TURKEY DETERMINED.

Grey River Argus, 24 August 1912, Page 1

TURKEY DETERMINED.

. ■» : ■ - : The Turkish Minister of War was interviewed recently by Dr E. J. Dilr Jon, the correspondent-of the London "Daily Telegraph" ,a!nd was found to be still presenting a cheerful face to the world in spite of his country's .troubles. Mahmoud . Shevket Pasha, who has since resigned on account of the discontent of the army, received Dr Dillon at the War Office in Constantinople. He was busily signing papers with the assistance of a civilian official, who first presented the square little documents and .then scattered sand from a wooden spoon over the wet ink of the signature. "Like most Orientals/ writes Dr Dillon, "the Turkish "War Minister is accustomed to dispense with a, table when writing. He simply lays. the paper in the palm of his left hand and scribbles away quite rapidly. On the right hand of his/table hangs a trumpet of a telephone —one of the few that exist, in the Ottoman Empire. As yet Constantinople, has no public telephone, but certain Government offices in Stamboul have the use of 1 the invention among themselves." Shevket Pasha, in answer to questions, said that he did.not know how the Avar with Italy was .going to end. Turkish warships could not fight the Italian fleet, and Italy dare not land; txoops on the Turkish mainland. The position was a deadlock and his country was pTepared to continue it indefinitely, secure in the knowledge that its enemy was suffering an enormous financial drain. "We canot say that the Italians have' impressed us as a good fighting people on sea or on land," added the War Minister. "We may be prejudiced aginst them, 'But look at the facts. They fired some three hundred missiles more 1 or less—at our works on tl?e share of the Dardanelles, without inflicting five pounds' worth of damage. ■ Yet each of those projectiles cost, - roughly speaking about ,£l2O. And over, and above, youmust bear in mind, the enormous^'damage which the .firing, did to their own. guns, whidv deteriorate : rapidly. Our gunners,: on 'the other hand, with moving targets,: hit two Italian ships and injured ;them sensibly."- . Shevket Pasha evident-J ly was disposed to place his-faith'-in; :the fact noticed by many foreign clitics, that the war is costing Italy ,£lO for each sovereign spent by Turkey. .., . '... ♦ ..