GREEKS AND TURKS.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 131, 3 June 1919, Page 4

GREEKS AND TURKS.

Although few people will be inclined to spend much sympathy on the Turks who were the victims of the Greek manhunt in Smyrna, yet it is to be regretted that the Greeks should have indulged in what appears to have been wanton outrage at a time when the question of partitioning Turkey is still undecided. For this outrage on the part of the Greeks is almost certain to lead to reprisals by the Turks, especially as when the news of the happenings at Smyrna became known similar man-hunts took place in surrounding villages, even boys of from 12 to 1G being given rifles and bayonets in order that they might join in the massacre. The Greek claim to Smyrna may be disputed on the ground that it will lead to further disturbances in the future, and it is possible that Italy may make use of the occasion to press her claims for a wider extension of her influence in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Turks, however, are very largely to blame for this ebullition of feeling against them, for they have in the past been relentless in their persecution of the Greeks dwelling in their midst. It has been estimated that previous to the war there were something like two million Greeks scattered throughout the Ottoman Empire, and the population of Smyrna is predominantly Greek. Such however, was the ferocity of the persecution during the war that it is probable that the number of Greeks at present remaining in Turkey does not much exceed a million. We know that 450,000 Greeks were deported and are dead; 150,000 died while working in the labour battalions, and 250,000 fled from Asia Minor and Thrace to Greece. The Turks set out to exterminate all the Greeks within their dominions, and there seems very little doubt that they were directlyencouraged in this policy by the Kaiser and his Government. It certainly throws a curious sidelight on the policy of Athens when we find Constantine himself refusing to take any steps for the protection of his own subjects in Thrace and Asia Minor. In spite of all protests made by the dignitaries of the Orthodox church in Asia Minor, and of documentary proofs which were forwarded to him, and in spite of the fact that the Bishop of Peru travelled in person from Constantinople to Athens to implore the King to adopt energetic measures to put a stop to the massacre, Constantine refused to do anything mor.> than to advise the Greeks to do their best to live on good terms with the Turks. It was like advising the lamb to live on good terms with the wolf. The Turks began by organising the Greeks into labour battalions. These battalions were employed in road-mak-ing, excavating tunnels, building, and cultivation of the fields. They were marched hundreds of miles over burning plains and snow-clad mountains, with wholly insufficient clothing, and a daily ration of half a loaf of bread that was almost uneatable, eked out occasionally with a little dried fish or two olives. The object was not to make them work, the object wn,s to kill them, and we. find that 150,000 Greeks in these battaliois did actually die. Those who could not work in the labour battalions —the old men, women and children—were deported from their homes nnd divided up among the Mussulman villages, and of those thus deported nearly half a mililon are believed to be dead. Under these circumstances it is, perhaps, hardly to be wondered at if the Greeks should desire to retaliate when opportunity offered, but scenes such as those at Smyrna will not strengthen the Greek case for substantial compensation at the hands of Turkey. For the Turks may well claim that the Gr< cks themselves were partly responsible for the bad treatment accorded then.. Our own experience of the Greeks at Salonika was not altogether a happy one, and it would seem that from the days of " the crafty Ulysses " to our own a certain element of treachery has found its way into the Greek character. "Sor do the traders on the coast represent the best type of Greek. Many of them are half-castes, half Greek and half Turk, and they are far inferior to the true Greek, who is generally to be found engaged in agricultural pursuits in the interior. Nothing can excuse their conduct in bayonettdng, clubbing, and flinging into the sea the Turks at Smyrna who j had surrendered to the Greek troops for protection, and it would seem that the Greeks themselves provoked the riot. Smyrna is a city of international importance by reason of its position connecting Central Europe with Asia Minor. It is practically a Greek colony as far as population is concerned, but orderly government is so essential to the development ,of its trade that it is to be hoped that, if Greece is to control it, some effective means will be devised to prevent a recurrence of riots such as those that have recently resulted in the murder of so many unarmed civilians and innocent 1 citizens.

