THE POWDER MAGAZINE OF EUROPE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13480, 3 July 1907, Page 9

THE POWDER MAGAZINE OF EUROPE.

— — WAR OF RACES UNDER THE TURKISH FLAG. j The scheme of reforms devised by- the! Rowers ior Macedonia has now been "in operation for nunc than a year, and some, 'small improvements have undoubtedly been i effected in the financial system. But it is equally certain that nothing has yet been [done or agreed upon which can provide any real remedy for Macedonian unrest. I have passed over many hundreds of miles of railway (writes a special correspondent at Salonica) and have seen and heard a good deal from the men on the spot. They all agree that the outlook is, if anything, more threatening than ever. In the three vilayets- of-Mnn.nstir, Kossovo, and Salonica, for which the International Scheme of Reforms was inaugurated, there are about 2£ millions of people, of whom more than two millions are Christians. Of these more than half certainly are Bulgarians, speaking a dialect of Bulgarian. The rest are Albanian Christians, j Servians, Vlachs (or Wallachs), and Greeks. | THE STRIFE OF THE RANDS. j At least four kinds of propaganda are

s] being actively pursued. Servian bands'J cross the Servian frontier and attack from ■ time to time defenceless Bulgarian villages.! ! They usually kill the Bulgarian ex-nrchate! - | priest and teacher, and carry off two or! s three notables, whom they 'only restore when the village has consented to petition -for a Servian orthodox priest, and has t received a Servian teacher. A similar and I I even more ferocious policy is being pur- ,| sued by Greek bauds in'the south-west.: s I hey- pass and repass the Thessalkin fron--1 tier, and are frequently captained by otti- • leers in the Creek army' who have obtained; - furlough for the purpose. Their murderous •rapacity is chiefly Exercised against the 1 Bulgars, but recently thev have begun to s I attack Vlach villages, which have begun 'to ask that the services in their churches! M filial! he conducted in Vlach instead, of in •Greek. This is the third, or Roumanian! J propaganda. The Greeks regard it as an | intolerable lapse, though they are aware ithat none of the Vlach women understandi a word oi Greek! This new heresy, how-; ■ . ever, has not yet made much progress, j v though considerable sums have been spent' Ijbv the Roumanian Government. Five-sixths 'of the Vlachs are really Hdlenized, for! | the men have had si Greek education, sol > I that they feel Greek- and sympathise with) . .the Greeks. To the north in old Servia ! 'the Albanians seem to be gradually oust-, i ing tire Servians, who do not feel'strong ! enough to resist these warlike intruders! '[upon their old domain. Hence the Ser-j ijvian attempts to poach on Bulgarian pre- . ! serves II But, as I have said, the great mass of >ithe population of Macedonia, except in j [the north-west and south-west, and along I 'the coast where Greeks and .Moslems predominate, is indubitably Bulgarian. The Bulgars are hardworking, progressive, and ■I.well organised, and behind them is free ißulgaria, with a strong army, well armed,; ■well prepared, and, from all accounts, far! better officered and far better drilled than ,'the Turkish. lam informed by more than j one" authority that 300,000 men could be! j mobilised at short notice, and that it would !be a long time before the Turks could; : find anything like an equal force to op!pose them. I I THE TURKISH FORCES. j The Turks on their side are in a highly 'apprehensive and nervous state of mini In Central Macedonia they feel themselves to be foreigners. They know that the local ißulgarian Committees are in constant eom- ! inunication, and that every peasant has at •jrille and cartridges buried away .somewhere' ;jto be used when the signal is given. Turk-; 'iish officers and officials are singularly in-1 I competent. Many of them can hardly; ■ ] speak or even write Turkish, to say nothing ■of French. German, or Slav. The soldiers,; (accustomed to be badly fed, badly clothed,; land badly paid, are certainly brave, hardy, and obedient. But they are not well provided with modern artillery, and it is -S doubtful if they know how to use it. Tliej 'never even receive any rifle practice, !though a German inspector, who recently j 'jtested some of the troops at Salonica, de-j dared that they showed ii natural aptitude.; ''and shot far better than might have been: '! expected. ! ' Intelligent. Turks see and admit that their, "'empire in Macedonia is doomed, but they •!sav that thev will not let it go without a ' I struggle. They have at least, 60,000 men J i!mobilised in Macedonia. There arc some j •! 10,000 at Uskub, and 1 saw several hun-i-ilred camped in tents (evidently new i arrivals) at a station about half-way; between Uskub and Saloniea. Pro-j ; ibablv this ' year, like last, will go by 'without a revolt; but many people who should know think a final conflict , between Turkey and. Bulgaria is near at hand It ; s right that the Governments of Europe should lie prepared, and that they 'should use all the means at their disposal to: : brin" about those real reforms in Macedonia, which the Porte will only giant under over-, I whelming pressure. *