AUSTRO-GERMAN ADVANCE BLOCKED.

Otago Witness, Issue 3215, 27 October 1915, Page 25

AUSTRO-GERMAN ADVANCE BLOCKED.

PARIS, October 24. A Salonika telegram states that the Serbians on Saturday counter-attacked and recaptured half of Veles, while the remainder of the town lies under their artillery. The Austro*German advance on the Serbian frontier has been stopped. It does not exceed a depth of 11 kilometres. STUBBORN SERBIAN RESISTANCE. LONDON, October 24. Reuter’s Athens correspondent says that news from the most trustworthy sources is highly satisfactory. The Serbs are offering a stubborn resistance on all fronts. The Austro-Germans are not expected to develop further actions until the Bulgarians obtain an important success. The Bulgarians have discontinued their attack on Veles owing to the French

operations on the Krivolak-Strumnitza sectors (further south in the Vardar Valley). A Paris communique states : The French troops which crossed tne Greek frontier have joined forces with the Serbian troops. PARIS, October 24. La Petit Parisien’s Athens correspondent states that the Serbian success in the north is conhrme j. The Austro-Germans arc unable to junction with the Bulgarians, and have therefore assumed the defensive pending reinforcements. The Journal’s Athens correspondent says that a furious battle, the most bloody and serious in the Balkans in the last three years, is progressing near Veles. The Austro-German defeat in the north of Serbia has now forced King Ferdinand to strike a heavy blow in the south. General von Mackenten has given up the idea for the time being of joining up the armies in the Timok Valley. It is believed that the Bulgarians are attempting a surprise attack on the Ishtib-Veles sector. Its success would mean the isolation of the Serbian army, while its failure would spell the collapse of the concerted German and Bulgarian plans. The Bulgarian ammunition is running short. Advices from Salonika confirm the French success from Krivolak, arresting the Bulgarian attack on Veles. AMSTERDAM, October 24. The Lokal Anzeiger (Berlin) states that the Serbian retreat is most methodical, and General von Mackensen’s booty practically amounts to nil. The Serbians have strongly fortified their new defensive positions, and the Austro-Germans will find them terribly expensive to conquer. ATHENS, October 24. The postponement of the German advance into Serbia is attributed to their considerable losses and lack of reinforcements. BULGARIAN OFFENSIVE. AMSTERDAM, October 24. A Bulgarian communique states : We are advancing between Kniashevatz and Zaitchar (Timok Valley, north-east of Nish), and have reached the left bank of the Timok. Fighting for the town of Kniashevatz continues. Our troops in Macedonia, after a violent battle, captured the greater part of the town of Uskub (north of Veles), and fighting continues there. We are continuing the offensive on the other fronts. AUSTRIAN OFFICIAL REPORT. LONDON, October 24. A Vienna communique states : The Austro-Hungarians opposite Orsova captured a mountain position on the southern bank of the Danube and Elizabeth forts near Tekia. The Serbians at many points along the frontier were broken up and dispersed, retreating southward; we are pursuing them. We dislodged the enemy from the heights eastward of the Drina, near Visegrad (high up the Drina, 80 miles south of its junction with the Save). CONTRADICTORY REPORTS. PARIS, October 25. Official: The French attacked the Bulgarians on Friday south of Strum* nitza, and captured Nabrova. A Sofia telegram claims that the Bulgarians are in complete possession of Uskub. BERNE, October 25. It is reported that the Austro=Germans who crossed the Drina above Visigrad turned the Serbian second line. THE SALONIKA LANDING. ROME, October 24. The allied troops who are landing at Salonika are leaving for the interior daily. BULGARIA’S PORTS BOMBARDED. PARIS, October 24. Le Matin’s Athens correspondent states that the Russians are bombarding Varna and Lulu Burgas. LONDON, October 24. A French communique confirms the bombardment of Varna and Lulu Burgas by a Russian squadron. ATHENS, October 24. The accuracy of the Russian naval shooting caused indescribable panic at Varna and Lulu Burgas. There are seven divisions of Bulgarians on the Serbian front, of which four are in the Kniashevatz region. The Bulgarians have left the iEgean coasts to be defended by five Turkish divisions. PETROGRAD, October 25. A communique states : The Askold participated in the bombardment of the Bulgarian coast on Thursday, when there was great destruction of ammunition, stores, and military magazines. BOMBARDMENT OF DEDEAGATCH. IMMENSE DAMAGE DONE. LONDON, October 25. Reuter’s New York correspondent has received from Athens a report that 1000 Bulgarian soldiers were killed and many wounded at the bombardment of Dedeagatch, while damage representing several million pounds was done. ROME, October 25. A wireless message states that an Italian squadron participated in the blockade and bombardment of the Bulgarian coaat.

