THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1913. THE BALKANS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 18 September 1913, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1913. THE BALKANS.

Although hostilities have been suspended in the Balkans, and the tur- ■ iroil may be regarded as over, the condition ol those unhappy States will be deplorable for many years to come. The "Economist" expresses the opinion that the economic exhaustion of the Balkan States is an accomplished fact, and it is pointed out in support . of this conclusion that railways Have been damaged, bridges have been destroyed, farmhouses have been burnt wholesale, the. male population has been decimated, and most of the live stock and oxen must have been killed for food or used inlhe transport service. If whatever future loans can be extracted from investors are to be applied, as the military Governments of these Powers will apply them, to the replenishment of powder magazines and the purchase of new guns, rifles, armaments, and munitions of war, the desolating and. misery of the population will be complete, and a state of bahla?uptoy will be assured. The outlook is a sad one for the unfortunate people who went gallantly into battle from their bomes and freedom. Dr E. J. Dillon, in the Contemporary Review, attempts to give some explanation of the evervarying phases of the Balkan situation. In doing so he describes the desperately treacherous attack by the Bulgarians on the Servians, who were their allies. Dr Dillon gives translated copies of documents discovered by the Valctorious Serbs on the bodies of dead Bulgarians, showing that orders were issued by the commander of the second brigade, fourth division, of the Bulgarian army to the commander of the detachments on the Zletvos River, setting forth that two columns were to send detachments at 8 a.m. to the Servian lines to "decimate the noise," and then push on ttTindioated points. Jl few Bulgarians- deserted rather

than, carry out these orders. Dr Dillon quotes the statement of one of them to him. He said: "My heart sank within me at the thought of stealing up, cat-like, to those bravo soldiers, transfixing them with bayonets, and then butchering their comrades while they slept. That is not soldier's work. For the Serbs were not on their guard against us. They had been, and still were, our friends, our comrades in arms. I had not the heart to bayonet them." Dr Daneff, the Bulgarian statesman, is blamed for Bulgaria's treachery and •for her. fall. When the last mails left England the Ambassadors in London had agreed, in consequence of the Montenegrin declaration that all Motenegrin troops had evacuated Albania, to recommend td the Governments of the Great Powers the confirmation of the repeated assurances to Montenegro of a grant~bf an international loan and also of assistance for the irrigation works of Lake Scutari. It was believed that the loan would be for £1,200,000, distributed equally among the six Powers. But many disquieting occurrences have happened during the past month and the. conference between Bulgaria and Turkey is still hanging fire. Outrage and atrocity are daily reported,' and peace and safety are far from assured.