The Daily News. FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 1913. END OF THE WAR.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 210, 24 January 1913, Page 4

The Daily News. FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 1913. END OF THE WAR.

Tli" news tli.il Turkey lias agreed to the terms of peaee laid down by the i i.Mirioiis Balkan Allies, and to I lie assurances of the Powers, will be hailed v. illi satisfaction throughout, the world. The decision was hardly expected from i I)e de'i;)it 1 tone of Turkey at the Peaee

Conference and the uncompromising attitude -!i" a-su:ueil when the Powers look a hand in the peaee negotiations. Turkey, natural] v enough perhaps, wished to retain her venerable strongheld. Adrianople, and a large strip of Thrace, captured by the Bulgarians, us urll as the Aegean Islands captured hv

tin l Greeks, ami which, Turkey maintained, would menace her security. The Powers were explicit in their assurances that if Turkey consented to the cession of Adrianople and left Aegean matters to the decision of the Powers, they v/ould see to the safeguarding of Mussulman interests in that city, and also exclude all menace of Turkey's security ir. any settlement in respect to the Aegean Islands. Turkey's Grand Council have been considering the position, and probably, as a result of ( !.c nature of the military report and the financial report, have repented of their former decision, and agreed 10 frankly accept the Powers' advice and place the destinies of the Porte in the hands of the Powers. Turkey's decision was no doubt accelerated by the knowledge that there was a prospect of licr losing Constantinople itself and the carrying of the war into her Asiatic .provinces by the victorious Allies. The Berlin newspapers attribute the Porte** decision to Russia's threats to invade Tut ioy's Asiatic dominions. but this is open to question; for Russia would hardly dare, in the face of the frightful risks involved, to make good such a threat, a fact which the Turks would know as well as the Rusn'ians, and discount'accordingly. The determining factor, no doubt, will be found to be that the Turkish forces were in no position to make a successful stand against her foes, superior as the latter have proved themselves in every respect—in leadership, arms, commissariat and morale, And another and equally potent factor in inducing Turkey to throw U]) the sponge is no doubt the fact that she is devoid of the sinews of war. ller impecuniosity is chronic, but the war had only to continue for another few weeks and she must have been forced into bankruptcy. Nothing could have saved her, not even the regaining of her lost territory and the winning of the necessary battles. From all points of view, Turkey's not the least, therefore, it is well that a settlement has been arrived at; and for the pressure they have applied, the Powers, vhose pusillanimity over the non-enforce-ment of reforms in Turkey's former provinces practically - drove the Allies to take up arms, deserve the thanks of mankind. While the war lasted there was always the prospect of other nations being embroiled and causing a European upheaval, and the termination of hostilities will at once remove the risk and bring relief to the European financial TPftrket, the distressed condition of which has reacted here in New Zealand with effects that bade at or.e time to be yery serious indeej. Turkey has practically been driven, ''bag and baggage," out of Efirope. as she will retain but a few miles of hilly territory behind Constantinople; but she possesses a big empire in Asia, and, if slit; profit by the lessons taught her in this war, she may yet emerge a nation worthy of the respect and confidence of civilised nations, a respect and confidence which, by her neglect- indifference and cruelty, she has forfeited during the many centuries she had the custody of the European provinces torn from her during the last few months.