GREEK CRISIS.

Evening Star, Issue 15929, 8 October 1915, Page 3

GREEK CRISIS.

M, ZAIMIS THE PREMIER. A COALITION CABINET. ATHENS, October 7. King Constantin© conferred with members of Parliament and begged the assistance of former Premiers. Tlie conference finally decided on a coalition Cabinet under M. Zaimis. who L the governor of the National Bank. VENEZELOS AND THE KING. RESIGNATION, PRECIPITATED BY GERMAN AMBASSADOR. LONDON, October 7. There Had been diffeu-nces of opinion between King Constantine and M. Venezelus ever since the mobilisation decree was issued. M. Venezelos at that time offered te. resign, but King Constantine refused, as both were agreed that mobilisation was necessary, and should be defensive. in character, aiming sololv at preventing Bulgaria from attacking Serbia. An official communique was accordingly issued that agreement had been established between the King a,ml M. Venezeh.s. After the debate in the Chamber, where the Opposition violently attacked M. V«xu> z.elos and vainly attempted to outvote the Cabinet, the German Minister went to King Constantine and bitterly complained that some of ihc expressions that M. Venczc-los had used in tin* debate were in salting to Germany. Iv.ng Constantino immediately summoned M. Venezelos and reproached him with going beyond the terms of explanation agreed between them. M. Venezelos reminded the King that he had reserved to himself full liberty of action if bo were personally attacked, hut ho said that, having incurred the King's dksplea.suiv, lie felt bound to tender the Gain nob's i ©signal ion. It is understood that M. Venezelos promised to support th© coalition if they maintained the mobilisation of the armv. PRESS VIEWS. THE NEW PREMIER. NOT A PRO-GERMAN. •SALONIKA ALLIED FORCE. OPERATIONS MUST PROCEED. LONDON, October 7. !he dramatic resignation ol M VYuezclos is the duel' topic of discussion, and is even overshadowing the renewed French offensive in the ChampigneIhc newspapers accept ,M /annusT accession to power as a practical rather that, a brilliant politician, but acknowledge that bis slraigh forwardness and honestv of purpose have '‘arned Him the universal respeo. and esteem ot Ins le'low-countrymen. M. Zaimi - sympathises with the Entente Powers Tho ! Daily Graphic’ attnouuw the Reiman diplomatic success to briberv of the Greek, Bulgarian, and Rumanian newspapeis and politicians, but it is necessary to remove tho impression if Austro-Gcmian military success is iikelv.

Other newspapers insist on the necessity of increasing the army already at Salonika to the maximum.

Ill© ‘Morning Post’ says that tho time has come to nerve the resolution of the Foreign Office. It is nob sufficient to have lofty views and a righteous cause. If Greece is helpless in the hands of a faction to defend her national interests, our Army and Navy must, free her from that faction. The recent treaty gives Serbia tho right to use Salonika, and tills is a much more promising avenue to the Anglo-French armies than Gallipoli. Several hundred thousand troops ought to be sent immediately to protect Serbia. Tho ‘Daily Chronicle’ says tliat the Entente Powers must push ahead and show that they mean business. There has been enough fumbling in the Balkans. Really imposing forces must bo landed without delay at Salonika, and powerful squadrons of warships should bo sent to Greek waters. PARIS, October 7, The newspapers make reserved comments on the Greek crisis. They agree ■that nothing should interfere with the Macedonian expedition, which must be carried through promptly with sufficient forces to ensure success. BERNE, October 7. ‘Der Bund’ states that King Constantine protested against M. Venezelos extending, tho Grsecn-Serbia n Treaty to include support to Serbia if an ally of Bulgaria attacked Serbia.

