AUSTRIA AND RUSSIA.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 131, 26 February 1908, Page 7

AUSTRIA AND RUSSIA.

SULTAN'S TACTICS,

USES JEALOUSIES TO GAIN TIME. IIY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION —COPYRIGHT. Berlin, February 24. Wishing to rhow tlio solidarity-of Austria and to prove; that the Noviba'zar Railway does not interfere with reforms, Germany has induced t'jo Sultan to agree to'a renewal of the mandates to officials in Macedonia. However, owing to- the Ambassador's divevgencies regarding the details of reforms, the Sultan rejects theso,. hoping 'to procrastinate. - y : show that. a: renewal of,tho mandates merely prolongs the. present unsatisfactory situation. . . \ ' ~'■l■■ -. Tho class of'diplomacy which the Sultan is practising may bo,inferred from the following dispatch, dated December 27, sent by tho Constantinople correspondent of '"Tho Times".— "Replying to the joint Note in : which''tho Ambassadors repeated their application for the ronowal, ror a period of seven- vears, of tho mandates of the foreign officers engaged in the work ql carrying out reforms in Macedonia, and insisted; that instructions in-this senso should be sent to Hilmi Pasha, tho Porto renous its proposal; to take into its service the civil, agents, the financial advisors, • and- the superior officers of the ' Macedonian Ciendarmcrie, and invitos the Embassies'to reconsider- this offer."" <

As to' tho 1 ineffectiveness''- of the' present ■ policy; referred: to in- 'tlio 'cablegram, the samo' correspondent comments ; "Independent opinion here is ! practically unanimous that tho 'Powers, aro merely wasting time and trouble in elaborating schemes-of administrative reform v.'ithout, at .the same time taking onergetio 'measures to put an end to the war of mutual extermination in which tho Christian. races in Macedonia, egged on and supported by tho Governments or. the Balkan States, have been engaged for the last four years... They would,, it. is felt; be .much better occupied in .bringing;real pressure to,bear in Sofia, Athens, and oilier Balkan capitals, and obtaining executive command for the'foreign •officers of the Gendarmerie, which force should be given the mission, of destroying the bands, and be ■ made strong \enough" to enable it Jo undertake the task with somo'prospect of Success. , - '

"Independent opinion is further unanimous that, while' administrative reforms aro •necessary for the ■ complete-, pacification of . the country, 10 great progress is likely to be made' in this direction.so long as the Powers adhere to their present policy of leaving all- executive authority ir the hands of. Turkish officials, whoso future depends upon their favour at Yildiz. While it is undeniabje that some improvement has been effected since the' pdvent of the civil agents and the Financial "Commission there is considerable truth"in the saying that; 'If tho Government reallv desiresreform, such' reforms as are proposed by the Powers are superfluous,', and if "the. Go'vernment does not desire reform , then they''aro useless.'. The explanation of tho,-action'of'the Powers seems to be: that they cannot come to any agreement among themselves to do any-, thing effective in Macedonia, and that they are afraid of the moral effect on the Balkan population if they admit their inability" to deal with the question." V ■■■>