EUROPEAN IMPRESSIONS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8360, 21 February 1913, Page 11

EUROPEAN IMPRESSIONS

, FOMANCE OF GREEK NAVY. HOW EUROPEAN BOUNDARIES HAVE BEEN CHANGED. MELBOURNE, February 12. “Constantinople is undoubtedly tbe objective of the Balkan Allies,” states Mr Henry Stead, eldest son of the late W. X. Stead, who has settled in Melbourne to take up the management of tbe Australian “Review of Reviews.” Hr Stead travelled through the Balkans three years ago with his father, and he put a now and interesting view of tho Eastern European situation. “I’m no prophet,” ho said to-day, in discussing the Turks’ last defeat, “but I shall be immensely surprised if the new campaign docs not again strikingly demonstrate "the immense advantage tho command of the sea gives the Allies. In tho last campaign it was vital to them. X am astonished that no one here appears to grasped what the new plan of tho Allies really is. Its objective is Constantinople itself, and the key to Constantinople is the Dardanelles, not the Chatalja forts. “From what I know of th© country and thr. forces at the command of the Allies, I think that thje Bulgarians will not attempt to storm the entrenchments at Chatalja. Why should they butt their heads against a stone wall P Once force the Dardanelles and Constantinople is at their mercy. A difficult task, no doubt, but the Allies have performed remarkable feats already, aud you must remember that the Greek fleet gives tho command of the Aegean, thus making it possible for tho Allies to, isolate and invest tho Turkish forts in Gallipoli, which defend tho European side of the Dardanelles. No doubt we shall hear of offensive operations against the Chatalja line, but that will bo merely to keep a large force of Turks there; the real decisive work will be on tho Gallipoli peninsula. “The command of the sea was vital to the Allies in the last campaign. It enabled tho Hellenic fleet to bottle up the Turkish ships in the Sea of Marmora. It has left the sea free to the Greek transports, which have poured men, munitions of war, and food supplies into Thrace. Almost all the Greek merchantmen., second in numbers in the Eastern Mediterranean only to the British, have been requisitioned for this purpose. The fleet prevented any coal being landed for the Turkish railways, and thus paralysed the Ottoman transport throughout Agla. Minor, delaying in consequence for many weeks the arrival of reinforcements of seasoned troops to the illtrained and badly-equipped Turkish armies in tho field. “In a way it is a wonderful romance, for the Allies owe this command of the sea entirely to the patriotism of on© man, a Greek millionaire. Had ho lived he cbuld have looked over _ a changed map of Europe and have said, ‘This is my work.’ It shows, too,- the immense valno of one powerful ship. This patroifc devoted his private fortune to building a Dreadnought crufeer, which ho presented to tho Greek nation, and it is the fear of this battleship which has rendered the Turkish fleet powerless. _ Had it not been there the Sultan’s ships ought to hove been able to destroy those of the Greeks — Would have made the attempt, at any rate. ! Tt is not certain that the Allies will win. The Turk is at his best when entrenched. Plevna showed that. Scutari and Adrianople are demonstrating it to-day. You must remember, too, that the best Turkish troopa-wero- not engaged in the earlier defeats. They are on the ■ scene now, but it was rawlevies- of mixed Muasehnen and Christians who were broken olid fled in despairing route before the victorious advance of the Allies. - It is only at Scutari where seasoned troops were in action ' that: the 'Allies were checked. Their presnee in Western Albania was due to the disturbances which had been occurring in that province for tbe last two years. Adrianople has been on the eve of falling for so long that ite actual capitulation would come as a surprise, but it is only a question- of time, for famine is bound to succeed where guns have failed'. If the Dardanelles cannot be taken a condition of stale mate would ensue. “I don’t think the astute Allies actually want to occupy Constantinople. They wish to be in a position to do so and thus force Turkey to agree to their conditions, in order to save the capital. These conditions will not, I think, inclnde the annexation of either Constantinople or the Dardanelles. Balkan statesmen know that the Great Powers would never tolerate any other power but Turkey in control of the Cutlet of the Black Sea.” Mr Stead has not a high opinion of the Turks, but he regards their occupancy of the Dardanelles as useful, in that it makes valuable territory aeutral. “To leave them there is the simplest way out of the difficulty,” he •ays, “and so in the end they will probably remain. As, however, the Dardanelles will ultimately have to be made neutral territory, the sooner it is done the better, and this can hardly bo arranged whilst tho Turks bold Constantinople. “The Great Powers will not interfere to stop the war. They will talk about doing so, but first of all they Eave’ no united policy, and, secondly, the Allies would not allow interference which would deprive them of territory they had won. Th© gfiastly results of the Treaty of Berlin, made in 1878, are always too much before their eyes. Had the Treaty of San Stofano never been upset afßerlin, this war would not have taken place.” “Will the ascendancy of tho Young Turkish party give tho Turkish' army a better chance?” “I doubt it. The Young Turks have been a disappointment. The real reason is, I suppose, because the Turks don’t understand constitutional government. and I don’t think they ever will. Like the Mexicans, they require a strong ruler, or even dictator.” “You have been in Mexico. What •do yon think of affairs there?” “No one who knows Mexico expected tho now President to be allowed peaceful possession of his office. Porferio Diaz was a despot, no doubt very cruel at times, but tho sort of ruler who is needed. 1 don’t think Mexico will be at peace again until another strong man turns up. Representative government there is a faroe. From what I saw of him I hardly think the ex-President’s nephew, General Felix Diaz ; formerly Chief of Police in Mexico City, is the mail they need. Nor was General Reyes, who, I see, has been shot. The great danger in Mexico is that ere long, if a strong man does not arrive, the United States may havo to take a hand to safeguard Its immense interests in the country. Directly one of the regiments of Uncle Sam crosses tho border tho whole country will fly to arms, for although the Mexicans of one faction

distrust those of another, th© people hate and fear their big neighbour in th© north far more, and would make common cause against Undo Bam, for of all tilings they dread coming under his sway. Not more, I think, though, than Uncle Sam dreads having them under it.” —Sydney “Sun.”