CURRENT WAR TOPICS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 8, 12 April 1916, Page 5

CURRENT WAR TOPICS.

The official French report of the operations on the Meuse to-day is very satisfactory, only for an advance which the Germans are reported to have made on the west of the river, where they gained a footing in a small portion of our trenches. Though these may he but minor successes, they come through to us so often that there can be no doubt they must be having an appreciable effect upon the moving French line. The straightening of the line at Bethincourt the other day is a case in point. On the right bank, that is, at Douaumont, a night attack was attempted to drive the French out of the r-ecently-captured trenches, but they sustained “a bloody defeat.” That sounds pretty decent! The ferocity accompanying the movement is shown by the enemy use of liquid fire. Why the Crown Prince persists in sacrificing his men in the manner mentioned in the latest cables puzzles even theauthorities, but there seems to be no reason why the Germans should not continue to harass the Allies at \ erdun and the other strategical points alopg the , whole line, as they are at present until the Allies turn the* tables on them, and they assume the offensive. The news from this front is more than usually informative to-day.

the hospitals, which is specially hard upon the children. All eggs are exported. At Rustchuk some 50 head of cattle arc killed daily for the exclusive use of Austro-German troops.

The persistent drain of gold to America still causes come anxiety amongst business men (reports a London commercial paper of February 18), hut such are the exigencies of war, which are all in favour of Uncle Sam so far. Nearly a hundred millions of English* speaking people, even at this juncture, free from foreign apprehensions, while too proud to fight, inhabiting a vast continent, arc devoting their whole energies to money-making, and consequently, in the main, prospering beyond precedent. High prices and high wages have led to large profits, and good incomes are being freely spent, Withvenormqus orders .to execute, there''has also\|bcf.n'.';an . immense "demandsfor- ..glji, its forms; p^rticuTprl.yat; thfe : 'centr|6 of industry;'; < arid 1 i also' ' length and breadth of America. .’Tile extraordinary prosperity of tlie IJhited States and the activity of business hi general resulted id their securingjvast ■sums of gold from Europe, and |jnis in every department, both With regard to iigriculturO and manufacturers, the population of the United States is kept fully employed, while it is more than probable that the world has never before seen so great a- population enjoying such marked prosperity. Abundant harvests have rewarded their labors, while the. devastation of vast territories in Ei|rope within the war zone/naturally leads , to continued largo demands for American produce, so that they look upon our misfortune as their gain, j

The Kaiser got a lesson the other day which will certainly leave him with an enhanced opinion of the French artillery. He is reported to have had a narrow escape from death owing to the bursting of a shell from the French lines close to his royal personage and members of his staff. The escape was a sensational one, as several of his staff were killed and the motor car destroyed by the explosion. Here, in the opinion -of many people, the Fates have been unkind, for id ey hold—rightly or wrongly matters not —rthafc nothing would bring about the end of this terrible conflict than the sudden cutting-off from this mundane sphere of the head and front of the offending, viz., the Kaiser; or, what is next best, the losing of the number of his mess by the Crown Prince. Is there a price on either of their heads ? It would he cheap at any money, and if only to watch the effect upon Prussianism and the world at large it would be worth while.

Such information as we receive of the state of affairs in Bulgaria is necessarily indirect, and apt to be 1 colored by the channels through which jit has passed. But all accounts are unanimous that the internal situa- ! tion is passing from had to worse. I From the moment the Germans took ‘ charge of affairs the conditions of life began to become more difficult, and things have gone so Jar that numberless families are on the verge of star- | vation. This state of things is due in part to the exportation of grain. Large \ quantities of corn have been sold to Germany at a low price, and the same thing has happened in the case of Greece, as a result of German pressure , the motives for which are obviously of a political character. The indigent j population is suffering heavily as a resedt of these measures, for the stock of grain has fallen considerably below ! necessary for internal consumption, and prices have risen in consequence. M. Radoslavoff (the Premier) has attempted to justify his action by invnk*ing motives of a higher order,which do not appeal to the populace, so that his excuses have failed to dispel the existing state of dissatisfaction. IHe Aus-tro-German command, being all-poweiv fnl, requisition all edible articles that they can lay hands on, exporting the same to Austria and Germany. Another factor which contributes to bring about this state of affairs is tiie absence of all healthy males up to the age of 50, tbo pecuniary aid which the .State grants to the families of the mobilised being totally inadequate.

Here arc a few details with regard to prices:—l lib of black bread is said to cost 5d to 6d, and then it is in'a state of impurity, due to admixture with foreign bodies. White bread is sold only to the sick upon presentation of a medical certificate countersigned bv the commander of the garrison. The price of this is about 8d for 1 lib. Poik, which was formerly sold at 5d per lb., has now reached Is Bd. These prices are not to be judged by our standards. The average wage in Bulgaria is expressed in pence, ours in shillings, and the things must be taken together. Tire price of many other articles of consumption has risen five times above the normal. This applies to tea and coffee. All the milk is requisitioned for