THE TURK AND THE MANDATES

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10522, 25 February 1920, Page 6

THE TURK AND THE MANDATES

The Allies have protected undeveloped nations by mandate entrusted to civilised Powers for the sake of righteousness. But tho Turk, in his fully-developed cruelty and barbarism, is to be left master of some of tho. fairest regions of the earth which languish in devastation for righteous government, and free to go on murdering peoples obnoxious to bis fanaticism. It- is true that some arrangement is to be made for taking tho control of the greatest commercial highway of the world out of his hands. How futile is this contemplated arrangement was irrefutably proved tho other day by the doubt raised about the control of the Bosphorus. But as the Bosphorus is one-half of this great highway, the Dardanelles being tho other, such a doubt ought to have been impossible. Tho fact that it was raised at all proves the hollowness of the whole pretence of control. At tho eleventh hour an announcement is made that the control of tho Bosphorus is not to be left to the Turk. It means, “W» never intended the Turk to have half the control, to the detriment of the control of the whole, but we neglected to say so when wo made tho arrangement, and now we hasten, to repair tho omission when it is too late.” Any business- manager making such an explanation would be burled from his post forthwith. Any soldier making it would bo immediately haled before a court-martial. But it is tho explanation of statesmen who have in hand the settlement of the most important international relations since the creation of tho world. These relations do not stand alone. Half a score as important stand with them for solution at the hands of tho men who have made that futile explanation. Tho explanation makes ono wonder what liope there is for any possible solution founded on righteous principles. Wo can only repeat that it is a case for the outspoken protest of the overseas Dominions, who have, for tho first time in their history, tho power to make effective remonstrance. The international control of this great highway; both portions of it, is the only possible control, and tho presence of Turkish sovereignty at Constantinople would be a serious handicap to that control.