The War Cloud

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 200, 13 January 1913, Page 5

The War Cloud

THE ALLEGED OUTRAGES. Byr Cable—Pre.s Association—Copyright. London, January 10. In the House of Commons Sir Edward Grey informed Colonel Sykes that he had received various reports of alleged atrocities in Macedonia, Albania, C.illipoli and the Troad. but they were insufficiently substantiated to justify an official statement. THE AEGEAN" ISLES. Received 1"2. 5.5 p.m. London, January 12. The Grecian delegates declare that Greece will not agree to the Turkish retention of the Aegean Islands. RELIEF FUNDS. Received 12, 5.5 p.m. Paris, January 12. The Government has sent twenty thousand francs for the relief of Turkish fugitives at Salonika and Monastir. A NOTE TO THE PORTE. Received 12, 5.3 p.m. London, January 11. Reuter's correspondent states that the Ambassadors wit meet on Monday to prepare a collective Note to the Porte. THE CHATALDIA SKIRMISH. Received 12, 5.5 p.m. Sofia, January 11. It is officially stated that the story of the Chataldja skirmish is untrue. THE FATE OF ADRIANOPLE. Received 12, 5.5 p.m. London, January 11. The Powers are unanimous that Adrianople must be surrendered. The joint Note does not mention the Aegean Islands. ROUMANIAN DEMANDS. Received 12, 5.3 p.m. London, January 11. The Roumanian negotiations ■with Bulgaria are progressing satisfactorily. The Mail states that Roumania has demanded a strip of land from Sclistria to Kavarna as compensation for her neutrality. The Bulgarians' reply is that only the National Assembly can cede territory, and that she wpl not consent to any dismemberment. Paris. January 11. The newspapers have recalled the reports of the Austro-Roumanian offensive and defensive alliamce. A PRACTICAL PROTEST. Reeeived 12, 5.5 p.m. London, January 12. Mr. Aubrey Herbert has quitted the Balkan Conjniitee, owing to the resolution supporting the Allies' claims, and also the absence of any censure of the Servian massacres of Albanians and the Bulgarian massacres of Moslems. BULGARIA AND ROUMANIA. AN INTERESTING INTERVIEW. By Telegraph—Press Association. ChristchuTch. Last Night. In connection with the cablegram from Sofia stating that the public of Bulgaria was indignant at Roumania's insistent demands, a resident of Christchurcli. who was born in the locality affected, told a reporter to-day a litt'.e of the reason for the perpetual jealousy between the two countries. He was a native, he said, of Tulaca. which, with the port of Sulina and Ko*-tancea, formed the chief towns of the district of Dobrogea. now in Roumania. Previous to the war between Turkey and Greece, in 1878, this district belonged to Turkey, but it was then ceded to Roumania. The people of the district included a great number of Bulgarians. Greeks and Russian-:, a s well as Roumanians, and during the Turkish regime th se had great freedom of action in every way. and they did pretty mueh what' they liked. When Roumania took charge, however, -he enacted strict law* and enforced them, and this caused some bittiirnc-s and heart-burn-ing. One of the mo»t touchy points bore upon the name a man took. Though the country remained largely Bulgarian. a Bulgarian could not secure <t Government position unless lie adopted the Roumanian form of address, which *valonesco as contrasted with the Unitarian form of "Ivanoff." It wa* explained that this was really the same word, but the articulation made all the difference between an acceptable and a non-aeeept-a'ble form of addr~*s. Naturally. Bnlgars chafed under this re-triction. and also complained most strongly about tha teaching and religion- ordinance- imposed by the Roumanian-*. The-e provided that teachers mu-t be Roumanians, and that Roumanian religion- teachers should have access to the schools, with the idea of destroying the .Bulgarian nationality. Fundamentally, there was a difference between the two peoples. The numbered about ten million-, and were a superior type to the Bulgarians, who totalled about five millions. The Bulgarians could live very cheaply, and in summer time provided cheap labor for the harve-l of Roumania. The Roumanians, in consequence, look down upon the Bulgarians. and, conversly. there was a bitter feeling on the part of the Bulgarians against the Roumanians. Ever since the original eession of this district mentioned, frontier trouKes had existed, and war between the two had been a matter of frequent threat, and. in the past, a subject of alarm and even of mobilisations every few years. Serious war had been expected about fifteen years ago, but that cloud had pa-sed by. and now Roumania. it seemed, desired to further weaken Bulgaria at this apparently advantageous moment.