It is now probable that Bulgaria will support King Constantine’s intervention by not attacking Serbia; and content herself with holdiiig a strong Serbian force inaoteve.Twenty Germans and spies of various nationalities have been arrested at Basle. BRITISH SUBMARINE SINKS VESSEL IN BALTIC. I.'cdon ‘Times’ and Sydney ‘Sun’ Services. TiONDON, October 6. P- is reported from Amsterdam that a British submarine sank the German steamer Svionia (2.797 tons) near Rugen Lie. in the Baltic Sea. Ten of the crew were saved. THE CAMEROONS. London ‘Times’ and Sydney ‘Sun’ Services, T.ONDON, October 6. A Belgian official report states that important successes have been obtained in the Cameroons by the French Equatorial African troops, in conjunction with the Belgian forces. THE CRIP ON LUXEMBURG. INSULT TO INJURY. LONDON, October 6. The, Central News Agency’s Paris correspondent declares that the Grand Duchess of Luxemburg was strongly urged by the Kaiser’s agents to marry Prince Joachim. After many refusals she announced that she would not marry anyone,' and would insist on entering a convent if she was further pressed. NATIONAL SERVICE. LONDON. October 7. The War Office has suspended the house-to-honse canvass for recruits. Before the pink form under the National Register is issued Lord Derby will confer with the committee of the Trades Union Congress. COURTS MARTIAL. NATIVES IMPLICATED. [Pep. United Press Association.] AUCKLAND, October 7. It is not often that a court martial takes place in Auckland, but on Tuesday a military tribunal will sit at Narrow Neck, when two .Maori soldiers, members of the Second Reinforcements, will he cha-m-ed with desertion. Quo is alleged to have deserted while on leave, and the other is stated to have escaped from the ship. The proceedings will be of more than ordinary interest, since an important witness wiil be a Maori occupying a high position, who is alleged to have made utterances calculated to actuate the men in their deserting. The proceedings will he open. MAORI REINFORCEMENTS. [Per United Press Association.] WELLINGTON. October 7. A cablegram received to-day by the Defence Minister states that the Second Maori Reinforcements have completed a stage of their journey. The health of the men is excellent, although they have experienced a rough passage. THE BROTHERS SHAND. Privates Arthur Leith and George Page Shand, sons of Mr J. A. Shand. editor of the Thames ‘Star’ (formerly on the reporting staff of the Dunedin ‘Star’), who were wounded on Gallipoli, have gone through some exciting and interesting periods, while their experiences have been varied. Both were members of the main body (Auckland Battalion). The elder, Arthur, was wounded in the foot at the landing on Gallipoli, and also injured his spine. He has recovered from the first, but the spinal trouble has proved more serious than was anticipated, and is described as displaced. He was sent to England, and alter a stay at .Manchester was sent to Epsom, where he was located at last advices. Ho is undergoing massage ami electric, bath treatment, preparatory to an operation, and there are. hopes that the curvature will be removed. In his last letter Private Shand states that all possible attention is being paid the New Zealanders, and the greatest kindness and consideration is extended to them by friends in England, who make it a soecial duty to minister to the necessities and supply unexpected luxuries to the sick and wounded. “They arc kindness personified. ” he writes, ■’and. barring tlie injury, the only thing 1 have to complain about Is that I have not received a mail from New Zealand for some months—ever since the landing.'’ George Shand. the younger, also left New Zealand with the main body as a member of the Sixth (Hanraki) Company. He took part in the hi.-toric landing at. Gaba TVpe (now Anzac) on April 25. and in the deadly fighting that followed. He escaped injury until May 8, when he was wounded on the famous ’• Daisy- Patch,’’ on the southern portion of the peninsula. The New Zealanders were conveved in transports to Cape Holies, and cn-opor-ated with British and French regulars in bayonet charges against the Turks, who were holding a strong position. Numerous machine guns, cleverly concealed on the, Turks’ flanks, continually harassed tho attackers, and the casualties among tlie New Zealanders were numerous. Private. Shand was struck twice, by bullets—one entering the right breast and the other under the right armpit. He was conveyed to Malta, where the bullets wore extracted, and he was making a good re- < every when scarlet fever broke nut in the ward, and he caught th© disease. He was removed to Alexandria, and. making a good recovery, was pronounced fit for duty about tlie middle of August, and returned To Gallipoli and rejoined the remnants of his company and regiment. When convalescent he. was offered a trip to England, but declined, preferring to remain with the few comrades left. He took part in the various engagements that followed tus return to Gallipoli, and was reported as ‘slightly wounded ’’ on September 10, and at latest cable advice, was progressing favorably at Malta. Of the officers of the company, ol whom Private Shand writes in terms of highest praise, scarcely any have been left and the original Third Auckland is but a name—a name of which the urovinee may well be proud. PERSONAL.. Major H. C. Xutsford, New Zealand Staff Corps, who left with the main body of the Es;x?ditionarv Force as second ii. command of th© Otago Mounted Rifles, has lieen appointed to the command of the regiment, to succeed the late Colonel Arthur Bauchnp. Mr Stewart M'Donald, clerk of the Court at Port Chalmers, was entertained on _ Wednesday night at a send-off social evening by a number of his friends prior to his leaving for Treutham. He is going iii the infantry. The send-off was very pleasant. The Mayor (Mr T Seollav) said he was. pleased to comply with th© request t > preside, for he regarded it as a privilege to have an opportunity to do honor to the men who were going to fight for their country. Especially was that the case at the present time, when the need; for mo>-e men was so urgent. There was ho disguising the fact that victory had to be fought for, and there was no denying the need for more men to take the places of the killed and th© wounded. It meant a stiff fight yet to win, and more fighters were needed. Th© guest of the evening was a popular Port Chalmers boy, a. younger son -if Pilot M'Donald, who' was one of th© pioneer officers at the port of Dingo. It was very fine to see the way the young men were responding to the call for recruits, and though they were sorry to lose Mr M'Donald they were nevertheless pleased that he was going to help fho boys who were already fighting. As a memento of esteem and good'wishes flora his fellow employees in the (Tivil Service the Major presented Mr McDonald with a -wristlet watch, In replying-

