STORMY ALBANIA

Hokitika Guardian, 9 June 1927, Page 4

STORMY ALBANIA

TIRANA (Albania), April 20. The political position of Albania is syll dangerous because of the want and misery of the North, which presents a greased plane, so to speak, for insurrection instead of opposing to it the unscalable fortress of popular contentment. Hut in its own order, and also since in great part it is now responsible for the continuance oi the political situation, the financial condition of the country is as dangerous too. To cope with the threat ol revolt, the men of the Dihra elan have been called up, not as soldiers but as a species of recognised freebooters. Their task is to occupy points or distri ts considered endangered and then repel any enemy advance or rising. To date the cost of these gentry has been round about 210,000 gold francs, or over £9,000, to tills poor country. Tiie Albanian budget lias died again, in consequence. Despite the fact that the country lias doubled and by now perhaps more than doubled its exportations in six years, the Albanian budget is always dying. It L a sort ol anticat . with nine death--. In view of the exoenditlire on Dihani and kindred outgoings, when the British inspector of gendarmerie demanded credits for establishing a school where 2.T00 men and an equivalent number of officers might obtain the. training they need to make the State secure, the .sum offered him was 1.001.1 gold francs—CltiOl.

PA EATABLE POSTS. Needless to say, most of the Dibrani are not where they are supposed lu ho, defending their country on the bleak slopes of Mount Tara bosh or in other dull but military positions. They are in Scutari, feasting on carp from the lake, and in other palatable posts. The celebrated zone-commander. Fykrt T)ino, quite a young fellow, bv the way, lias a bodyguard of them. It is computed by foreign observers that bodyguards for Eykri Rino cost the State nothing under £3,000 a year, and probably well over.

Eykri Dino’s special inner, most personal, bodyguard is composed entirely of sergeants, eight, as it were, in the first line. .MEN AT £3 A TIEATA.

It is not to he assumed, of course, that the money paid out for the Dibra ni goes into their ornamental purses. Sen Alezi, their headman, draws, it is assumed, for so many men £'.3 a head a month, lint how many of them win prizes in the great pay-competition which follows is another question. One result of the inner financial position has had an effect upon the European political situation which would be. comic were it not grave in possible result. Reservists, stretching over a period of three years, have been summoned back to the Colours, lhey are to hold the frontier posts in the place of gendarmes. lint why replace by unwilling peasants who have forgotten what military lore they ever knew the gendarmes who tire only too anxious to stay on? Because there is no money to pay the gendarmes, and the Army does not receive any pay.

For this reason 1,500 gendarmes, with four months’ arrears of salary for the most part, are being dismissed. The reservists will fill their places when in Heaven’s good time they have been rounded up. The discharged gendarmes will increase the discontentment area. And on the diplomatic cinema-screen the calling-up of the reserves has figured as a warlike move of Albania’s!