The Manawatu Herald. Thursday, September 16, 1915. GREECE AND THE WAR.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 1447, 16 September 1915, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Thursday, September 16, 1915. GREECE AND THE WAR.

In view of the declaration of a temporary policy of silence made by M. Venizelos, Premier of Greece, and quoted in a cablegram published recently, special interest attaches to an article by Mr Crawfurd Price, which recently appeared in the British Review, and which is evidently the first of a series of articles on “ The Balkans and ihe War.’’ This deals wholly with Greece, and is an endeavour to upset what he regards as a general disposition in this country to look upon “ M, Venizdos as the Athenian representative of the Entente and King Constantine as the paid agent of Germany." Both men,, he insists, are “ great patriots." Nor is the Greek General .Staff animated by Geimauophile sentiments, though the officers have “ a profound admiration for the German Army as alighting machine." Readmits a widespread German intrigue — he calls it "a scandal" which was actively manifested as long ago as last September. Its emissaries delivered themselves up to wholesale bribery and corruption during the recent elections, and are now endeavouring to whittle down the Venizelist majority in the Chamber by similar Teutonic methods.” Mr Price has a poor opinion of our diplomacy in the Near East, and shows very clearly the result of the Bulgarian policy of “ narrow opportunism." He remarks incidentally that “King Ferdinand’s army is the worst prepared for war of all the fighting forces of Europe." He declares that Great Britain did not ask Greece to assist ns in the forcing of the Dardanelles, but that M. Venizelos during his former premiership, himself suggested to the King the despatch of an expeditionary corps of 40,000 men, subsequently reducing the number to 15,000. But the Military Connell was against it for two reasons: (1) That 15,000 men would be useless and would entail the subsequent despatch of such reinforcements as would expose Greece to an attack from Bulgaria ; and (2) that the Allies were proceeding without any effective plan of campaign. Mr Price seems to think that this plan is now definitely doomed.