Grey River Argus and Blackball News

Grey River Argus, 22 November 1912, Page 4

Grey River Argus and Blackball News

I Delivered every morniDg ia Greymouth. Kumura, Hokitika, Dobson, 'Wallseiiii, TaylorI ville.iirunnertbu, Btillwater.Ngahere, Blackball, ; .Neisou Creek, Ahaura, Ikainatun , VVftiuta, JBeeftoii, Uroiioduu, lCuiiiiuga, J>uuollie, Cobdeu, : Baxtni s, Kokiri, Pataru, Kaiiaatii, Aratika Jvocuku, imua, Rum, Te Kinga, Eotoruanu, ; Poerua, 1 hboimio, Jaoksous aud Utira-. ; ! FRIDAY, November 22nd 1012. ANOTHER act in the long drawn-out drama of the sanguinary Balkans is .drawing to a close. -Terms- of peace are about being arranged for under some new treaty. The troubles of the Balkans have been more productive of treaties than of good faith, for few or none have been faithfully observed. All the more famous treaties . have been violated, just as it happened to suit one or more of the contracting parties. Russia and; Austria have been noted offenders in that respect, as any of the others might be expected to offend in like manner to-morrow if the .opportunity were deemed suffi- ■ ciently favourable to permit of treaty violation. The chief disconcertingcauses in the Balkans difficulties liitherto has been the insincerity : of Russia and Austria, coupled with the want of good faith and the barbarities of the Turks. While the . latter promised reforms in favour of the Christians that they were secretly resolved should not be .fulfilledi the former guaranteed assistance in carrying them out, though their sole concern; was the easiest wayto satisfy their territorial ambitibiis. Of late years the conditions of the relations of the peoples of the Balkans with > the Powers have been quite re.yolutioriise'd- Both Bulgaria and Ser- ■ '.via have become welded into two enj terprising and independent nations. ' They have emerged from the state 61 tutelage they were (held in before, ! ;and will not submit to be dragooned i by either "RussiaT 1 or Austria. Each pos- j sesses a ; well-drilled : aiid efficiently equipped army that has given a new soul to both countries- that- neither possessed before; Every step taken by the Allies, in this last defiance : of , fate goes to show that they had measured the dangers to whicth 'they"' would be exposed if they . relied solely ori -their own strength instead of lcauing on the Powers, as hitherto had been compulsory. Tfie little Balkan States purveyed the difficulties of the posi'tipri, and deliberately took the risk. As tEev; have ' achieved- a phenomenal: I success^ Austria aiicr Russia alike wftl

'have to recognise the fact, which -must prove of immense advantage a$ any convention held to settle peace . arrangements, and at which the Allies will be represented. It is impossible to. suppose ihat a contest which has developed such fhideous scenes of slaughter, pestilence, and the depths of human, misery that are agonisingto. hear of can be ariowed to continue. The determination that was displayed at Kirk Kilese and the desperate courage shown at Lule Burghas were in every way . creditable to the heroic spirit v of both races ; but the fury of the attack and the defence on the lines of Ch'ataldja seem to have gone beyond the limits of ordinary bravery in the fierce and determined nature of the last death grapple of the Christians and the Turk, every inch of ground being struggled for desperately, souw final advantages being claimed fox the 'Turks. Whether that is quite accurate or not will not much affect the question. The 4oss of prestige to the Turk is already so great as. to be practically irrecoverable. Already the con, ditions of peace are said by Reuter-to have been sent to the Porte. Accord, irig to these" conditons, Turkey is permitted to retain Constantinople and ,a narrow, fringe of territory along the ! coast line. We are -inclined to accept I this statement as reliable from the fact that, apart from the general accuracy of, Reuter's information such an arrangement seems highly in accordance with the common sease of the mattec and the sort of adjustment on which a majority of the representatives would be likely to agree. Ii is safe to say that the control of Con 5 sta'ntinople. would not be allowed tc pass under the control of Russia 01 any other individual of the Greal Powers. There was a possibility thai the care of the famous metropolis might have been entrusted to the Allies because they do not possess s fleet; but their confederation is mere ly.-a thing .of yesterday, and was onh entered into as a matter of oonvem ence and in order to accomplish ( specific- national purpose that coulc have been done in no other waj Hitherto the prevalent feeling amongs the peoples of the Balkans has beer for them to Jiate each other as heart Uy as they are all united in detest ing the Turks/ This has been s< much a fact of general knowledge thai only a few minds that hope all thing* will be- for the best have dared t( predict "such a remote possibility a; a united federation of the .Slavs o' the South-east of. Europe. TJie casi may be different, however, after or ganising an international war on sucl extensive and succtssful lines as ar< now under notice. As the war, whicl now appears to be in its last stage has completely neutralised the old relations existing between the Baikal States and the Great Powers, it ma] have been' equally successful in re moving the old prejudices that so lonj prevented the most friendly relation: between .the Bulgars and the Serb; and between other sections of the Southern States whose sources of discord have been as numerous as the} have been always petty and unreasoriable. It is. true that of la to years 1 the tendency has been to entourage the development of the strong bonds of a "common ■ language, race and;religion that draw races together, nc ttia r -U:r what- happens. .