THE CONDITION OF TURKEY.

Timaru Herald, Volume CI, Issue 15503, 13 November 1914, Page 4

THE CONDITION OF TURKEY.

A TRAVELLER'S NARRATIVE,

The recent developments in Turkey lend a special interest to the following message .from its Paris coresspondent pubusiied by the "Morning Post" at the end of September.. . ~

Travelling from - Paris I met a man' who had come straight through from Southern Russia via Constantinople and the Adriatic. On his passage through Turkey and the, Dardanelles he was able to note the preparations of Turkey, both naval and military. He confirm? the presence of over 2QOO German sailors, who at the present moment are en gaged in fixing.heavy artillery to com mand the Dardanelles There appeared to he no activity among the vessels of the Turkish Fleet. The condition of Turkey : is described as hopeless. There is even a famine in the European provinces, and there arc no signs of any effort on the part of the population t-6' help themselves by tilling the soil or to set their ravaged country in order. With Enver Bey absent in Germany the influence of the Young Turk Party appe:irs to be waning, and there is nothing on the shape of a waxlike feeling abroad in the land. My informant saw the Gooben and the Breslau sheltering behind the llle des Princes in the Sea of Marmora on the Asiatic side. They are both too seriously damaged to put to sea at present, and apparently the shell fire has injured vital parts of their structure, because heaw steel casting are needed to repair the damage, which cannot be obtained, in Turkey. Italy was asked to supply them, but has refused. There was a curious incident in con necfc'on with the departure of Admiral Limnus and his stnff. who had in charge of the' Turkish Nn.vv. and wh<i wto rec°l'ed bv the British /MmiraUr. Th<*v had intended leaving Omstnpti noolo by a stonmer of the Alo'sr Lino, rinp, to sail on September 17, h"t instead Ir.f). -J )V Jfa'-o-ri ttanrnw SnWliwrt" ImfoTO the British V."t. r-bn"" : nrr nf Patrns to r>rrv vo& d to tiinv safelv accomplished, but the Moss Lln<was blown up in the Dardan elles.