THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. MONDAY MAY, 31, 1915. FUTURE OF ASIA MINOR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15931, 31 May 1915, Page 6

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. MONDAY MAY, 31, 1915. FUTURE OF ASIA MINOR.

It will generally be agreed that when Constantinople has been reached tho dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire will begin. In this great dismemberment there are other interests to be considered than those of Turkey itself. Britain, France and Russia, battering at tho Dardanelles, do not fight Turkey alone, 'for one great result of tho success of their operations will bo the destruction of German scheming in Asia Minor, and of tremendous interests which have been built up year by year with the &id of Prussian diplomacy. Germany was quick to appreciate/the vast riches of a country which the Turk was incapable of developing, and in the characteristic German fashion the foundations were cleverly laid for her ascendency. The Mediterranean states have long realised and dreaded this increase of German influence. They saw that only time was needed to complete the reduc- | tion of Asia Minor to the condition of a German dependency. Hitherto they have been unable to checkmate German ambition, but the coming • the present war made them all lookforward with brighter hopes to the future of Asia Minor. There is ample, evidence that Germany considered Turkey and her- Turkish interests worth • fighting for. Her preparations before the war, and before shq, dragged Turkey into the struggle, clearly demonstrate this. Many German soldiers were sent to Turkey and large quantities of ammunition wore secretly conveyed to various strategic points. Theue men and guns are, now being used in the defence of the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles. ■ One of the Kaiser's dreams was, with the help of a subservient Austria, to' rule over a territory extending ' from Berlin to

Salonika and to be the " protector" of Asia Minor. -' ; » m . •'* Otace - Germany's attention had beemattracted by the vast resources

of Asia Minor her . dealings, with, the Porte were promptly brought to a I successful issue. In 18S8 the .first ! railway, concessions were secured | and a company was formed with the powerful support, of /the Deutsche Bank. Other , railways . followed until the 'country became a network of lines,, all' useful for ' commercial purposes, -all;with value from a miliary standpoint. The company was shrewd enough to see how profitable it would |be , to • develop , the > ray materials in the districts served by its railroads j it therefore secured rights ;in regard to . tho exploitation of coal and copper, the cutting of timber^ the building of harbours and the monopoly of .brick and tile . works in' the territories conceded rto ■ it. With the aid of the best brains in Germany it secured many bargains for the Government, which,' though kept in the background, was behind every enterprise. The scope of the Bagdad Railway Convention shows that countless enterprises were laid •hder tribute, while German capital k»ov xl into ;. .the' t: country. The advance of German influence eventually .cached such proportions that B-Usaia became concerned and a formal demand was made that she should have exclusive rights in the north-cast provinces of Asia Minor, Ibo Russian Ambassador at the Porte arranged the Black Sea agreement ip 1899. A Naval Convention between Russia and Bulgaria followed in 1903. The Anglo-Russian agreement was reached in 1907, and the Potcdam agreement in 1910. It was, however, impossible to stay the steady progress of Germany. The

Balkan war of 1912 proved a check, but only a temporary one. The Turk has shown himself utterly incapable of ruling wisely and humanely; he has forfeited all consideration from the civilised world. Germany has lured Turkey to her ruin, and one of the results of the war should be the handing over into better hands of German interests in Asia Minor. Russia, Franco, Italy and Greece may become more or less directly interested in this territory. Italy has joined the Allies and her action will render the task of settlement easier. Her hopes of inheriting certain German privileges are regarded favourably by the Allies, and her ambitions will probably, be fully realised. The traditional British tolerance of Turkey snapped , when in spite of the patience and kindly counsel of Sir Louis Malet, the British Ambassador at Constantinople, the Turk joined forces with Germany. In Turkey, as elsewhere, Britain's first duty now is to . put an end to the spread of German " kultur,", . and she can best do this in Asia Minor by : giving whole-hearted support to the legitimate ambitious of her allies, J *