Rangitikei Advocate. TWO EDITIONS DAILY. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25. EDITORIAL NOTES.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10513, 25 November 1912, Page 4

Rangitikei Advocate. TWO EDITIONS DAILY. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25. EDITORIAL NOTES.

IN the Review of Reviews the Bulgarian Premier, M., Guechoff details the grievances of the Balkan States arising out of the settlement affected I—or 1 —or as he describes it, “the fatal blunder’ ’ —of the Treaty of Berlin in 1878. He points out that at the Constantinople Conference in 1877 it was at one time proposed that Bulgaria should be granted Uskub in the west as well as Phillippopolis in the east. Indeed, in Lord Salisbury’s opinion it was the former area which should have been left to Bulgaria rather than the latter, which was ultimately given. This is interesting in view of the claim now made by Servia to Uskub as the ancient capital of the Servian kingdom. According to M. Guechoff, however, there was to be no question of annexation. “Bulgaria, he says, “does not desire to annex Macedonia. Here and there Bulgarian journalists may have spoken of certain reversionary interests of their country in the event of the breaking up of theTurkish Empire, and here and there Bulgarian youths may have joined Macedonian revolutionary bands. But there is no ground for the belief that Bulgaria, as a nation, is blind to the dangers of the annexation policy, "-and that by \fomeuting insurrection she has light-heartedly brought upon herself the troubles under which she is now labouring. ” And M. Guechoff then goes on to describe what Bulgaria wants, namely, that Macedonia be 1 placed under a Christian governor and-ruled as the Lebanon is. “It may sound as a paradox, ’ ’ he says, “but it is true in fact that with respect to Macedonia Bulgaria is the most conservative and the least subservise of all the Christian States south of the Danube. She is against ‘the partition of Bulgaria, against any change in the present political map of the Balkan peninsula. All she wants is the entire execution of the Treaty of Berlin, and the repitition on Europe of an experiment which having succeeded in Asia, is sure -to succeed in our part of the, world also. The reforms thus | indicated consist of an efficacious ! system of self-government for the

various districts of Macedonia under the control 'of the Powers, equality for all languages, freedom for all creeds, and the necessary financial and other reforms. The Bulgarian Premier sums these up as ‘a European Lebanon under European control. ’ ’ ’

THE Australian drought has wrought great havoc on the sheep and the position is said to be much more serious than was previously reported. The Pastoralists’ Review says that Australia this year has passed through a terrible ordeal, and few, except the man on the land, snow how terrible. One man, who perhaps has mere, widely spread interests in New South Wales stock than anyone else, states that he puts the loss of grown sheep down at 25 per cent,, or over 10,000,000 in that one State, with the additional loss of over 40 per cent, of the lambs. His own losses have exceeded these percentages. Another pastoralist from the north west says that round him the losses are over 20 per cent. Most of these sheep died after the rain came. Travellers report that in the Southern Riverina districts they never saw so many sheepskins hanging on the fences, even during the long drought. The drought,this time was short, hut unusually severe; had it lasted another month the position would have been serious, indeed. The losses in South Queensland, Victoria and South Australia were also very heavy, and it will not surprise ns to see a shortage of at least 300,000 bales of wool in this season’s clip. The condition that sheep are in where they have been subjected to drought conditions has been noted by New Zealanders who have toured parts of Australia lately. A shortage of anything like 300,000 in the Australian wool clip at a time when there is such a keen demand for wool must have an important hearing upon the colonial sales this season.