[ 0.8. E. i Last year a Patriotic Association in ? the South Island protested against the ( distribution of the Order of the British t Empire among men and women doing J war work, on the ground that to give ' such honours to some and not to others , was to make invidious distinctions. The \ association took the stand that a great j many men and women were doing their ] best to help to win the war, and that it was not fair to single out only a few for ( honour. We believe that most people ; in the Dominion agreed .with the associa- * tion, and that they will not change their 1 opinion when they read the list of admis- ' sions to the Order published to-day. This . list has two points of interest —the omis- i sions and the inclusions. Many of those < who have received the decoration will be recognised as active war workers, who I • f are deserving of the utmost credit for t their zeal and self-sacrificing labours. At j the same time, it is obvious that if \ those persons who have been decorated ( norr and previously had been the only " zealous war workers in New Zealand, we \ should not have got very far with our j patriotic funds, our Red Cross activities, i and other war efforts. Why, then, ' should all the others be left out? And, who is it who decides that Mr. X. is to | ] | be CB.E., or 0-8. E., or MJB.E., and Mr. Y.j j is not, or that Mrs. A., who packed so ] many thousand articles for the troops, is ' to be decorated, while Mrs. 8., who did ( just as much work for the Red Cross, is j to be passed over? It would be inter- i esting to know the exact considerations! that lead to the placing of one prominent I public man in the third class and another in the fourth class. Why is a mau who ( has not been to the war, and ha 3 not , been very conspicuous for war work at home, placed in the came class as a man i with a distinguished war record? Why, is a certain local war worker, whose very. successful activities arc known to every-ji body, not honoured at all? Why should one or two mayors of pro- i vincial boroughs be singled out; or is it that all the other mayors have been decorated already? If the authorities ' have any illusions cm the subject, we ' can assure them that the public is more amused than impressed by this attempt | to create a sort of aristocracy of patriot- ( ism in a community where everybody "did his bit" in the war. If they will ' read the English papers they will find that even in England, where people hold titles and honours in far higher esteem than they do here, the prestige attaching , to the Order of the British Empire, espe- . dally in its lower grades, is by no means high". In fact, the Order has become rather a joke. Common sense tells people that where a whole nation worked and ■ suffered and endured as England has .done, where families have been desolated 1 and sacrifices for the nntion have meant 1 /not merely gifts of work or money, but .j of life itself, there is something incon- , gruous in the selection of a handful of . people for special honours. They also suspect, the hand of political and social fay- ' (ouritism in some of the appointments, f They honour the King, but they know i that these decorations do not really come (from the King, but from his advisers, and '.who advises the advisers? ("an such ' /things happen in this more democratic • country? Well, we cannot say; but . I human nature and politics arc much the , (same in both countries. I

same in uuui cukiiuiw. Subscribers to the "Auckland Star" 1 arc specially requested to make com- | plaint to the Manager in the event of any irregularity in the delivery of their papers, either by letter or by ringing up automatic :!57. All such complaints will receive prompt attention and I every effort will be made to ensure a ! prompt and efficient delivery. In the event of the supplement issued every Saturday not being delivered with the ' paper we shall also bo pleased to insti- ; tntc a searching inquiry. I It hns been sug<ios.tcd that the Gov- | eminent should make inquiries as to public feeling in the United States, Canada, and other countries on the liquor question; but Sir James Allen stated to a representative of the "Lyttelton : Times'' that he did not think any steps would be taken in that direction. "The newspaper Press to-day is so powerful," he said, "that the puhlic is fully enlightened by it. and the Government does not need to do anything in the I matter." j ; At the instigation of the men's society : connected with the Presbyterian Cliurch i at Devonport. of which Mr John Henderi son, late Mayor of the borough, ha 6 been appointed chairman, the minister of St. Paul's has agreed to have a service in ; the church on Sunday week on similar | lines to that formerly held in the sol- : diers' training camps, when the usual forms of the orthodox way of conducting I a church service will be suspended. The j innovation is being watched with interest I by these who are anxious to know if I what was successful under war conditions may not be equally successful in peace timesAn indent agent called on a local fancyI goods firm in Invercargill last week and solicited an order for German goods which, he said, were awaiting shipment when shipping was available. The local I firm was astounded at the ofier am* simply laughed. The indentcr did not visif ■ other firms. The Mayor of Invercargill had his attention drawn to the matter, lie said it. was astounding that such things could go on. Hostilities had not officially ceased, and the agent's efforts j amounted to trading with the enemy. ] A singular outcome of the signing of the armistice is referred to in a M.S. circular to hand by mail. This states that the exodus pf foreigners averaged one thousand 'per day, principally Italians, who are taking considerable sums of money away with them. This may mean that they intend to settle in new areas to be acquired by Italy when peace is definitely signed. The sittings of the Auckland Presbytery will have added interest next Tuesday owing to the fact that the Rev. W. Gray Dixon, Moderator of the General Assembly of that church in New Zealand, will be welcomed on his first visit to Auckland since his elevation to that office. In the evening the Moderator is to address a meeting in the Concert Chamber at the Town Hall. The Mayor, Mr. J. H. Gunson, will preside at the annual meeting of the Auckland Centre of St. John Ambulance Association, to be held on the 27th inst., when certificates and medallions gained by members during the past year will be presented. Deferred telegrams with African transContinental stations will be discontinI ued from 31st May. I

