COLONEL SAM HUGHES.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 8, Issue 72, 24 March 1916, Page 6

COLONEL SAM HUGHES.

A VISIT TO LONDON. LONDON,, March 22. '■ Colbnel Sam, Hughes, the Canadian Defence Minister, is visiting London. He is entirely in accord with his Aus‘traliana namesake’s outspoken views on post-war trade. ATTITUDE OF GREECE. CONSTANTINE’S STATEMENT. NOT AFRAID OF BULGARIA. The Athens correspondent of the Berlin newspaper Lokal-Anzeiger has been accorded an interview by the King of Greece, who is quoted as having declared:— "I am quite free; no personal in-, terest binds me. I only desire that Gneeee must remain neutral. Were our homes and our liberty menaced, then we should call our men up. It has been said that we are afraid of the Bulgarians, but that is not true. If they should threaten our interests I should not hesitate to resist them, but to me it seems tha- such is not the case at present. I do not know whether the piiobJems of the Balkans will be solved by the European war. Nobody can foresee whether now and bloody wars will or will not arise here before a solution is reached of the diffieut? and complicated problems of the nationality. I hope this may be prevented. Our intervention in this worldwar would be no mere Balkan question, but intervention in a world conflict, whereas we have interests in the Balkans only. As a small, free,, but also heroic nation, Greece has the I right to have great national dreams and ideals, but one’s policy in a difficult moment should not be based on dreams. ’ ’ The King went on to deny that he had acted contrary to the Constitution. "I do not suffer myself,” he said, ‘‘ to be led by sympathies or antipathies or other feelings of that kind. I .have only my duty —the interests of my people—to take to heart. Up to the present Germany and Austria have acted correctly towards Greece. I do not desire war.. I want to reinforce my army and I hope that at the conclusion of the war the army will be strong and completely fresh. T-his is of the greatest importance to my country, because it will then bo a more important factor during the conclusion of peace.”