Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1916-09-04
ROUNANIA RAILWAY
SYSTEM IMPORTANT
Will Greatly Assist Allies in
Moving Troops and
Supplies
COUNTRY PRODUCES
LARGE WHEAT CROP


Entente Allies is suggested in the fol-
lowing war geography bulletin issued
today by the National Geographic
Society on the resources of this the
largest Of the Balkan nations:
with a field army OF 100000 men,
thoroughly trained and fully equip !
ped. and with reserve force cf at
least 100000 additional fighting men,
Roumanias entrance upon The great
battlefield Of Europe yill inevitably
have great weight But OF equal orr
perhaps even greater Importance tol
the allies will is the fact that with
this countrys declaration Of war;
against the Central Powers her high
WAYS and her railway systems will bel
used i'm moving an unlimited number
Of Russian soldiers to the northern
frontier OF Bulgaria and the south
eastern gateways into Hungary
I'm the present struggle il has been
easier on many occasions to secure
men for the firing line than TO control
the facilities for transporting them
and To find the necessary food for
them after their arrival in the
trenches Roumania possesses the
means to solve in part both these
problems.
with an area about equal to that of
the State Of Arkansas. but with pop
ulation nearly five times as great
Roumania is essentially an, agricul-
tural country. producing vastly more
wheat in 1915 than Bulgaria, Serbia
Greece and Montenegro combined. Its
crop last year 100000 bushelsl
equalled the joint production Of our
two fertile wheat States Minnesota
and Iowa. The yield of barley. corn,
oats and rye is also large. and during
the two years Of war the country has
waxed rich playing the role of an
Egyptian Joseph to starving brother
nations 49, the well-paying Central
Powers.
Before the war the value Of ROu-
mania's grain exports exceeded $780,
600 900 annually, and second in the
list of her international sales was
petroleum. valued at nearly sS,O00.00O
year. Her forests. too. are a source
of revenue. for the well-wooded slopes
of the Carpaihians. which form the
western boundary between Roumanla
and Hungary. yield excellent oak
beech pine and fir, the exports being
valued at $5000000.
"Roumania is famous for its salt
mines and could supply all Europe
with this commodity for hundreds o.
wears. In some mines the beds are
from 500 to $50 feet thick. and a
Sarat there is salt mountain whose
sides are auarried with electric ma
chimes which cut out blocks each Z
cubic yard i'm size. while the frag
ments are scoOped up IN steam
shovels.
1.-THE precedent of her success II
choosing the right moment TO Join il
the Balkan imbrOglio Of 1913 would
seem to have had considerable influ
ence in prompting Roumania's wait
ing policy in the present instance
This country remained aloof in th'
First Balkan War Q9l2). During th'
Second War when Bulgaria. Serbia
and Greece were fighting over tn
spoils which had been wrested iron
the Turks, in the previous struggle
Roumania again remained an inter
ested bystander until the closing day
of the conflict; then she threw he
weight with Greece and Serbia Il
time to demand as her reward tn
valuable strip of Bulgarian territor
living north and east Of line draw
between Turtukai and Baltchik, Il
the Dobrudia region. between tn
Danube and the Black Sea This priz
added some 1900 square miles to he
area
IF. as is reported Russia ha
promised the big Balkan state, tn
important province Of Bessarabii
which adioins it on the northeast, II
600 square miles. will be added {
Roumania domains. together with tw
and a half million kindred people
addition to this tempting spoil of d
plomacy it is highly probable ths
the Roumanians will expect BukOwin
as their share of the parings' in u
event the Central Powers are defea
ed. for this Austrian crown-land Wa
part of the Roumanian province
Moldavia up to 1777, at which time
was appropriated by the larger M
ton. Roumanians still comprise
large percentage Of Bukowinas pop
ation.
"The Roumapian war budget for Il
fiscal year ending Just prior Ia II
outbreak of the war was 100000
The infantry OF the standing army
equipped with the Mannlicher mag
zine rifle. five cartridges) named a
ter the Austrian inventor and mu'
used in both Austria and German
The horse and field batteries are arr
cd with Krupp quickfring IS mil
metre guns.
"In the transportation Of Russii
troops as well as in handling her Ov
forces to the Austro-Hungarrian al
Bulgarian borders Roumania's 2,3O
railway system. nearly 95 per cent
which is State-Owned will play an Q
tremely important role. as will al
that great water highway the Danut
which flows out Of Austria Hunga
at the Kazan Pass. and in its eastwa
course to the Black Sea. forms {
navigabe southern boundary of Re
mania for nearly $50 miles. r
1.S96.O00 miles Of national rOa
criss-crossing the country, will al
greatly facilitate the despatch
troops"
s. o s.