PATER'S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3169, 9 December 1914, Page 76

PATER'S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

THE NEW MAP OF EUROPE. It is rather early yet to talk about that,, isn’t it? The topic is suggested to me just now by “War Maps: What the Nations are Fighting For, by Svetozar Tonioroff. in Munsey’s Magazine September. The article is illustrated by coloured maps of France, Russia, the Austro-Hungarian-Germamc Empire, Koumania, Bulgaria. Italy, Denmark and Sweden, giving their . present boundaries, and the boundaries which are to be, supposing each country is victorious or gets what it wants when the war is over._ 1 e maps, of course, only take cognisance of changes in Europe. In our Chat we 1 take notice of colonial changes also. FRANCE. According to the map, France only wants Alsace and Lorraine, the two provinces lost in the Franco-German War ot 1870-1. These contain about sboo square miles, and a population of nearly 2,000,000. As the war will cost France fully half a million of men, the retaking of these provinces will be an expensive item, say, 10 to the square mile, apart from losses through devastation, loss of trade, and in other incalculable ways. But what about outside of Europe? Anything in Asia? Hardly. In the Americas? No, for Germany has nothing there. In the Pacific? not, because France would there come into conflict with us. Wliat about Africa, then ? Do you think we ought to retain Togoland and divide it between France and ourselves? Look at the map, and you will see that between Nigeria (ours) and Togoland a French wedge connects the coast with the Hinterland (a German word which came into use in the African scramble), and that between the French wedge and our Ashanti wedge comes the German wedge. Watch events and see what becomes of this niece of German territory. Now look at the Kameruns (Cameroons, on some maps). After the Moroccan troubles France, for peace and quietness’ sake, surrendered a considerable slice of French Congo, which gave Germany direct access to the Congo. Do you think the French will now get that piece back ? As French and German boundaries are not co-terminous anywhere else in Africa, these are probably the only two areas in which France can'look for territorial expansion. Of course, she may demand a large war indemnity. How much? France lost two provinces and paid £200,000.000 to Germany in 1871, so I imagine that a million a day war expenses, plus cost of reinstating towns, Rheims and Amiens Cathedrals, etc., and an indemnity besides, will come to, say, a thousand millions. RUSSIA. Well, first Russia will probably want to set up a Greater Poland, under her (or his) protection. This will place the Russian (or Poland) boundary west of Danzic, Posen, and Cracow, and take in the whole -j{ Gallicia. But as Russia wants an outlet on to the Mediterranean, and has been striving for a long time to get Constantinople, the old Byzantium—the head of the Greek Church, she will want to dominate Roumania and Bulgaria and what is left of Turkey in Europe, or perhaps will help to establish a federation of the Balkan States under her leadership. Will Russia, too, want an indemnity? THE AUSTRO-HUNG ARTAN-GER-MANIC EMPIRE. Well, what of this if the combination wins? We all know that Germany wants Denmark, Holland, and Belgium, and now would almost certainly annex Russian Poland. According to the map in Munsey’s, Austria will get Servia, Montenegro, Albania, Southern Bulgaria, the newly-added strip to Greece, and complete domination of Constantinople. This will give access ‘ to the Treasure Land of Asia Minor,” in which, we know, Germanising influences have been working for many years. . But what about the other continents, and the oceans? Anything in Asia beyond what she had before the war? Perhaps Formosa from the Japanese, a foothold in French India, some or all of the Dutch East Indian possessions, and from us all rights and influences we have in the Persian Gulf and the basins of the Tigri# and the Euphrates. Asia Minor frmn Turkey goes without saying. ft hat about Africa? Almost too big in suppositions to make any forecast upon. Morocco, which she has 'been wanting so long? Algiers and Tunis too? The expansion of Togoland and the Kameruns? Of East Africa? The ousting of us from AValxisch Bay, the only decent port German South-west Africa has? A road blazed across South Africa ? An unoonsidered trifle or two from Portuguese territories? Or, better still, an independent (in the meantime) South Africa under the benevolent guidance of Germany? From poor, suffering Belgium she would WfaSMdi the Belgian Congo. Anvthingr in America? Hardly: but if the United States is interpreting the Monroe Doctrine to mean that she is not going_ to see that the States of South America keep strictly neutral in wars such as are now waging, then the European nations will say either the Monroe Doctrine cuts both ways or it is not going to have any force at all. We knew" that Germany would like some of the West Indies, and more or less of Brazil and Argentina; hut it would not he advisable to fall foul of the United States for a few years to come. What about Australia? Surely she would hardly annex it. But what about a large war indemnity for having given nioral and material sunport to Great Britain ? But New Zealand, I should imagine, would fall into hef maw. In the Pacific, I dare say, she would demand all our possessions and the restoration of Samoa. British New Guinea (or Papua, as it is now called) would be taken over as a matter of course.