ATHENS, October 25. An aeroplane directed 20 battleships’ fr e upon Dedcagatch. The 40th Bulgarian Regiment occupied the town barracks, and two companies who were preparing a meal were burie i in the ruins. The troops who we e tr n h digging outside the town sustai ed enormous losses. Ten civilians, including two women, were killed. The railway stations were burnt. The foreign Consuls went into the interior prior to the bombardment. The bombardment started a fire in Dedeagatcb, which, fanned by a strong wind, damaged some cereal stores, the Customhouse, and many lighters and barges. OR E EC E’ S SUBT ERFU C!E. LONDON, October 24. The Observer’s Athens correspondent says that Greece bases her present attitude on tire argument that Serbia is unable to support Greece with 150,000 men, as was stipulated by the Grceco-Serb treaty in case of war with Bulgaria, and that the Entente have furnished no equivalent to replace that number of Serbians. Hence swift and convincing action in the matter of the concentration of the Allies' troops in Macedonia is essential. ft is reported at Rome that the Entente have presented an energetic Note to Greece with a fixed period for a reply. COAL FOR GREECE. LONDON, October 24. Liberal members of the House of Commons are demanding a debate upon Greece’s request for 50,000 tons of coal at Cardiff, which it was proposed to be shipped in Greek vessels requisitioned at the time of the mobilisation.

M. VENIZELOS

Mr L. P. Digiiton, manager in New Zealand for the iNeucnatol Company, who Jived in (T recce xor two or tnreo years, and loit there towards the end of 19x1, in conversation with a Daily Times reporter, paid a high tribute to the character of M. Veniztlos, the ex-Premier of Greece, and, on the other hand, spoke in very uncompl.mentary terms of the moral worth of most of the other politicians. He said that to his mind it was inconceivable that the Greeks would side with any other Power than the Allies. Mr D.gnton stated that when he was in Greece King George was on the throne, and that, despite King George’s popularity, M. Vcnizclos was even more popular—ho was, in fact, the people’s King. M. Yenizelos was intensely pro-Br.tish. It was he who was instrumental in arranging to secure ihe services of the British Admiral Tuinol to take charge of their navy, of French officei-s for the army, and of Italians to take charge of the gendarmerie. The Greek army was well cqu.pped and run on French military lines. Mr Dighton stated that there was a great deal of British money invested in Greece, but that there was even more German money invested there. There were two kinds of Greeks —those who lived in the towns —a mixture of many races —and the pure Greeks, those who mostly lived in the country. With both classes, however, the Cretan M. Yenizelos was hailed as the uncrowned King—both for his wise and straightforward legislation and the way he had lifted his country from the decadence into which it was drifting, and imparted to it a great deal of his own wonderful moral strength. It was well known that King Constantine’s wife—the Kaiser’s sister—despised the Greeks —in fact, some years ago, she used to spend most of her time apart from her husband, living in Berlin, and also in the Kaiser’s palace at Corfu. Mr Dighton went on to state, in answer to a question whether ho did not think the Italians appeared jealous that the Allies were offering the Greeks too much, that he could not say, but that he know from his own personal experience that there was a strong bond of sympathy and friendship between the Italians and the Greeks. When asked how the Allies would fare, if, as was reported, a large body of their troops had advanced on Nish, and the Salonika (“ Saloneeka ”) —Nish railway had been cut by the Bulgarians at Varna, Mr Dighton gave it as his opinion that the Allies’ forces would bo rather badly placed. He said he had the best authority for stating that the murder of King George was a political crime—engineered by the Bulgarians for the purpose of forcing the Greeks to attack them. The murderer, Skinas, was reported to the Greek public and press to be a lunatic, of Greek nationality, but it was well known to the authorities that ho was a Bulgarian. The authorities, however, fully realised that if the people became aware that the assassin was a Bulgarian they would take matters into their own hands, and fall into the trap laid by the Bulgars. and cross the border and attack their old-time enemies. The plot of the tricky Bulgarians, however, was foiled.

In conclusion, Mr Dighton said that although the cablegrams being received as to Greece’s present attitude puzzled him greatly, he could not and would not believe that the Greeks would fight against the Entente. Yenizelos, in his own good time, would strike—and strike hard —for the Allies. He was an absolutely straight man —and by virtue of his straightness stood out from the rest of his political compeers, and was beloved and trusted by the whole of his people.