THE ALBANIAN QUESTION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 13350, 7 April 1914, Page 4

THE ALBANIAN QUESTION.

A WILD COUNTRY

"According to recent cables," said Mr Zavitchanos, the official representative of the National Greek Society, Hellenismos, who is staying at the Masonic i hotel, 'in an interview with one of our reporters last night, "a great deal ol unrest prevails in Southern Albania and Northern Epiros, thus ,. Unfortunately making the position of Albania's new , ruler, Prince, William, not entirely a bed of roses. The worst fears are very likely to becoihe fact's, and thero is but -little doubt -that the Albanian knotty and unlooseable question, may not only at any time create a new upheaval in the Balkans, but also drag some of the great European Powers into it, for, according s to Ks&ad. Pasha, au Albanian himself, in his pwn words while a prisoner of war of Greece in Athens, ''independent Albania cannot exist." To give the public an idea, Mr Zavitchanos continued, of what Albania in reality is, and. what a farce, on account of the , ignorant people, takes place there ; through the diplomatic circles'., 1 think it niy duty to give to the people' of this beautiful land, who are enjoying the merits of peace, progress, aiid prosperity, an idea, of that country. he said, is a mountainous country, with a sea coast in tlie Southern Adriatic of about 300 miles, and though Avithin 200 miles from civilisation, is as unknown to Europeans as the. North Pole itself..' Albania is populated by a peculiar semi-savage race, who ciaim to be the descendants of Pyrbs, the # . .well-known warrior ..who in the fourth century B.C. invaded Greece. ; Their ' chief occupation is warmaking ; and looting; They are warriors living in .a country vhere the word '•justice' is unknown, and where everybody takes the law into liis own hands. The, stronger wins, and may remain the \vinner until the loser's " descendants avenge themselves upon the, former winners by shedding blood — blood, foi* blood. That is the Albanian unwritten law. All offences must be. washed out by -blood-shedding, and the sacred will of the dying Albanian to his children is that the family's enemies must be wiped fi*(>m the face of the earth. Hence the everlasting guerilla warfare between faimilies and villages. , Albanians, , , belong to. the .Ottoman, Roman Catholic, aiid; Greelv! Orthodox religions, ' speaking a language of their own, without grammar,., and if there is a letter written (which very .seldom. happens), the writoi* has to use. the Turkish, Greek, Latin or 'Slav alphabet, according to his knowledge, while, the. receiver in 99 cases rout 100 travels baek tp the writer,' asking him to read the letter, for him. Tliey dp hot 1 ilce _ 'education, and the progress of a Roman Catholic mission towards that object; was.. very slow. The moral code in Albania .is very strict. Even a smile from a man „to a . wpman . mieans deatli. • M^i*ri'ages7.are ',- arranged by the parents of the concerned parties, . and almost iri every case the bride and bridegroom meet each other for the first J,ime on their wedding day. Albanians are very fond., of their country,, .and very seldom migrate.' When finding themselves abroad, they declare" themselves to be Greeks, and if closely questioned, they proudly reply that there is a, vein of Grecian blood in their body. Should they be left to their free, will, 1 am certain that sooner or later they M'ould b ecome Greeks. Half of them, as a, matter of' fact,, can speak Greekf It is not safe to travel in Albania without a 'strong escort, \fojr the: mountains are full, of 'brigands awaiting victims-, M-hile it would 'be only a foolish captain who would drop' anchor in one of Albania's isolated ports. As a matter of fact, vessels traversing the" Albanian coast within rifles' range from shore often have their sides and sails riddled with bullets, "just for the fun of the thing!" People are speaking of independent Albania;! As a. matter of fact, Albanians always were and* still are independent. They never* pay any taxes to the 'Turkish' Government, "and" if- they serve ( in the Turkish army, they do so as paid volunteers under tlie promise that they shall be allowed the privilege of lootings in case of trouble? Man*y of theni occupy the highest .positions in the Turkish 'military and -Civil service, and the Sultan's bodyguard consisted qf picket! Albanians. * The recent fighting •in Southern Albania ahd the fall of Kotzani to the Epirots bands, is the result of .the,, unshakable will of the Sputhetn Albanian to join' their country M-ith Greece. ' A, few months ago a. strong deputation of that territory went all over tile, European capitals, expressing their people's unanimous will for such a; union, but unfortunately the ruiers of the world thought othft-wise." Hence 1 tlie appeal lo arms. * , ;' A . I am afraid that the Albanian question is -going to ,becoiue r just as thorny a probleiii as the Cretan question was during ' the last century, , declared the visitor. " "It, should be a thousand times better for tin? Powers if they would gjuide, Albanians into civilisation first (and that will take more than a hundred vears fi'om now under . a powerful pnn-Europeah ' commission, with , the Powers'' sincere support), -instead "of granting independence to that country. But it is not the Albanians who are crying out for this independence. As a matter of fact, the, simple word pendence' is unknown to them. . There i^ somebody else behind the curtain, and that is Austria, whose little game is th'is: Let) "by all ' cost independen<:e be granted to Albania for a feM* years, while Austrian money shall buy ahd corrupt sortie of 'the" "Albanian leaders; a revolution shall "be started, and Austria's pro? tection askjed "and given, while Europe shall be asked to sanction 'the unexpected.', Thus, the - nan-Germans- '-will make uy* iii tho Adriatic for what they, lost i'n the Aegean Sea by the annexation of' Saloiiica and the coast by the Greeks." r .. - , -.Mr Zavitchanos. who is touring New Zealand' to raise funds' for the. alleviation of suffering caused by the, recent ' "Balkan wars, will be in Gisborne another two days. y „ "I have found the people in New Zealand very hospitable," he informed the reporter; and wish to express thanks for the hospitality, courtesy, and liberality which have been Extended to me.. .. During his stay in Gis«?"™% Z . visitor has addressed the 'High School scholars, territorials, and children at the Gisborne school, giving an ; interesting review of the ancient •" history of the Greeks, what thev had done, for civihsa, tion, and (What' their programme for the future. - . ,