The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE. MONDAY, AUGUST 30, 1915. THE BALKAN SITUATION.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 280, 31 August 1915, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE.

MONDAY, AUGUST 30, 1915. THE BALKAN SITUATION.

(With which la incorporated The Tafhape Poet ÜB4 Waimarina Nawa.)

In this issue is published a cablegram giving the gist of an interview Sir Edwin Pears has had with the Daily Chronicle. This furnujhos the most reliable basis for understanding the present situation it is, perhaps, possible to have., and we are. quite safe in building up our hopes and feaTs on what Sir Edwin says. He made his home in Constantinople, at Pera, in 1573, prac-

tising in the Consular Courts, and, in fact, became President of the European Bar in that city so far back a» 1881. He first came into very prominent public, notice as correspondent of the Daily News, to which he commun»cated graphic pictures in 1876 of Moslem atrocities on Bulgaria which at the time slipcked the whole civilised world. Some of his communications or. this subject were published in Blue Books, which caused wide-spread interest, and which many of us yet have ~ vivid recollection of. The G.rand Olfi Man, Mr. W. E. took up the cause of the Bulgarians and "im-

mense demonstrations were held throughout all England denouncing the Moslems' brutal butchery of Burgarians. Many valuable additions to history have since come from the pen of Sir Edwin Pears, notably "The Fall ' of Constantinople," "The Destruc- : tion of the Greek Empire" and mucn other literature of a similar class, all tending to enable us to value n?* opinion on the Balkan situation to-day at its real worth. As a matter of faetj Sir Edwin's address, not long- prior to: Turkey joining the war. was still' Pera. Constantinople. This man of experience , has been interviewed an« he tolls the Daily Chronicle that if Bulgaria'secures a promise from Servia and the Allies that Macedonia will be restored to her, lie believes that, de-

spite the strong Austrian leanings c* I King Ferdinand, she will come in with the Entente, and that if Bulgaria conies in Greece will follow. He points out King Ferdinand's true character, which enables us to see why rail-sit-ting has been so persistent. King Ferdinand, lie says, is a born diplomat; he began life as' an Austrian officer, possessing very large estates in Hungary. He is very vain and ambition-, and Sir Edwin fears that he is also

unscrupulous. The foreign policy cf Bulgaria is almost entirely in tinKing's hands; nevertheless, Bulgaria is democratic in name, and, in a crisis like the present, may become democratic in reality. So that a thorough understanding may be gained, it Is pointed out that King Ferdinand regards Bulgaria as the Prussia of the Balkans, and he even once made pro-

bations for his own coronation as

tiie Byzantine Emperor in the historic church of Saint Sophia. Still, ve arw told, it would be a mistake to overestimate the influence' possessed by roya* families, but it must not be underesti-

mated at. this moment. In Roumania, Bulgaria, Greece, Sweden, and Russia, Sir Edwin says, there are strong proGerman elements in Court circles. 53emoeracy, however, mostly takes a different view, and we should be sure or Bulgaria but for the chagrin caused over the second Balkan war sett*e- } ments, by which she was deprived of a large slice of Macedonia; only for this she would'long since have been lighting on our side. The utmost reliance can be put on this view of the case. and because there may be no question about tills we have briefly outlined the career of the man that has been interviewed. The Balkan issue is of vast moment to the Allies at this very moment, and every thinking man. am? woman too, in the countries ranged against the German horror are deeply hoping and praying that the unequivocal reply wanted from Servia will quickly be forthcoming. It is in Bulgaria ,it appears, as it is in. Greece, tlic monarch follows the Kaiser and his methods, while the people are almost wholly on the side of the Allies. Ttic time for decision is drawing very near and we have not now long »••

wait before seeing whether King or people will rule. Greece.is mobilising as rapidly as possible, Roumania ancf Bulgaria are practically in complete readiness, and it seems that all now hinges on a straightforward, frank re-

ply from Servia, when, and on whic'i side, Bulgaria will employ her. arms.