The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 1913. THE BALKANS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 3, 4 June 1913, Page 4

The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 1913. THE BALKANS.

Whilst the peace delegates in London are shaking hands with each other over the signing of the peace treaty that brings to a conclusion the sanguinary war between the Allies and Turkey, and making optimistic speeches regarding the future of the Balkans, events in that sorely troubled' peninsula are taking a course which may lead to an even more sanguinary war between the Allies themselves. The outlook is not at all reassuring. Already there have been sharp collisions between Greeks and Bulgarians and between the Servians and Bulgarians; all of whom appear to be in an ugly mood. It is rather curious to read in yesterday's cables that several thousand Turks have enlisted in the Bulgarian army and undertaken duty on the lines of communication, and that a former Bulgarian representative at Constantinople has arrived in the Turkish capital on a special mission, which is-, believed to be to secure Turkey's neutrality in the event of a war between the Allies. After this | it would not be surprising to learn that Turkey, the hereditary enemy of the | Balkan States, had been asked to act as umpire in the dispute! Turkey would hardly be human if it did not exact a pretty .stiff .price for maintaining neutrality in a fight over the division of spoil taken- from* herself. Indeed, she wouid be justified in taking advantage of -the weakening of the forces of the Allies, "through war among themselves, to en'deavour'to regain some of her lost territory. ' But" If' her soldiers, whom one would have thought had had their fill of fighting, go over to the Bulgarians in any number, she will, he unable to assert herself with any efi'ecti- The cables say that' Turkey is suspending demobilising .pending a solution of the Allies' dis- • pute. This is significant, taken in conjunction with the reported resignation of M. Veniz6los, the wise and pacific statesman at the head of Greece, owiiig to his not wishing to bear the responsibility of ; the warlike disposition of the troops against Bulgaria. The Greeks and Ser- ! vians are deserving of no sympathy, for in taking actien against Bulgaria they are committing a gross act ' of tnaehery. Before' the war Bulgaria concluded a treaty of partition with Servia as regards Macedonia, in the event of the victory of the Allies. Under it, the whole country was minutely mapped out, only a small strip in : the north, claimed by both parties on ethnographical grounds, hcing left to the arbitration of the Czar of Russia. That treaty has been torn up by Servia, and a' Graeco-Serb Treaty substituted for it, ,whi£'li carves out a Greek-Servian Mace.-' don.ia, creating a common GreekrServian frontier, and practically cutting out Bulgaria. Under this treacherous document, not only the agreed-on territory, but. Monastir, Ochrida, Dibra and other important towns and districts go to Servia, while Greece takes Sal'onica, Kavala and other territory previously assigned under the earlier treaty to Bulgaria.But that is not all. Bulgaria complains of an antiBulgarian campaign carried out by Servia in Bulgarian districts. The Bulgarians allege not only atrocities, but the shutting of all their schools and the tearing of their school books, the imprisonment of their bishops, and even personal (Outrages, such as the plucking of their beards, as well as the forcible, change of Bulgarian names into Servian. The meanness of this treatment is made the bitterer by the' fa.ct that Bulgaria voluntarily took upon herself the breaking of the main Turkish arnnes-—a task which she accomplished with heavy loss, while the Servians have been quietly absorbing Macedonia and the Greeks annexing is- !' lands. This unseemly wrangling and [threats of resorting to fighting are most deplorable; but if the close of the'war is unhappily followed by a Bulgarian march on Macedonia, and a consequent wiping out of the Servian armies aud the Grecian hosts as well, the latters' sympathisers would be few. Of course, there are the Powers, but their past futility in regard to peacably settling the Balkan problem does not inspire one with confidence in their ability to prevent these warlike nations. flying at each other's throats once they determine upon taking such a disastrous step.