THE "COCKPIT" OF EUROPE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 255, 21 October 1908, Page 2

THE "COCKPIT" OF EUROPE.

Tin.- French journal •■ be Temps"' reproaches Finland fur pillajrin;,' Turkey in tlic island of Cyprus anil in Kfrvpt. In I hi' I'ltrly eifihties Kjrvpt wits fimoicinll.v roll en: distraction reigned and ailarcliy impended in llii' north. whilst invasion, from (he soiilh was thr.-att-ncl by Soiidani's,. horde-. Then it was that France mill Finland conjointly intervcni'd to sav ( . (he country. Aft it :i brief period of mutual action. France withdrew and left Finland t.„ face the difliculties alone. The outbreak led by Arabi Pasha followed, and the thrcatcninjt Soudan had to be i|uictnl. KiHiuid' disposed of Arabi l'as|,a at s omo sacrific<\ ilnil she sent her bravest across the sandy wastes to Khartoum, to pm an end to further trouble from that quarter. From tin. ilr-t Finland's p„|j,. v W:1 . uiisellish and disinterctcd. lint, haviii" 1 assumed the control of F.fjypl. linvinjr made great saerilices and taken up.ii herself re.-ponsiliiliii,., u n | H dialf of Kgyvl, it was not so easy to gel on' of the country as was at li'rsf anticipated. Having restored order, having ]il iced the finances in a sound position. having done a very great deal Un'imgli the inauguration of great and highlv iniportunt public works to develop tit,, resource* ami advance the interests of

[ the country. t«. iiiiainlo,, siinp'v meant thai theeoiuHrv m,'i',i full Iwkinto I In- 1.1,1 -loiifili. ,'„■ |,,, V1 . i 11,.. „,„.,. ..pel) for s„„ie other Power |„ sirp in mill attempt to <arr\ mil tin- mw,\ w»rk' whir], lvii|;lii|iil li'i.l „„ well beeim. It was tiisiiiicily iiimniiiiivil i|;al Kn^Ininl linil no intenth ■ ili'sii,. tn (.■■Tinniieutly mriipy Un< i-mniliy, ami up,,,, mil' uri-n-inn Mr. <;la,l-t'oiie. win n I'l-cmicr. stuti'il a ili'linii,. pt-i-ioii «1,-h Kiijlliiml woilM retire all ne;,.) her )i.,i,i l-i'M't; lint I'V nn roils ,„nsi,|ei-alio„s iiiipurlajjl lmlli tu Kjiypt nml lu Km;liiml. tin- i-n|,tjiii)i')| ii(TU]iali(in hail been • ionstl'ailli',l. Dili' lliili" is i.-eriiiju. that i ii" Frnni'i' iiiTiipii'il tin. ,iiini.' potion i„ j K.eypt tlmt Kngliiuil iloes to-ilnv, she | would 1«. quite lis littli' disposed lo j „inTei,»ler it. With refund tu Cvpnis. i lit must In' I'untVsvc,) I hi)| tin., wurk nl' I i ili.fi'lliT js not i|llill' s u easy. ,\l (1,,. | lllllTlliltillllill I'lnili'll'llee Ol lil'l'lill, 1.„,,| I lii'in'iiiislii-jd, nlitiiiiii'il Cvpnis for 1-ji.r- v liin.l. iiii.t In- Imimikl.u, (j,,, bland home I' with him alone, wllli l,i, ,;..|..|,i-ii!-,l v

