RIVAL AMBITIONS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1505, 30 July 1912, Page 5

RIVAL AMBITIONS.

ITALIAN AND AUSTRIAN DESIGNS. COVETOUS EYES ON ALBANIA. Tho present upheaval in Turkey lends special interest to the attitude of the neighbouring Powers towards Albania. In tho "Fortnightly Review" for January, Mr. J. Ellis Barker described the special attentions which Italy has always pafd to Albania, and incidentally remarked how, in drafting her troops for Tripoli, she retained, and even increased, those on her Austrian frontier, apparently as a precaution against any Austrian move on Turkish territory. Sir. Barker, in tho course of his article said:— The King of Italy, the Italian Government, and tho Italian people have shown that tliey take the strongest interest in Albania. Numerous Italian travellers

havo (visited, studied, and described the country, and numerous Italian capitalists havo financed Albanian enterprises. The Govominent has endeavoured to befriend tho Albanians and to win their 'goodwill bycreatingand subsidising Italian schools in tho country, and by sending there medical, scientific, and charitable missions. It is worth noting that tho Italian Government does not subsidise tho Roman Catholic Church, except irv tho Balkan Peninsula, and especially in Albania. It has created commercial af-encies and has subsidised lines of steamers trading between. Albania and Italy, and tho result of these endeavours has been very gratifying to the Italians but not at all pleasing to tho Austrians. Montenegro's Part. Tho marriage of KingVittc-rio Emnnuele of Italy to the fourth daughter of King Nicolas of Montenegro, which, took place in 183G, was not by any means devoid of political significance. Already in 1896 Italy looked towards Albania as a promising field of expansion, and was concerned abcut the future of tho Balkan Peninsula. Tho young Italian Kins testified to iini interest in the Balkans by marrying a Balkan Princess. , Montenegro is the neighbour of Albania. Tie country is very small. It forms a natural mountain fortress of great strength. It has only 250,000 inhabitants, and the population is exceedingly brave nnd warlike, Montenegro is likely to play an important part in tho settlement of the Bnlkan question.' One daughter of the' King of Montenegro has married the- King of Italy, another one has married the King of Servia, and two others have married Russian Griwid Dukes. King Nicolas is on tho best terms with the King of Italy and tlie Tsar.cf Russia. , Owing to his powerful friends and relatives he wields an inlluenco which is quite out of proportion to the size of his country. Ho is "tho father-in-law of Eastern Kuro'pe,-" nnd his liltlo State is a pivot of European prilicy. Montenegro stands, so to say, under Russia's aud Italy's joint protection, and Russia nnd Italy have provided tho little State with an ample supply of guns, rifles, ammunition, ntc, for tho country is too poor to supply its own arms Thus Montenegro has become a fortified Russian-Italian outpost on the road from Vienna bo- Salonica, and it is able to block that road. Herein lies its great importance. , Austria and Salonica, Austria's ambition to acquire Salonica ' U iiearly n? old a3 Russia's ambition to acquire Constantinople. Austria recognised the stratdgicnl importance of Montenegro in connection with Salonica many years ago, nnd in 1879, at the Congress of Berlin, she took steps designed to bring Montenegro into her power. Article 29 of tho Treaty of Berlin placed tho policing of tho port of Antivari, Montenegro's only .port, under Austria's control. It oloswl Antivari to the warships of all nations, and fnrbaclo the Montenegrins to have a oiavy of their own. It nlso allowed Austria to control the building of a road and of a railway in Montenegro. Last, but not least, Austria insisted in Berlin upon tho cession cif Spiraa, a pint which dominates the harbour of Anhvnri. and upon tho right of fortifying it, and she obtained what she had n?kt>il for. When the King of Montenegro look? out of the window of his palace at Cntlinje. lie can almost look down the muzzles of the Austrian guns mounted nt C'nttnro, and when ho goes down to Antivnri, his only seaport, he is within range of the. ■ Austrian Runs nt Spizza. Austria has deliberately tried to strangle M-ontonegro. She is not beloved at, Cettiuje. Salonica is likely to become the most important harbour in the Mediterranean, being situated close to Constantinople and tho Suez Canal, and on the most direct rciiito from London, Paris, Berlin, nnd Vienna to the ,countries of Asia Minor and tho Far East. It may in the future elmoßt monopolise t.hn EuropoMi IruHi with the But, iift tho Meditcrranwj^

But, in order to be. able to hold that port, Austria must secure the (possession ot its hinterland, of Albania, and flig cannot tolerate that Albania should foil into Italy's hands. Freiherr von. Chlumccky wrote:— "The possession of Salonica, is our hono for tho future. At a time when Asia Minar has boon opened to civilisation, imd when railways cross Mesopotamia, Macedonia will flourish greatly, Salonica will become a place of very great importance. However, tho possession of Salonica could never make up for tho loss of Hie Adriatic which would be caused if Albania should become Italian. Salonica would bo of value to us only as a complement to Trieste and Fiume." A Vital Interest. Ten years ago, on June 7, 1901, Signer Gnicciardini, who at one time was Ministor for Foreign Affairs, said in tha Italian Parliament:— "Tho principal interests of Italy are in the Mediterranean. They centre round Tripoli and Albania. Whilst Tripoli is a great Italian interest, Albania is an absolutely vital interest of ours. We can never allow Albania to fall into tho hands of a first-class Power, and wo can still loss allow it to fall into the hands of a second-class Power which belongs to the political system of a first-class Power. \Vo have tolerated tbo rk-e of Bizerta, but we cannot tolerate tho creation of another Bizerta at Valona or at Durazzo." Valonn. and Durazzo are the principal harbours .of Albania. The foregoing quotations show—ami many similar ones misht bo given—that Austria's and Italy's aims and ambitions in Albania aro incompatible. Apparently Austria a'iras at obtaining the direct control of Albania, whilst Italy, in conjunction with Montenegro, aim's at creating an independent Balkan Federation. <