THE POSITION IN CRETE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9579, 27 August 1909, Page 4

THE POSITION IN CRETE.

For the last 10 years or thereabouts •he inhabitants of Crete have been

protesting against the rule of the Turk. Since 1898, when Great Brit- ' n, France* Russia, and Italy in- ) tervened, and appointed a High Commissioner, the rule of the Turk in the island has been but shadowy. Still Crete is under the suzerainty of turkey, and the Turkish Government shows no desire whatever to abandon its vague sovereign rights. Twelve months sgo the Cretans were notified by the intervening Powers that if they continued to behave themselves well and to abstain from massacring each on religious grounds the international troops would be withdrawn. The Cretans behaved themselves in the most exemplary manner, and last month the international troops were withdrawn. But there has always hem a strong paity on the island in favour of annexation to Greece, and as soon as the laat of the international trroops had left the island the enterprising leaders of the pro-Greek party hoisted the Greek flag on ihe fortress at Canea, the capital, and nailad it to the mast. Expostulation and remonstrance on i the part of Turkey, which is nom-

inally the sovereign Power, and on behalf of the four great Powers that have guaranteed Turkeys sovereign rights, were at last successful in persuading the offending Cretans to haul down the symbol of their rebellion. Ths Turks, having lately lost Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Bulgaria, was tributary to the Porte, are in no mood to see Crete snatched from them by Greece. The four guaranteeing Powers have acted promptly and decisively, and should be able to restore order and re-assure the shadowy Turkish suzerainty, wl.ich seems hardly worth fighting aloat.