ON THE BRINK OF WAR

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1560, 2 October 1912, Page 7

ON THE BRINK OF WAR

BALKAN UPHEAVAL.

GREECE MOBILISES HER ARiY & lAVY

GENERAL RUSH Ti ARMS.

By Telegraph—Press AGSoclation-Copyrlsht

(Eeo. October 1,5.5 p.m.) London, October 1. Tho situation in tho Balkans grows increasingly ominous. Greece has ordered the mobilisation of her army and navy and has recalled her merchant steamers from Turkish waters. Copenhagen, September 30. The King of Greece, curtailed his holiday here, and returned homo suddenly. (Rcc. October 1, 11.10 p.m.) Athens, October 1. Greece has acted in concert with the Balkan Governments since hearing that Turkey's internal disquiet was likely to lead the Ottoman. Government to seek an issue against its neighbours. The Greek fleet has been divided; one division, is destined for tho Gulf or Arta. on-* tho west coast, and the other for the Aegean Sea. The situation is viewed with unprecedented calmness. SERVIA PREPARED. TROOPS FLOCKING TO THE COLOURS. EXCITEMENT IN BELGRADE. London, September 30. Reuter's Belgrade correspondent states tliat orders have been signed for a general mobilisation of tho Servian Army, and that the Skupshtina has been summoned for an extraordinary session on Thursday next. - Belgrade, September 3.0. Military information is being censored. It is expected that'" , mobilisation will bo begun within twenty-four hours. War preparations are progressing feverishly. The newspapers allego that Dr. Nenadovitch, Servian Minister to Turkey, has left Constantinople. \ WAR FEVER RUNS HIGH. TURKISH AEROPLANES HELD UP. (Rec. October 1, 9.55 p.m.) Belgrade, October 1. Tho railway stations are crowded with men journeying to join the colours. The city, is intensely excited, and crowds in tho streets arc singing patriotic songs and cheering the Government. A crowd of several thousand assembled in front of tho British Legation and called for war. . , Tho Government has prevented the transport of five Turkish aeroplanes and a number of horses. A communique to the press complains of Turkey: detaining ammunition, mobilising her army and ordering manoeuvres to be held in Old Scrvia along the Servian frontier, thereby endangering Servia's territory. Servia, it is pointed out, has beon consistently peaceful, but in order to defend her interests she has been compelled to place her army on a war footing. It is Servia's desire even at the last moment to follow the Powers' advice and keep tho peace. ULTIMATUM TO TURKEY. DETAINED AMMUNITION. (Rec. October 1, 11.10 p.m.) Constantinople, October 1. Minister to Turkey has requested the Porte to decide within fortyeiglit hours whether it will sanction the passage of the detained ammunition or rereturn it to France. Failing a satisfactory reply, the Minister will quit Constantinople. TURKISH DENIAL. (Rec. October 1, 11.10 p.m.) Constantinople, October 1. The Foreign Minister denies the reception of any ultimatum from" Bulgaria or Servia, either separately or jointly. BULCARIA MOVING. ENTHUSIASM IN THE CAPITAL. RUSSIAN ADVICE. . Sofia, September 30. • It is officially stated that owing to considerable Turkish concentration at Adrianople and on the frontier, Bulgaria has been compelled to issue a mobilisation order to meet eventualities. (Rec. October 1, 11.10 p.m.) Sofia, October 1. The mobilisation decree has evoked enthusiasm. It will raise the strength of tho army to -100,000 men. There have been many patriotic demonstrations. Russia lias advised the Government not to send troops to the frontier. ATTITUDE OF THE POWERS. ______ ■ ■ PRESSURE ON THE PORTE. BRITAIN AND RUSSIA URGE REFORMS. (Rec. October 1, 9.55 p.m.) London, October 1. Great Britain and Russia are urging on the Porte tho immediate execution of reforms, and are applying pressure to induce a modification of Turkey's provocative military preparations. PANIC ON BERLIN BOURSE. (Rec. October 1, 0.55 p.m.) Berlin, October 1. War panic conditions prevailed on the Bourse- .yesterday. Official circles are pessimistic as to the maintenance of peace. AUSTRIAN VIEWS. (Rec. October 1, it.55 p.m.) Vienna, October 1. The diplomatists interpret the Balkan mobilisations as being not only a demonstration against Turkey, but also a supreme attempt to put pressure on Europe. Count Berchtold, the Austro-Hiingnriuu Foreign Minister, has informed th« Austrian Delegation that the elt'orts of (he Great Powers would be directed towards allaying the dangers arising from tho situation. The Powers would continue to work for tho maintenance of peace. CONFERENCES IN LONDON. London, September 30, M. Sizmoflj ' Russian Milliliter (or

