A SON OF GREECE

Dominion, Volume 16, Issue 157, 21 March 1923, Page 8

A SON OF GREECE

RETURNS FROM VISITING HIS COUNTRY CONDITIONS AS HE FOUND THEM Recently returned from Europe, where he spent a twelve months’ holiday after an absence of 40 years, Mr. N. Calogaras, when interviewed by a Dominion representative, expressed himself as being very pleased to be back in New Zealand. Tho greatest part of his stay was in the country of his birth, Greece. Conditions there, ho said, were very bad indeed. On all sides there was great poverty among the inhabitants, and discontent. He visited the island of Palea Psara, which was about 19 miles from Snnrna, and there he was introduced to the late King Constantine, who expiessed his Royal sorrow at the departure of so many Greeks from their native shores at a time when they were most peeded. It was explained to His Majesty that it was forty years since he (Mr. Calogaras) had been in Greece, and that in ins.adopted country, New Zealand, he haft, a wife and family. Hud must perforce return. ’. All) tho islands, said Mr. Calogaras, were blocked with thousands of refugees from Smyrna and Asia Minor, nearly all of whom were starving. People literally did not know where the next loaf-,of bread was coming from. He was informed by one of the soldiers who had fought in Asia Minor that tho men were compelled to go for days in the desert with scarcely any food or water, while the officers enjoyed themselves in the nearest townships, ' and did not care how tho soldiers fared. It was this that v-as so largely responsible- for the formation of so many parties in Greece, and the fact that there was so' much quarrelling amongst the people themselves. From wnat he had seen and heard in his native country, Mr. Calogaras was of tho opinion that the execution of tho Greek Ministers after a trial conducted with all fairness was quite justified. They were traitors to their country, and prepared to sell her for a consideration.

Ho knew even while he was in Greece that trouble waS brewing, and was not at all surprised at hearing of the abdication of the King. Constantine was a. great military king, and respected for his soldier-like qualities, but tho man who was the saviour of Greece and her greatest statesman was Venizelos. It was not possible, continued Mr. Calogaras, to conceive what tho influx of refugees and soldiers from Smyrna was like. They came in boatloads, and were kept in the stream at the port of Athens for hours without any food, and even when they iyere landed there was no accommodation to be had for them. He himself had had to give up his room, which was afterwards occupied by -women and children. The Greeks did nob want war, and they considered it not justified, if Turkey was crippled Greece also was in no better condition. She had no business to enter into Asia Minor and war witli the Turks. She should have kept herself intact' in the State of Roumelia, and tipis thousands of lives would have been saved. As it was, the war was one of aggrandisement and greed, with a desire to possess profitable and wealthy territory. Asia Minor was rich in oil wells.

The price of commodities was so very high as to bo almost beyond tho reach of a largo part of the community. Ono good thing in Greece was the inspection of almost every commodity. If a baker was found guilty of selling shortweight bread, not only would ho be fined, but the whole batch of bread, would bo taken from him and distributed to the poor people. And so also with other commodities.

Mr. Calogaras did not have many good words to lavish on the Continental railway system or tho facilities afforded for travelling. The cattle trucks used iu New Zealand for carrying people on special occasions were better than the second-class accommodation on the French trains. lhe third-class on the English trains was a great deal better than the first on the Continent. There was absolutely no provision of water either for drinking or for washing. The Greeks liked neither the Germans nor the French, but thought that there were no people like the English and no country like England. They believed that they were defeated by Turkey because of the help that country received from France in the way of munitions of war and officers.

Mr. Calogaras was glad to get away from the land of his birth and to board a ship bound for England- He was four weeks iu London, tho most miserable four weeks of his holiday. AA’hat impressed him most about the largest city iu the world was the wonderful manner iu which tho London police controlled such a tremendously heavy traffic. He was in London during the trial of Thompson for tho Ilford der, and he could not get within half a mile of the courthouse because of the immense crowds. Mr. Calogaras described tho English system of unemployment doles as one of the worst schemes that had ever been devised for the settlement of a grave problem. Ho was informed that the wage of the best mechanics in England was about £2 Bs. a week. Uiqugh it was low, he considered that,.,haying regard to the differences in the prices of things in the two countries, the man on that, wage in England was as well off as the man in New Zealand on twice the amount. Prices at Home, though higher than before the war, were low when compared with those ni New Zealand. Mr. Calogaras mentioned the fact that trade on the Continent was very bad, and means of transport and communication were completely disorganised. He had had to wait four weeks in Engl and before lie could get a berth on a boat to bring him out to New Zealand, as berths were being so rapidly and so completely booked up by emigrants dissatisfied with the existing conditions at Home, and hoping to obtain a more comfortable anti less precarious livelihood qlsewherc.