And where does Austria come in? No doubt she would demand Venetia pro-

vince from Italy, arid, as the tool of Germany, would be in evidence in the Balkans as long as Germany willed it. Germany is playing for big stakes, and if she loses she must suffer correspondingly—the bigger the gain, the bigger the loss. The indemnities going to Belgium, France, Great Britain, and Russia, ought in themselves to be so appalling as to cripple her for generations to come. ROUMANIA. Perhaps she would want back from Russia Bessarabia, which Russia took in 1877 ; but also Transylvania from Austria. The former Russia might object to surrender, but she would make no objection to the acquisition of the latter. BULGARIA. You will remember in one or two of my Chats at the beginning of the war I referred to the two Balkan wars. In the second one Bulgaria had as enemies Servia and Greece, and lost to both, and at the same time Turkey regained Adrianople and the surrounding country. Bulgaria would like to get the southern half of Servia, a strip of Greece east of a line from near Monastir to a point at the head of the Gulf of Salonika, and strip of what remains to Turkey west of a straight line drawn from Enos, on the HCgean Sea, to Midia, on the Black Sea. But. any alterations in the boundaries of Roumania and Bulgaria will depend largely upon what Russia will agree to. ITALY. Italy has remained neutral, and her neutrality has released half a. million of French soldiers from the Franco-Italian frontier, or even more than that; so, when Austria is exhausted, Italy will demand Tyrol (not the Tyrol) and the coastal territory inhabited by Latin-speaking people—that is, the “lost provinces ” of Gorlitz and Istria, in which are Austria’s two ports, Trieste and Pola, the latter the chief naval station. Probably,_ too, she will exact more or less of Dalmatia, to make the northern shores of the Adriatic purely Italian. Most of the Italianspeaking Austrian dominion goes by _ the name of Trente or Trentino; sometimes also called Italia Irredenta —Unredeemed Italy. DENMARK. Denmark will probably be quite satisfied to get back the lost provinces of Schles-wig-Holstein, with the valuable Kiel Canal, which, however, will probably be neutralised. If you look at your atlas you will see that the restoration of these provinces will give Denmark Altona, the twin city of Hamburg. It is interesting to know that Prince Albert of SchleswigHolstein, a lieutenant-general in the Prussian army, has resigned his position and has joined the British forces. SWEDEN. We hear practically nothing of Sweden; but we read this week that Russia is tightening her grip upon Finland. Well, Sweden wants Finland, but I don’t think she will get it. Now, get your maps and follow what I have somewhat hurriedly written, and do some thinking on vour own account, and, when peace is declared, see to what extent this outline will agree with the territorial changes which the treatv of peace arranges for. You will have noticed that I have not made any forecast as to how our Empire is to stand, though you may have inferred a little. Well, I am not going to suppose anything for us just now, except that, if we win—and, of course, we will, —we shall see that we have an All-red road from Cane to Cairo. Come to think of it, I should have headed my Chat, “ A New Map of the World,” shouldn’t I?