l.,N,-t of "IllMi-l. with honour.'' I'Arr,,,. |M'l'llH||S, ;,- ,| I'lialillfr «l;,|i„||. ||| ( , K| ; ,, ;: i lllls lll'Vl'l' lll'l'll of illlV ii-.. to Knelan.l. ami nn ilmilit llio Dnllii'ilinil imi'iM nvery willing lo Ift Turkey have ii 1,, i -; ; arniiii if a wi.-Ii was o\pi',..v.,„| |n lint ■■■Ti'i'l. It is fair 1,, i',.ih,.|iilh.|- |1,.,| (\. prii:, .las aiveu to Kn,,|aihi a1,5„1n1,'..• liv II I'lM.liril of the ivpiv-,'lll.iiiiv,.s .'' 11..,. iiMi.Hi-'. ami ii, ii,al .-oiin-il ,-,...|- I!"' -I 'iliiliiy. Vain. H is la!: to i.'in. • I' llul -it.:,. K,\s. «l„.„ 1,,... lainl > -.mh.-.I ~„i,!r„l. j -I, i ii,-t, , i..lj. ....-.,:. and [m...1:.-:---. „ 'vrv dill'erenl j < >"'- i """"""'" W!Ul ''''" ""'"'l At this iiinjiii'iil (ho a(inosj)li,.'i'c. in

Europe is far from clear; dark clouds of war are still threatening. England, j Russia, and France are in agreement , that the status quo ante must be re- ( stored; that is to say, the States must ] go back to their former relative posi- ] tious; or, if any changes are made in , the way of reducing the authority and power of Turkey, then adequate compensation must be rendered. It has been agreed that a conference of the representatives of the nations must be again held; that conference is to assume the position of a sort of commission of inquiry as to what violations of the treaty of Berlin have taken place and, if any, to assess the damages and award compensation. To neither Austria nor Bulgaria is this course acceptable; they stand in the position of the bad boys of the school. With regard to the pri-1 posed conference there arc four subsidiary points calling for attention. The first is, " to make provision for elfec- ' lively .strengthening the present regime '< in Turkey, which affords the best safe-! guard for the maintenance of peace.' : ' The second is that an ''effort be, made I to meet the wishes of the smaller ISal- -', kan States, but not at Turkey's ex-

\teuM'. nit 1 mini is nm \ne coiuereiee sluill not interfere with the question (if the Dardanelles, that ■•being a ques-1 tion in which Russia «nil Turkey av" primarily concerned.'-' The fourth is thai tin. settlement of affairs .-hall he ecviiincd "to the signatories of the Treaty df Berlin." This last stipulation shuts out Servia ami l!ulgari;i— at present the most demonstrative—the " smaller I State-"' brought into existence by i'le 'reaty of Merlin, from any voice. It is proposeil to reserve the. Durdiielle» (|iiestion for friendly adjustment t some future period; but a suggestion las been made, not however warranted ly any ollicial authority, that the itruits be free in time of peace, bet •losed in time oi war. Turkey would •crtainly close the straits in time, of ivar whatever the stipulation or condiLion might be. The adoption of this suggestion would jjivo to Russia what she has long desired, an iec-frec door jnj the south to the outside world, but she' would have no monopoly of that door. Jt would lie open also to all the other nations of the world. Austria. ,WH>k.s

tu recognise the proposed conference unless lii'i- iiniii'Xiition ofJlosnia mid Herzegovina is lirst accepted uml legalise! i'raclically, this amounts to a refusal to agree with tin! proposal of liussia, England and France, and that is where thi' trouble begins. The latter Powers i propose to attend Ihe eonfereiiee as j disinterested parties anil sit as a kind of assessment court «n the injuries inflicted by Austria and Bulgaria. Naturally neither of them like it. "Give us first an assurance that we will not In found guilty, and then we don't miml,' says Austria. Jf such an assuratic could be given there, would be no occa sion to hold a conference. But, whils thus particular about protecting her self, Austria has no kind of scrupl ibuiit throwing over the other thief. Ii association with Germany, Austria de

.•lures that before liulgaria's claim t< ndependenee. can ljo recognised she mist tome to a satisfactory settlement ibout the seized railway, and that liulpiria is not likely tu agree to. Jlontc legro and Scrvia are drawing closer to;ether and threaten the prosecution of i "holy war" against Austria. If the icace of the world is to be disturbed, t will probably begin through the too ireeipitate action ol the smaller l'ow'i's. They are young people and impatient.