SCUTARI CRISIS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1739, 2 May 1913, Page 5

SCUTARI CRISIS.

AUSTRIA'S FINAL WORD.

JO AMBASSADORS' CONFERENCE. TRIPLE ENTENTE'S DECISION EVACUATION OR EJECTION? By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright (I!ec. May 1, 11.20 p.m.) London, May 1. Til? latest statement of Austria's inteutious is (o (ho effect I hat unless Montenegro in (ho meantime yields, to-day's Conference of Ambassadors will bc> informed that Austria reserves to herself liberty, of action, to force, the evacuation . of Scutari, and that it is optional for tho other Powers to join with her. Tho particular form of notion, 't is stated, has not yet been settled, but tho indications aro that in tho event of intervening in the matter alone, Austria, in order to spare Russian feeling, contemplates operating against, Scutari from the Albanian, ami not tho Montenegrin side. ITALY'S INTERESTS IDENTICAL. ■KEEPING THE POWERS IN LINK. ("Roc. May 1, 11.20 p.m.) London, May 1. ' Newspaper correspondents state that Italy, Mving interests in Albania equalling these of Austria, cannot afford to let Austria act alone. Italy, it is said, is striving to keep all the Powers in line, in view of tho adoption of forcible stops, but the newspapers emphasiso that if Austria acts alono this will not necessarily involvo the break-up of the concert of the Powers, and -still less a European war. the points of campaign. GERMANY'S SUPPORT. (Rec. May 1, 11.20 p.m.) London, May 1. It is understood that should Austria occupy Scutari or tho Lovtchcn Heights, near tho Bocche di Cattaro, Italy will occupy Avlona and Santi Quaranta. It is emphatically stated that Germany will support any Austrian or Italian action. MONTENEGRIN OVERTURES. FOR FRIENDLY SETTLEMENT. (Rec. May 1, 11.20 p.m.) London, May 1. It is reported that. M. Popovitch, the Montenegrin Plenipotentiary in London, has been instructed to. make overtures for a friendly settlement of tho disputed occupation of Scutari. AN ASSASSINATION. OP TURKISH OFFICIAL, (Roc. May 2, 0.20 a.m.) Rome, Hay 1. It is reported that an Albanian* chief named Issa, belonging to tho band of Isa Boletinatz, the notorious brigand, has assassinated Niaai Bey, tho welt,tnqwjj. Turkish, constitu.tipiwliists .Val-.. bna, ESSAD PASHA. ASKS THE TORTE FOR INSTRUCTIONS. Constantinople, April 30. It is semi-oßicially stated that Essad Paslia has officially reported his arrival ut Alessio, and asked the Porte for instructions, and that the Porto has ordered him to disarm and dismiss his Albanian troops and send the Remainder to Beirut, or, if the blockade prevented that, to Valona. , THE TRIPLE ALLIANCE. SECRET CLAUSES. The Triple Alliance was concluded in consequence of the occupation in 1831 of Tunis by France (at the suggestion of Prince Bismarck), and tho consequent isolation of Italy, who, feeling herself menaced by France, becamo a party to the then existing alliance for mutual defence between Germany and Austria. That Alliance, which was directed against Russia, whose Eastern policy was held to threaten the balance of power in Europe, was made in 1870 by a treaty arranged within one year, after the Berlin Confercnco by Prince Bismarck and Count Andrassy, and confirmed in 'SO, and Italy joined it in 'S2. Italy was also influenced by tho possibility <ihon apprehended Unit a Wench Clerical attempt might bo mado to restore Uie temporal power of (ho Pope, and so dismember Italy. Tho threo allied nations agreed to defend the integrity of their Continental possessions, as then and now existing, against any oilier or others of tho great Powers. In October '87. after a meeting between Bismarck and Crispi at Friedrichsruhe, a still closer alliance in tho nature of on offensive and defensivo league between the threo Powere was concluded. Tho terms of tho treaty have never been officially publishd, but it has been stated that Italy agreed, under certain contingencies, the most probable of which was a war betweeu France and Germany, to invade South-Western France with-200,000 men. During 1901 M. Henri des Houx professed to give a secret clause of the treaty, according to which Italy bound herself to place two army corps at tho disposal of Germany in case of a war with France, sending them into Germany across Austrian territory. In 1002 Count von Bulow, tho German Imperial Chancellor, declared that "none of the partners to the Alliance was obliged by tho Alliance to maintain its military or naval forces at a prescribed level"; and that tho Alliance did not exclude tho possibility of good relations lielwen its partners and other Powers." Tho Italian Government a|-o gavo assurances l« France that in no ciise could llal.v become either the in-f-t.rumeut or the auxiliary of an aggression against Franco. One main object of the Alliance was the maintenance of the balance nf power in the Mediterranean, an object which undoubtedly had the sympathyof Cire-it Britain, though no formal piodgo was entered into by the British Government. Tho Alliance docs not' cover colonial or transmarine issues. . In .lure 'HI the Triple. Alliance was lormnllv renewed, and again in 'Ofi until May fi. 1003. On .tune 28, 1002. the threo Powers agreed to prolong the Allianco for ten years, and in December last it was ntraiii renewed for a further twelve years. The revelations made by Princo Bismarck in 'Ofi as to the'existenee of a secret treaty of "benevolent neutrality" between Germiinv and Russia until '00, when Count C-iprivi succeeded Princo Bismarck as Imperial Chancellor, causM much excitement in Austria and Italy, of course, but. lmil no effect on the Alliance. Tn OG Rumania joined the 'Iriplo Alliance, which guaranteed her territorial integrity and the maintenance of the status quo on (lie Lower Danube.