THE LATEST.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 323, 9 October 1908, Page 7

THE LATEST.

BRITISH PRIME MINISTER'S FIAT, NO" ONE-SIDED REVISION. (Rec. October 9, 0.1 a.m.) London, October 8. Speaking at Leven, Scotland, the Prima Minister, Mr. Asquithj said:— "It Is Britain's duty to Inform the parties who are responsible for the breaches of the Treaty of Berlin that we will not recognise that what has bgen done has any International validity unless and until It is regularised by the Powers' consent. If the Treaty of Berlin Is to be revised, It cannot be all In one direction." A NON-ACCRESSIVE PRECAUTION. "PREPARE TO MOBILISE." (Rec. October 9, 0.1 a.m.) London, October 8; The Vienna correspondent of "Tho Times" reports Austria has orderod the army corps, which is at present stationed at Hermanustadt (tho headquarters of the military ■ commandant of Transylvania), Temesvar (a fortified town of Hungary), Szegedin (a commercial centre of Hungary), aud Agram (capital of Croatia-Slavonia, Hundarg), to prepare to. mobiliso at a procautionary, non-aggressive moasure. ANNEXATION AND AUTONOMY. AUSTRIA AND BOSNIA. AND THE SERBS. The Austrian policy of annexation-plus-autonomy in Bosnia and Herzegovina is explained, as far as Austria is concerned, by the Emperor Francis Josef's resent letter to tho lTronch President, in which the Emperor points out that "Austria-Hungary's rotations towards .„th« ocoupied aroyiucea mo to<j'jmomalow to

permit of a Constitution being granted without Austria-Hungary's previously annexing the provinces." "In jVirtue of a Mandate," According to an estimate raado at the end of last yonr, tho Orthodox Serbs form 43 per cent, of tho population of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Their pan-Serb, or Greater Servia movement, aiming at emancipation from Austrian control, is Austria's abhorrence; but their demand for local autonomy Austria has for some time been prepared to listen to, and in some measure to grant. Towards tho end of last year Serb representatives held a congress in Bosnia Herzegovina and demanded, 111 addition to many useful local reforms, complete autonomy for the occupied provinces, the election of a' popular assembly on tho basis of universal suffrago with secret ballot, and government by Parliamentary majority. But the Serbs went farther. They declared Bosnia and Herzegovina to be "Serb countries" which "form an integral part of the Turkish Empire, and are administered by Austria-Hungary in virtue of a mandate received from the Great Powers." "This programme," wrote the Vienna correspondent of "The Times" last December, "has been violently donounced in the Hungarian press, whose cries of alarm have helped to spread a belief that Bosnia-Herzegovina are on the verge of revolt. Tho truth is much less terrible. There is considerable political, and some economic, discontent in the occupied provinces, but the Administration has been wiso enough not to close its eyes to the necessity for gradual change, and has long contemplated the development of a representative system on the basis of local self-government. Whether it will be possible to find a common denominator botween the views of the Administration and the extreme democratic demands of tho Serbs is a question which experience alone can answer. Baron do Burian, the Austro-Hunga-rian Minister for Finance and head of tho Bosnian-Herzegovinian Government is an en lightened statesman, broad of mind. Ho is aware of the defects and also of the difficulties of his Administration, and, while maintaining his authority to. the full, may bo trusted not to fall into the errors of his Magyar follow-countrymen in regard to tho treatment of the Southern Slavs." Baron Burian's Reforms. In February Baron Burian broadly outlined tho Austrian programme for tho puiitical and economic regeneration of the two provinces, which he claimed had, under Austrian control, made satisfactory development. He said that the fundamental principles of the programme were that tho ties uniting the occupied provinces to the Monarchy must be indissoluble, and that their development must be in no way injurious to the existence of the structure of the Monarchy. The autonomy of tho provinces would be organised by administrative stages. The first step would bo the organisation of communes, and the second would be the organisation of district commissions. The introduction of a Parliamentary regime would follow. Ho could not say when the ultimate development of the two provinces would l)e. terminated, but there would be no delay. Arrests of Serbs. Subsequently, in April, at Baniaiuka, in Bosnia, eight Serbs were arrested on a charge of high treason in connection with an alleged panSerb propogauda in the occupied provinces. Tho opinion was thon expressed that this development would shake the position of Baron Burian, in view of his conciliatory attitudo towards tho Southern Slavs. The alleged panSerb agitation was at once used in AustriaHungary as an argument for annexation of the occupied provinces. Might Start an Avalanche, In April tho Vienna correspondent of "The Timos" commented on the grave seriousness of this proposed step—now converted into actuality —and said;— " A local news agency raises the question whether, in view of the alleged 'pan-Serb agitation 'in Bosnia and Herzegovina, AustriaHungary would not bo justified in proclaiming the annexation of tho occupied provinces.. It may safely bo assumed, adds this agency, that in present circumstances no Power would protest against such a step, and even Russia could not oppose the intentions'-of-Austria-Hungary on account of the dangers that would be involved by a further extension of the Serb movement in Bosnia and Herzegovina. "This' is a very large assumption. ' Russia declinod to assent tho annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1897, when tho' AustroRussian Agreement in regard to the Balkans was framed. It has, moreover, always been understood that Russia alfo withhold tar, as-sent-'when-'-tlie quest]sh'-: } waV rigtfltf teSffitively raised by Austria-Hungary some two yoars ago. To say nothing of tho Musulmans," annexation would assuredly- irritate the predominant Serb element in Bosnia and Herzegovina, whosp leaders, when sounded on the . subject in tho summer of 1906, made no 'secret of their disapproval. To raise such a question at present juncture might be to start an avalanche thai would devastate the Balkans." CRETE. A PROBLEM FOR GREECE. In view- of the rapprochement between Turkey and Greece—as evidenced by Hellenia participation in the procession at" Constantinople reported in- to-day's cablegrams—it will be interesting to note how Athens will receive the truant child of Turkey who has now flung herself into the arms of Greece. Crete is an island in the Mediterranean lying to the south of tho iEgeau Sea and tho Archipelago. The area is about 3300 square miles; population 310,185. The chief cities aro Candia (population 22,331); Canea (population 24,537); and Retimo (population 9311). There are about 33,500 Moslems and 269,800 Christians. Tho island was conquered by the Turks in 1669, but never really submitted, and continually rose in insurrection against them, and in 1898 ithe Powers sot up autonomy under the nominal suzerainty of the Sultan, Prince George of Greece being appointed High Commissioner. The Constitution of February, 1907, which superseded that of 1899, provides for an Assembly of 64 deputies, elected biennially. Tlio oxeoutive power rests in the High Commissioner and a Council of four mombers. Tho chief products are olivo oil, fruits, tobacco, cotton, and silk, and trade is carried on chiefly with Greece and Turkey. The revenuo and expenditure are'about .£200,000. The imports in 1903 were .£580,174, in 1904 <£549,665, consisting chiefly of foodstuffs and .textiles. The exports in 1903 were .£439,167, in 1904 <£419,642, largely olives and olive oil. The public debt is 4,000,000fr. On August 6, 1901, the Ottoman Public Debt renounced all rights and privileges in the island in return for 1,500,000fr. and the concession of the salt monopoly for twenty years. Tho present High Commissioner is M. Zaimis, formerly Prime Minister of Greece, who was appointed in 1906. '