CURRENT WAR TOPICS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 12, 17 April 1916, Page 5

CURRENT WAR TOPICS.

The Balkan situation continues to crop up in an interesting manner. Today we hare the report that the Greeks are showing increasingly a desire to break the bonds that are holding them prisoners in their own country! In fact, they are realising the anomalous , position into which their King and pro-German Government ' have led them. Now, it seems, there is a new, party arising in Greece, which, is determined to assert [he rights of the ' Nation, and that, if necessary, it will take extreme measures to protect them against either or both of the belligerents. Recently, they found fault with the Allies, in infringng the neutrality of the country by the invasion rf the inlets of the, sea and the landing of troops on Greek soil, and in the same breath (although the Premier very con-, veniently refrained from taking any action) warned the Germans that any further bombing, would bs treated as • 1 , ”f ■ an act of hostility. Greece,l after playing fast and lopse with the war,’ ap-‘ pears destined tp soqn hpyo riofribnds' af all. But this,isj-Greece’sidwn fault.' The necessity fpij tbp recent action! ofthe Allied fleet .in, Greek i waters would have been had she maintained that st-r.t ( neutrality i promised towards the but fjhp winked the other eye at its wholesale infringement through assistance being accorded German submarines, which had innumerable bases in the indentations of the isles abounding in Greek waters.

Greece's attitude is worth - shortly. It will be remembered how strained relations were between the Greek authorities and the Balkan expeditionary force, when that force was small and falling back; how lines needed by the'Allies' troops were found to be unavoidably blocked, and othe" difficulties' helped ihtp i . i existf>nce,>-.j.-Later.' however, there was. said to be the' greatest goodwill towards, the Allies ? and on New General chopoulns, the conrmajiderof the'Greek 1 Third Army Corps,..went;.so. iariias to ! send a message "of greeting fromrihimself and his officers io General Sarrail. j There may be a certain significance j also in the fact tha ( t hie concluded a j general ordervto his troops with the j words, "When the opportune moment coines, our glorious King and chief will put himself again at the,'head of his arrav to assure the rights of the Fatherland and lead it again to glory and triumph." \

Reading the lajt sentence in conjunction with Hhe report to hand today, that the newspapers in Greece ' ,taik of resistance, should . the Serbians .. uie the railways via Patras, there is just the possibility that a conflict with the Allies may be worked up by the State-subsidised or German-controlled press. In this case, the Allies, would then know where, Greece was, and ,*< Roumaniar would be into the fray like a hound from the leash, if" only to avenge the latest German lie that a commercial treaty had been arranged between the two countries, and which was intended to influence German opinion. In the reference to the Serbians "there is more than meets the eye at first glance. This can have ' but en meaning, viz., the pending use of the resuscitated Serbian Arm.* in the operations of the Allies, with tin important port cf Patrns as a base. Patras, it will be seen from the map, is ;lje most convenient ,port at which to land , ■ the 200,000 members of the reorganised arid re-eqnipped Serbian army from •; Corfu, which is round the corner, so 1 to speak, from the Gulf of Corinth.

In the latest cables to-day, the British Minister in Athens, in the course of an interview, confirms the view given above. The Serbian army is evidently being conveyed to Salon'ka, as the Minister- says that the land trip . is solely due to the fear of submarines if the transport is effected by sea. Such a voyage would no doubt necessl- . tate the passing. of the known or supposed bases of the enemy submarines. The'Minister also makes it plain that Greece isVtalpne. to blame for this action, which was the result of her wicked neglect of the maintenance of a strict neutrality. In the same message it is stated, that, the. sovereign rights of Greece are unprejudiced by such transport,of the Serbians across the mainland. Probably, the diplomatist said the .same thing when the Navy Went on their hunting expedition for submarine bases! At any rate, the official must be hard put to it sometimes not to' err on the side of untruth! "If tho Greeks swallow this, they must be very hungry for "sop."

• Ahbther iritleresting item in the Baikal! situation is the rep'oprted fight betweeh the B'.ilgars and the Germans for of a,,post, office in a village at Lake 'Ochrida, near Monastir. From all accounts, the affair seems to have been a serious one, but why those two, peoples who are united in a common cause in the] international struggle should fall out over such a trivial affair appears inexplicable. It bodes ill for future cordiality in the ranks, while confirming recent reports of illfeel irig'bet ween them. The Turks and -Germans also are at loggerheads, which fact has been known for. some time, but now the latter openly state that"but for the purpose of gaining 'Constantinople they would not have fought with the'Turks; in fact, that they did not want their help.

That Germany has been hedging over the Sussex' murder there is now no : doubt whatever. The. submarine responsible for the torpedoing has been captured by the French, and the commander and crew takpn prisoners ; while an important dossier (bundle of papers) giving the whole of the incidents connected with the operation is in the hands of the Allies. These affidavits have been forwarded to Washington, and important developments are expected when the information is made public. This will come from the American public as sure as night follows day, but just what the authorities will do in reply to the demonstrations is a matter for a worldwide guessing competition! *