Mr M’Donald said he applied to the deportment m May iaet for leave to enlist. In the course of an appropriate speech he said jfc seemed to him that one could not refuse to go and fight, for besides its national aspect there seemed, to come a call from one’s wounded comrades and schoolmates, a call for help that might not he ignorod. We lived in deeds, not years, and it was worth some risk to have the honor of helping to complete the initial work our soldiers had so brilliantly done at the Dardanelles. Mr J. Mill, as senior J.P.. spoke highly of Mr McDonald as clerk of the Court, as also did i.erpeaut Dougan and a. number of other speakers, who all united in wishing him <rod->p<Mxl and a safe return. Private Albert John Vivian Davis, who died in Dunedin Hospital on Monday, returned from Egypt in the Willochr'a. He was a member of the Second Reinforcements of the Veterinary Corps. The funeral took place at Invercargill yesterday, where his parents reside. Deceased was 21 years of age. Private cable advices announce that Lieutenant Grant Michaelis, 2nd East Anglian Roval Engineers, was killed in action at tlie Dardanelles on the 23rd September. Lieutenant Michaelis. who was the eldest son of Mr and Mrs Edward J. Michaelis. of Melbourne, and nephew of .Mrs D. E. Theomin, had, since the commencement of the war, been occupied in coastal defence works in England in charge of a company from the famous engineering works of “Allens,” of Bedford and could only have been at the Dardanelles some five or six weeks when death claimed him, for as late as the end of July ho was still in England. The young officer, though but little more than 20 years of age. was very keen on his job and had attracted the notice of Arnold Bennett, the novelist and playwright. who wrote that he was particularly impressed with the confidence and resourcefulness of the young Australian. Much sympathy will he felt for the parents, as Mr Michaelis on his several visits to New Zealand had made many friends here.

Mr W iiliam Collie. 116 Highga-te, Roslyn. has received cable advice that his son. Private A. E. Collie, has been admitted to Aiderhey Hospital. Liverpool. Mr F. W. Petre. St. Clair, received a cable from tlie Secretary of War yesterday morning intimating that his son (Lieutenant E. H. Petre), of the Suffolk Regiment), who was reported wounded, is now reported slightly wounded, and has remained on duty.'