General satisfaction is expressed in Auckland at the proposal to hold a conference in connection with the "New Zealand locomotives, engineers, firemen, and cleaners' dispute, by a local member of the union. He said that with the Hon. A. 11. Myers as chairman their cause would be in good hands. The Minister of Railways should bear in mind that the patience of the men is almost exhausted, and sooner or later will get be-j yond the control of the executive, resulting in action which will be disastrous to the Dominion, and for which Cabinet will have to take responsibility. Any conference, as suggested by the Prime Minister, with the Minister of Railways as chairman will be. refused by the union as being against all ideas of fair play. In asking for Mr. Myers, it is contended tihat the executive council adopted the best course, in that he is an ex-Minister of Railways in addition to being a man of business ability, who will attend to his duties impartially. A lad of nineteen years appeared before Mr. F. K. Knight, S.M., yesterday, on a charge of having stowed away on the s.s. Makura. The circumstances were that the youth had a burning desSre to go to 6ea, but had been restrained by his father from doing co, and tried to guide him into the Civil Service. Efforts in the latter direction failed, and the disappointed lad stowed away on the Makura prior to that vessel leaving Auckland for Vancouver. When the ship was clear of the port be came out of hiding, and offered to ■work his passage, but the skipper had no place for him, so he was left in Suva and picked up by the Niagara coming: back to Auckland. The expenses involved in the unauthorised trip to Suva amounted to £15 10/, and sentence was adjourned for a month, pending payment of that amount by the lad's parents. Owing to pressure of business caused by the land hunger of returned soldiers, tiie Canterbury Land Board has resolved to call the attention of the Minister to the serious position that has arisen owing to the enormous increase in the work°connected with discharged soldiers, and involving fortnightly meetings of the Board, extending over two days each; also to the shortage of staff. An undue strain was being put on officers who were at present endeavouring to carry on the work, and the Board strongly urged that additional officers should be appointed without delay. With a view to assisting I to appease the land hunger the board has I decided to forfeit the leases of a number of sections for non-compliance with conditions and to offer them for selection by soldiers. At the annual meeting of the Christchurch Licensing Committee yesterday the chairman stated that he had visited many hotels in Christchurch, and in some the accommodation was so bad that he was considering the question of condemning certain premises. Complaints had been made to the committee of travellers being refused meals because they asked for them after the schedule time. The chairman pointed out that the licensees were also innkeepers, and were bound to supply meals at any time of the day or night, and must also provide accommodation for travellers as long as it was available. The penalties for noncompliance with the law were very heavy At the last meeting of the trustees of the Invercargill Mutual Money Club, Ltd., the secretary read an interesting letter from Mr. W. G. Garrard, secretary of the Christchurch and St. Albans Cooperative Money Club (says the "Southland Times"). Mr. Garrard states that he has been secretary for 20 years, during which time the club has grown from a email affair started by a few enthusiasts into a large financial institution with a capital of over £50,000. The object of the club is to act as a gobetween between those with a few shillings to invest each week and those who want to borrow small amounts on ap--1 proved securities. No member is allowed to take more than ten shares, and the subscription to the club is one shilling per share per week. All money to members' credit is at call, and at the close of each half-year the profits are divided back to the members by way of dividends. The Christchurch Club has paid as much as 1/ in the £ for the halfyear by way of dividend, but their aver- . age dividend is 9d in the & each six months. I Recently the Christchurch Tramways Union announced that it would not man the tram 6 during the Peace celebrations if it were not granted the Wellington conditions, namely, full service on the three days, men to be paid time and a-half and have three days added to the annual holidays. The board offered double pay for men required to work on the second and third days of the celebrations, but at a meeting held yesterday a letter was read from the union rejecting j the offer and adhering to its original deI mands. The board decided to concede them, the chairman pointing out that the men would have been better off financially had they accepted the board's offer. "You will have noticed that Mr. Massey has succeeded in securing for New Zealand one-third interest in the island of Nauru," observed the president of the YVellington Farmers' Union Conference. "The phosphates deposits on this island are said to foe inexhaustible, and I hope we shall soon be in a position to bring the raw material direct to New Zealand and manufacture it here, instead of sending it to the other side of the world to be dealt with. Mr. Massey deserves the gratitude of ah landowners for the able way in which he has represented New Zealand in this as well as in many other matters at the great Peace Conference." A well-known Auckland resident, who was with the N T e\v Zealand force in the fighting at Passehendacle had a novel experience on the first day of the A.R.C. meeting at Ellerslie. In a parcel of one pound notes that came into his possession as the result of tote investments, he found one with this inscription on its back: "This note was carried into the front line trench at Passchendaele, and presented to the V.M.C.A. in France in exchange for war loan tickets by C. W. Reeves, 5-1193, N.Z.E.F., 21/3/1918." It is not generally known that there are a great many wild cattle on the Tararua ranges. Some little time ago, when journeying from the Upper Hutt valley through the bush to the Otaki gorge, Mr. A. Seed and a companion came across a great herd of wild cattle, estimated at fully 500 head. This great herd was grazing in the bush in a big basin of country at least six or seven miles beyond the Otaki Forks, lying between Mt. Kapakapanui and Mt. Hector. In this big basin the country is comparatively open, and in the distant future will probably be broken into good farm land. The new Catholic Church at Devcnpori is making good progress towards com pletion, and the very fine design of th« building is now becoming fully apparent and will be a very handsome additior to the sacred edifices of the borough. Bridgman's saie bargains In drapery, raincoats, flannelette, sheeting, boys* and I men's suits. Buy now and save money.

