STIR IN THE BALKANS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 February 1940, Page 5

STIR IN THE BALKANS

ANTICIPATION OF CALL TO ARMS Mobilisation Almost Complete in Rumania rEARS OF GERMAN CHALLENGE MILITARY PREPARATIONS IN GREECE. (By Telegraph—Press Association.—Copyright.) LONDON, February 23. From Greece’s olive groves to the Rumanian wheat, fields hundreds of thousands of men are leaving daily their toil, answering the call to arms in preparation for the widelypredicted o spring crisis which many fear may bring war to the Balkans and Middle East. Rumania has called up many of the 200,000 reservists who were originally intended to join the colours on March 1, by when there will be a state of virtual general mobilisation with 1.600,000 men under arms. The. Rumanian railways are jammed with reservists moving to the frontiers, particularly the Rumanian-Hungarian frontier. It is estimated that Rumania requires only two more months to complete her western fortifications, after which the work on other fronts will be speeded up. The Bucharest correspondent, of the Associated Press of Great Britain says that the calling-up of reservists followed authoritative reports that Germany will challenge the Rumanian ban on the export of aviation petrol.

GERMAN OIL ENVOY Doctor Clodius, German, diplomat and financial representative, will arrive in Bucharest on Monday, on which date an Italian trade mission is also due. Authoritative Berlin sources maintain that Dr Clodius’s visit is essentially routine, but German circles in Bucharest hint that German’s attitude to the neutrals in the Balkans depends on the outcome of his talks. Neutral owners of oilfields and similarly the Allied-controlled companies recently diverted shipments from Germany. Many believe that Dr Clodius will present plans for increasing the exploitation of the Rumanian oilfields, which will have the important proviso

that all the additional oil will go to Germany. King George of Greece yesterday be--1 gan an inspection of all services, signalling the opening of Greece’s mili--1 tary preparations. Compulsory air-raid precautions and drill have been instituted. The Soviet Black Sea .fleet has completed its winter manoeuvres and re- ! turned to Sebastopol. Reuter’s learns from a reliable London source that a party of German officers has passed through Rumania with the object of stirring up trouble in the Middle East. All are reported to have served in the Middle East in the last war and are travelling under assumed names, most of them disguised as business men.