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Star (Christchurch), Issue 12735, 3 September 1919, Page 6

The statement contained in a recent cable message to the effect that Montenegro was in a state of revolt, and tnat the hand of Serbia was heavy on the little country, reads strangely ; longside a report issued but a few weeks previously by Mr Y. Spassoyevitch, a member of the Montenegrin National Assembly. That report stated that there was no truth whatever in t.'e sedulously circulated report that the union of Montenegro with Serbia, which also meant union with the now I’ligdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, had been forced upon Montenegro. So far from that being the case it would appear that one of the first acts of the Montenegrins after the armistice was to proclaim the fall of King Nicholas and his dynasty and the union of Montenegro with Serbia. This was the unanimous decision of the National Assembly, which included a considerable number of Nicholas’s former partisans, • not one of whom raised his voice against the proposal. The Skupshtina thus voted for complete freedom, nor was it swayed, Mr Spassoyevitch declares, by any I ressure, either from the Serbs or the Serbian army, or from any outside in- . flnence whatever. In face of this statement, which is n*.ar to being official, the news contained in the cable message is rather surp ising. Of course it is quite possible for many things to have happened between the appearance of the two statents, particularly in such an unsettled potion of the world as the Balkans. The Serbians may have interfered in an arrogant manner that was resented and led to subsequent trouble, friends of the deposed King may have stirred up internal dissensions leading to the calling in of the Serbians, the people tlcmselves may have disagreed amongst themselves; in fact, quite a number of things may have occurred to upset the harmony that Mr Spassoyevitch say existed amongst the inhabitants. Again, the report may have emanated from c ome source which alms to depreciate the Serbians, and a, small local disturbance, such as oonld be expected to arise in an unsettled country, has been purfusely magnified into a countfy-wide revolt. As no confirmation of the cabled report has been received this latter miy to be the ,case.