' The sportsmanlike epirit existing between fire brigade men was manifested on Saturday evening at Tudor'e Rooms, Devonport, when Captain Anderson, of the Te Kuiti Fire Brisade and a number of his men, also Councillor Webber, of ' Te Kuiti Borough Council, called upon Captain Follae, Devonport Fire Brigade, and hie men to hand over the competition shield. During the Fire Brigades 1 competitions Te Kuiti and Devonport brigades tied for the shield and the toss i 1 resulted in Te Kuiti securing the shield .. ■ for a term of two years. Having held 1 the shield for twelve months the Te I '■ Kuiti brigade handed the shield over Ito Devonport for the other twelve | < : months. The ilayor of Devonport, Mr. P H. W. S. King, commended the action of 1 the Te Kuiti Fire Brigade, and other speakers were Councillors J. Woodall, 1 1 J. Fletcher and Perry Taylor. , "Don't trust the Germans!" is now an American motto. It might have taken Uncle Jonathan a long time to frame the motto, but he hae now 1 learnt it off by heart. Whilst the j ' • Rimutaka wae at Newport News, a good | \ number of her returned soldiers on i ] ' shore leave visited a big military camp , near that port, and fhere saw men still j ' undergoing training ac though the war ! < ■were 6till on. The sight, which "was in- , * J teresting to the Xew Zealand soldiers, . . who had been through the rough and | tumble of actual war, was a symbol \ that America was prepared for any . eventuality in Europe. • It ie reported (cays the "Christchurch I Press") that Mr. J. J. Graham, a former : ifavor of Wooleton, and a member of i the" Lyttelton Harbour Board, will conl test the Lyttelton seat in the Literal I interest. Present indications point to : the possibility of quite a small army lof candidates seeking the suffrage* of [' the Lyttelton electors. The eitting member. Mr. James MoComibs, M.P., will I be a candidate; Mr. W. T. Lester, Mayor i , of Lyttelton, has announced his in- ! i tention to offer his cervices; and other j . candidates spoken of are Messrs. Orion ; Bradley and Mr. G. Armstrong, J.P. . (Mayor of Akaroa). Mr. H. G. Ell, M.P. j ; for Christchurch South, has also an- j ; nounced his candidature for the Lyttel- i i ton seat. Regarding the Elleemere seat, ] s represented at present by Colonel the t Hon. R. Heaton Rhodes, it is stated I that Mr. James Coop, Little River, has : ; Been asked to be a candidate in the ! 51 Liberal interest. H The Wellington coroner held an in- ' j quest concerning the death of David T William McCatoe, the three-year-old son of Michael Henry MeCa'be, a waterside • worker. It appeared that the child had | T gone out into the backyard of his j 1 father's house to play. Missing him, his i s mother had gone to see what had be--5 j come of him, and discovered his dead ' body in an excavation filled Tvith water. 1 The excavation had 'been made in the ' course of buflding operations on the ad'l joining eection. William Wilson, con- ■ • tractor, said that he had had a contract ; s to excavate a cellar at the rear of | 3 McCahe'e fence. On the completion of j 5 the -work about three weeks ago there | ! was, he thought a space of several j 3 inches between and the " J excavation. Apparently' "the soil had I crumlbled since, and the hole had ex- '| tended inside the fence. The coroner '. found that the deceased child had met 5i its death accidentally, hut ie expressed r , the opinion that whoever was respon"l sible had displayed negligence in leaving " a hole behind the fence of a dwelling j j without making everything secure. The "I father of the child alleged in his evi--1 dence that he had protested to a work- • man against the condition in which, the ; hole was being left.