The Daily News. FRIDAY, MAY 4. THE GREEK SITUATION.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 May 1917, Page 4

The Daily News. FRIDAY, MAY 4. THE GREEK SITUATION.

The recent cable from Athens stating that the Greek situation continues to foe Serious, does not really convey the extent fPf the danger which German plotting and Greek treachery has created. It is a matter of extreme regret that the prime mover in this tangle is King Constantino, whose diuplicity lia9 become a; byword. He seems to he mere clay in the hands of the pro-German clique which dominates the Greek Court. It is impossible to place any further reliance on his promises or on those of his Ministers. Thewhole course of the transactions between Greece and the Allies has been marked by duplicity in its worst form—conceding demands under pressure and taking steps to circumvent the objects in respect of which demands have been made. It is now abundantly clear that Greece has been (betrayed by her rulers. In ordinary times such a misfortune would have aroused indignation and pity, but when fn a time of war a professedly neutral Government plays a one-sided, game and is a constant menace to the other side, it is necessary [for the Tatter to act sternly and drastically if only" in self-defence. Looking back at what has occurred since the in 1015, were invited bv the Venizelos Government to land at S'alonika, tihere is to be found a succession of treacherous acts on the pari of the Greek Royalists. Venizelos was forced to leave the Ministry, although ':g had been elected' to power by a la;—.> majority. The King of Greece is n- i constitutional monarch, and is t • • 'fore in a position to defy the pcop!: d long as they tolerate Ills presence. After accepting the Allies' occupation,of Salonika and assuring the Entente Powers of his desire to maintain a 'benevolent neutrality towards them, Constantine commenced his long series of infamous-subterfuges, prompted by tire intention of selling the Allies, as well as his country, to the Huns. Apparently nothing but the strength of M. Venizelos' opposition saved tilio country from its impending disgrace, while the 'Allies have again and again had to resort to stern measures to protect themselves from the treachery of Constantine and his pro-German supporters. Thwarted in the effort to effect his desigss-tQMiihr,

Constantino had recourse to a system of secret orders which enabled him to appear to bo serving tile Allies, while all the time he 'was preparing means for their destruction. The blockade brought him :o reason, apparently, because there was such a serioiiß shortage of food supplies that a revolution would probably have broken out, and that would have ended Constantine's career in Greece. It is now known that there was no shortage. but that largo Btores of foodstuffs had been hidden, much in the same way as was done in the ease of rides and machine-guns. It was only in February last that a communication from a French source was published, in which it nvas stated that the Royalist Government was jealously guarding ail cereals, "and is beginning again at Athene the comedy played at Drama and Kavalla, where the people were allowed to die of starvation while the enemy found reserves of 00,000 tons of grain." It was also said that the Government was keeping hidden a -three months' supply for an army of 100,000 men. There is no difficulty in tracing the Royalists object in hoarding cereals and secreting rifles. The latest message from Athens lifts the veil of 1 mystery. General Dousman and other members of the Lambros Cabinet have organised a secret clique, which has been governing Greece on Germany's behalf, and this clique is busy plotting measures to 'be taken in the event of the Allies making an advance. It is against this sort of treachery the Allies have to be on their guard. Seemingly the position has reverted ti> that of early December. It is a difficult problem to solve, but the force of circumstances necessitates resort to the only means to whicli the Greeks are amenable—force.