A DANGEROUS SITUATION.

Greymouth Evening Star, 5 February 1910, Page 4

A DANGEROUS SITUATION.

TURKEY AND GREECE AT VARIANCE. [per press association—copyright.] LONDON, February 4. The Porte lias intimated that the sending of the Cretan Deputies to the Greek National Assembly would be considered a casus belli. Thereupon the protecting Powers resolved that they would not permit such provocation. The Turkish fleet is ready to start for Pirocus. The Third Army Corps is ready to enter the Larissa Plain. A British battleship, three cruisers, ml four destroyers, left Malta for Ireek waters. It is announced in Athens that the rational Assembly will not be conuked until 1911. A STORM CENTRE. The sturdy patriots- of Crete are not t all dismayed by Notes from the ’owers or by the threats of Turkey hey have determined that their little sland, which is nominally under the u/erainty of the Sultan, shall be atached to the kingdom of Greets-, and or the past twelve or lifteen years I hey have made themselves a cause of ;rave anxiety to European statesmen | liirkey conquered-Crete in 1669. lint tin- | slanders n -ver really submitted, and | hfiy were in a constant state of insnr■ection until 1893. when Gnat Britain. France, Italy 'and Russia inleifer-d uid sot Up an-autom-moiis Govern■nent. PrinM-lGeorge of -Greece was ipp--nted High <' -immissoti -r, tml the sovereign rights -if th - Sultan were not disturbed. the settlement "as not satisfactory, though for some years U condition of coin para live peace was maintain'd by the presence ■-I troops and warships representng the Powers. The Cretans w--re s-t upon throwing off all allegiance to Turkey, ami repeated appeals to (hem to display a spirit of "sweet leasonablem ss" were fruitless. The foreign troops wenwithdrawn in May. 1908. and live months later the islanders boldly de dared their union with Greece. In deference to the wishes 'if the Powers no sips wen- taken by (Ir -ece or the Cretans t>> -jive praetical •IL <-( to I h-■ proelamnti.-n I>v the appointment of depnti<-s to th-- Parliament at Athens, but th-- island ■ b-.eminent was e,-n----dnet-ed in the name of King George I In- worried si rf- sineii if tin- gnat Powers, perhaps rather weakly, postponed tin- d- tiniie solution of the p -r----pi ting niobb-ai till a nmi-- i oiiveni- ni s-,-,-|son. apparently in tin- hope ilia! with !he I ass age ~f t inn- t in- hot Greek ami Piet at. Id ■ d v n! i run more coollv, and meanwhile warships were st at ;■ -ned in < ’retan waters in order to give at b ast a I he. net ieal protection to Turkish interests. In August of las; year troops had to be landed at -t'am-a to remove a 11 reek flag from a fort, and anee again the Cretans were asked. almost tearfully. (■• refrain from a miressite aelioii. Now I in- islanders are foi'ei ng the issue by at tempt in j t• • s--euro "lii'-ia! i. i- Jin'on! for ih-ir repr--s.-matives m \t)ieiis, while Turkey, in a (’irenlai N--le addressed to tin Powers, is nr.-in-j a pr- mp; s-tflenient of the Cretan iim-s I ha: voaild j-iarantee ;iu;..m,my In the is landers. bn! e\|iressly and tinally pr.-M-m tln-ir uni -n v -Hi 1; . Knroll./ 0 st at s; j -, | . tt -: I! i ||J 1 In-l'isolvi-in ,-i -.oi v illOooill situation ’i it -y eat mil In r band tin- i-dan-l •\. i i- ■ : b acinal siix.-ramly of 11n- Saltan m-i I ai-k it -in iit tin kinj-biii - I 1 1 1 "e ■ vet it !- quite evident that lb (Vetlitis nr.- not going to l-e pa-'iti--I In, anv nn-i'e eompromise