The Hawera Star. TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 1928. THE TROUBLED BALKANS

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 14 August 1928, Page 4

The Hawera Star.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 1928. THE TROUBLED BALKANS

Delivered every evening by b o'clock la Hawera. Manair.. Normanby. Okaiawa. Eltham, Mangatoki. Kaponga. Alton, Hurley ville Patea, Waverlev. Mo_oia, Whakamara, Ohangai, Meremere. Praaei Road, and Ararata.

When boundary limes were redrawn in Europe, after the- Great War, many of them out right across smaller units' and grouped together -peoples, and sections of peoples, that for centuries 1 had displayed racial animosity. The kingdom of Jugoslavia is probably the outstanding example. Before the war Serbia was a small State precariously .situated in the centre of that troubled area, the Balkans. After the great struggle the new kingdom of Jugoslavia emerged. It was l made up of Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia, and certain other provinces- formerly part of Austria 1 -Hungary. Serbia, territorially, was about the size of Scotland, but the new -kingdom is much larger than Great Britain. The population 1 was more than doubled, amd the various ralces -differed in a marked manner. They had mo general standard of culture, or a common tongue to bind them together, and, naturally, the Serbs made every effort to 'ensure that, in notional affairs, they held the reins of power. The Croats and Slovenes, -many of whom have enjoyed the civilisation of Vienna amd Budapest, are said to be more advanced than many of their Serbian co-nationals, and they resent deeply the effort's made to frustrate- their political ambitious. The Croatiau leader has been M. Stephan Raiditch, who was seriously wounded when a member of Parliament recently went berserk and started- to fire wildly with a revolver. M. R-aditch had been the leader of a party that aimed at the establishment of a, federated -State, or tion, whereas the Serbs have insisted ait. least at some form of deconibraliso.o.n the nralnt'enamce of a centralised form of Government, with Belgrade as the one power of authority amd power. When it'ho new Constitution was drawn , up, the Serbs carried the day, and what, formerly, had been either mo.mirnal States or at least somi-indop emden-t provinces-, were reduced to the level of . prefectures in the new kingdom. This has been the underlying Cause of the continual unrest in Jugo-Slavia. Reiatious with Italy have added to the trouble. The Croats, Slovenes and Dalmatians, because of their geo--1 graphical position, are closely concerned in many questions affecting the Adriatic littoral, amd they claim that, in the negotiations with Italy, their vital interests have been 'grossly ignored. They succeeded in preventing 1 the 'ratification of several conventions, . amid, only last January, blocked the renewal of the Pact of Borne. It has ' been said that only the ability of the King hats prevented armed insurrection during the past year or two, but, arppar--1 en-tly, it as feared that it -will be a difficult matter to restrain: the Croats since the removal by death of M. Re ditch. There will be need for statesmanship of a high order if the ' perils that confront this strangely constituted State are to bo satfely passed..