Foreign Affairs, has conferred with' the Italian and Turkish Ambassadors in London and the Servian Charge d'Affniros. ITALIAN ACTION. WARSHIPS OFF SYRIAN COAST, (Rec. October 1, 11.10 p.m.) Constantinople, October 1. Twelve Italian warships, with transports in attendance, aro cruising about Haifa, on tho coast of Syria. RUSSIAN MOBILISATION. ARRANGED LAST SPRING. St. Petersburg, September 3D. It is serni-officially stated that in the army mobilisation test in Poland no horses are to be mobilised. It is added that tho test was arranged last spring. It will be confined to tho two Vistula Governments. OUTRAGE IN ALBANIA, VILLAGERS PANIC-STRICKEN. Athens, September 30. It is semi-officially stated that BashiBazourks outraged a number of women and committed other atrocities at Karadaverni, Epirus, in Albania. The inhabitants of surrounding villages are panic-stricken. The Porte has agreed to punish the assailants of a Greek steamer at Samos. MONTENEGRO APOLOGISES. ATTICK ON A CONVOY. Constantinople, September 30. Montenegro has apologised for the. attack on a Turkish ammunition convoy, and promised to punish the aggressors. PEACE WITH ITALY. GERMAN HINT TO TURKEY. Berl.in, September 30. A semi-official Berlin telegram to the newspaper "Frankfurter Zeitung," hints that Turkey would do well to make peace with Italy, to enable her to proceed with Macedonian reforms. THE IMPOSSIBLE TURK. NOTHING LEARNT FROM ADVERSITY. After visiting each of the Balkan States in turn (writes the! epeci'ali correspondent of the London "Daily News"), what answers can now bo given to tho questions .vked in the first of this series of letters? Is the Turk auy longer possible in Europe? Has he learnt wisdom from adversity? Can ho rule as well as fiirht? Tho answers are all negative. In *the twentieth century the .Turk is an anachronism in Europe. Ho is an Asiatic, not European, and a-s such a stubborn opponent of AVesteru progress. His only means of rule is the sword, and tho Turkish sword has lost its sharpness. After watching Turkish troops on the training ground, and accompanying them on themarch in Albania, I am convinoed that they havo made little, if any, progress in training since the war of 1877-78. With few exceptions Turkish officers are slowminded, lethargic, and incapable when judged by modern standards. AWay from their German instructors they don't seem to know how to move, or where to turn. They work spasmodically, not regularly, half-heartedly, not thoroughly. They are unequal to that daily sustained and dis-. ciplined effort-, without which there'can bo no control above, and no obedience below. The men, the bulk of whom are Anatolian conscripts, aro as stupid as they are • illiterate. Of physical courage, animated by the fierce spirit of religious fanaticism, there is abundant show; but modern war is no longer a contest of brute strength, and has become one of the most highly developed of modern sciences. There is no indication that the Turks understand this; or, if they do, that they could adapt their minds to meet the altered conditions of present-day fighting.

Incapacity of the Civil Government. If the military administration of Turkey is inefficient, still more so is its Cirl Government. I have seen Turkish officials at work from Cabinet Ministers down to district Mudirs, and I can truly say that, statesmanship apart, for no one expects to find that in a Turk, I have not met a single official possessed of oven the ordinary common-senso ability which every member of an English Borough Council brings to bear on the perform once of his duties. Instead of doing work, tho Turkish official is for over talking about tho work ho is going to do,.;with tho result■that in the end lie does noUiing. All day Ions; the ante-room of the Minister of the Interior at Constantinople, no matter who is i\\ office, is crowded with people waiting, according to Ottoman custom, to see him, generally about fome trifling personal matter of no public importance. After interviewing as many as he can, and putting off others who cannot get an innings, the Minister thinks he lias done a good day's work, when all tile while he lias only been wasting his time l . It is the same in tho provinces. Valif. Kaimakans, and ?.ludirs are eloluent expounders of reforms which are to be, but which never come. When talking to them they seemed like blind men groping in the dark without wishing to see the light. Glued to their office stools they rely for information, not on personal inspection, but on tho reports of their subordinates, who can say and write what they like, with the knowledgo that, whether true oy false, their reports will never be verified. Except under superior pi-essure they will never lift a finger to redress a grievance or punish a crime. ' Callous by nature and fatalistic by creed, neither good nor bad news affects their spirits or influences their actions. Though a bad master, the Turk makes a good servant, and under superior direction ! ho can and does get through excellent work. Left to himself, he does nothing. Balkan Agreement. Whore is the remedy? It is easier to answer this question to-day than it was half a year ago. for within the last few mouths the Balkan States south of the Danube—Bulgaria, Servia. and Greece— have come to an "understanding" which, without amounting to an alliance—nono certainly exists—provides for common action in the event of any disturbance of tho status t|iio. I am able to sny, from conversations which 1 have recently had, that the mulerstalulinK soes further than this, and recognises defined "spheres of interest" within tho limits of which tli" racial claims of each State have received a "common recognition." This make;, of course, for peace, and facilitates a soln-1 tion of the Balkan Hitherto one of the chief objections raised by the Great Powers to getting rid of the. Turk wns the difficulty of replacing his rule without war. There was never much substance in the difficulty, but, whither oxngeerated or not, it nn longer exihts. for if th» Turk.! wp»t "bag. mvl hawing!)" out aJ (oimpnoni; the liadt .which j

they havo jo long misgoverned could bo pcaceluly partitioned among tho Falkan Statos acTcmling l<> claim*. The Attitude of Rumania. The suggestion is sometimes made Hint Uuinania lviiiiUl make common cimsu with Tin-key if her sovereign rights wore threatened in Europe, but from conversations which 1 lunl while in Buknrcst 1 .1111 convinced, that slio would do i-i thing of thp kind. Albania and Macedonia cannot become autonomous provinces without the approval of the Gro.it rowers, and Rumania could not resist 'heir will even if she wished to do m>. That there is a strong pro-Turk feeling in limmmia due to her jealousy of the rising i*.wer of Bulgaria i< certainly true, hut it counts for nothing; in Balkan politics, sn.ee. the relations between Ku.-sia and IJnlgaria. are too firmly rooted to permit of Rumanian intervention, which could only end disastrously in her own interests. What the Balkan States wnnt more than anything else U peace, mid of this there is no present, assurance. So long as Europe, 'sutlers the Turk to rule so long will Iho menace- of war remain, Now, as he always has been, the- Turk is the great disturbing factor in tho I-.oar East. Ho can be got rid of by 'ho ui.ited intervention of the Great Powers of Europe, and without any breach of the peace—Turkey always yields to fcico iimjoure—if only the ]'o\v<ts will agree to do what humanity and policy both indicate to Ire right.