"STRATFORD EVENING POST" MONDAY, AUGUST 4, 1930. EUROPE'S DANGER SPOTS.

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 10, 4 August 1930, Page 4

"STRATFORD EVENING POST" MONDAY, AUGUST 4, 1930. EUROPE'S DANGER SPOTS.

HOW far is tlie esrangements of France and Italy uangerous to the peace of. Europe.-' '., Wliilo there is probably little , fear of a direct conflict, France is to some extent imperilled by her Balkan friendship with Jugoslavia. The post war years have witnessed a dangerous grouping- of Powers in south-east Europe, where to-day Italy and Albania confront France and Yugoslavia in a rather uneasy peace. The danger of, consciously willed hostilities is not substantial disrnjte Mussolini's out-pourings. There is, however, the possibility of an accidental conflict. In the Balkans "incidents" are common, but, given .goodwill and common, they can M«*ualTv be explained away, though should Italy so desire she could at any moment create", a belligerent provoking "incident" on the Albanian border. In the Italiansed new Albania all roads and railways run to the border of Yujro-Slavia. Bridges Lave been built to carry the heaviest of guns and tanks. Depots and barracks, so far ujmseH, have been built. An army Sa! being whipped into shape by Italian officers. . The necessary goodwill is unfortunately not abundant, and the common sense of dictators is apt to vanish in, a crisis. The fact that both Yugo-Slavia and Italy aPe under semi-despotic governments magnifies considerably the peril of every unfortunate incident. How far can the occurrence of these incidents be prevented ? Most of (hem arise from the ill-treatment of minorities, whose rights are nominally guaranteed by the Minorities Treaties. Unfortunately that safeguard is, in the majority of cases, a dead letter. The fact that it is not binding on Italy, which is a great Power, makes it additionally irksome to Yugo-Slavia. In the offing, beyond this, ]T"no•••■• and Bulgaria are spoiling for a fight. Hungary, because she has been robbed of land that was hers through the centuries land that was Hungarian by every right, and Bulgaria because of some inequalities handed ?out Ho her "s a result of the war engendering peace treaties (rreece apparently has learnt her lesson, and desires no more wars to expand her territory at the expense of others, and T?,oumania has already more than she ran adequately govern. There remain the disruption of artrftcally formed Ytigo-Rlavia. Croats, Slovenes and Montenegrins have many matters to call Sofh-> to heel for.