuffs through their own ports. Whatever assistance may be sent to them must now go through the Albanian port of Durazzo and by poor and out of the way roads through northern Albania. Austria is said to hare offered the Montenegrins the town of Scutari, which the Montenegrins captured during the Balkan wars. Both Austria and Italy denied the Montenegrins the fruits of their hardearned victory, and Scutari remained in the possession of Albania, which the Germans • and Austrians had planned to make an Auetro-German appenage under William of Wied, and in which plan the concert of the European Powers foolishly acquiesced. It was part of the great pan-German scheme, which Essad Pasha rudely upset by making things so uncomfortable for Prince William of Wied that he returned home. The Austrians ore taking a lesson from Germany in giving away the propertj of other people. Such a nice, easy methoc of rewarding those who obey their behests argues either trickery or that the Central Powers think that it is a way of impressing neutrals with tho idea that the final victorj •will be theirs. MESOPOTAMIA AND PERSIA. It is officially reported from Delhi, India that General Ayimer, on January 15, de feated the Turks 25 miles south of Kut-el Amara, tho Turks fleeing, closely pressed north and east. The news is highly satis factory,' but the course the Turks took ii their retreat is peculiar. Their fleein{ northwards can be understood, but east ward suggests that there must be a larg< body of Turks on both sides of the Tigrii between General Kemball's forccs and Kut fel-Amaxa. If there is a powerful force o I' the enemy around Kut-el-Amara and east ward of the beleaguered town, and Genera Kemball is hold up either by the state o ; tho roads or the strength of the Turks, o boih, then unless General Aylmer has wit! him strong forces ho may get into difficul ties. With a large number of woundei and sick on his hands, as well as an accumu lation of stores in tho town, Genera Townshend would scarcely bo wiso to at tempt a sortie to meet General Aylmer' forces. News of General Kemball's marc] will bo awaited with considerable im patience. } In Persia, about 100 miles to the north cast of Kut-el-Amara, is Kermanshal wlrich a semi-official Turkish message claim tho Turks have entered. If the Turks ar dispersing their forccs in that directior either they aro in considerable strength i that part of their "Empire or their Germa: masters aro making frantic attempts t enter Persia for the purpose of checkin the Russians. It is to bo hoped that th Russians havo largo forccs at Kangavar, an that they will be r.tle to defeat the Turks Kermanshah. By using tho Caspian Sea, th Russians can quickly land forces in Persit and a junction between tho British an Russians woold bo of tho greatest valu for an advance upon Bagdad, tho captur of which would go a great way towarc settling the position in tho Tigris "Vallo and in Persia. Crcssbelts aro worn by tho 7th Hussa ov«c ibcir left ghgnldre..