The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-01
AUSTRIAN AFFAIRS '' ARE UNSETTLED Old Cloud That Shadows Pass
 ing of Old Age STORM IS BREWING Belgian Foreign Office Wants Inf0rma- tiOn From Dutch Foreign office
 About the Fertilization
 Plans at Flushing
STORM IS BREWING

Berlin, December 31.-(Special)-Th
 old year would have passed away quietly, I leaving no serious problems behind any
 where, but for the unsettled political af-
 fairs in Austria. No international com plications are threatening the always del
 icate European peace, and the slumber- | ing political forces of the masses are calm, even in Greece. In Germany it is
 known, that the calm is only the one which precedes a hurricane, but the elec- l tion Is too far off here to cast any alarm | ing shadows upon the holidays. The crisis in Austria, however, together with new rumors of Emperor Francis Joseph's | failing health and slackened grip upon l the affairs of his kaleidoscopic empire are a source of considerable anxiety, which has disturbed the Christmas jot of our statesmen. The news of the last few days sounds little more than encourag- ing Rumors are af1oat that France Is
 not unwilling to supply the money needed to carry out the great canal scheme through Galicia, connecting the Danube, Oder and Victula, which the Austrian Poles demand and the inability to cope with, which was the cabinets principal reason for resigning. If the government
 be willing to negotiate for special canal
 loan in France. and this is sanctioned by the reichrath, the cabient may be recon
 structed and, continue in power
 Even If this happens, it Is said, that the minister of foreign affairs, Count Aehren- thai, will definitely leave the political arena at the end of the Austro Hungarian delegations in Budapest February next.
 The affairs of the Friedjung forgeries has injured the prestige of the foreign minister very considerably When chal- lenged in the Austrian parliament recent ly he categorically denied that his subor- dinate in Belgrade. Count Forgach, had anything to do with the man Wassitch. who confesses to forging the documents supplied by the Austrian foreign office to Professor Friedjung. It was on these documents that the latter based his charges, published in the "Neue Fraie Presse,' against the Croatan delegates, who thereupon brought an action for libel against him which, though compromised, was morally successful. Nevertheless, the mere fact of governmental implication in such a miserable affair could not but have a disastrous effect upon the reputation of the minister responsible for the depart ment of state involved.
 I have 1t from good authority that the Belgian foreign office is in a friendly tone requesting information from the Dutch foreign office as to the projected Flushing Qualifications. The object is not to ques- tion Hollands right to protect it's river board against foreign attack, but to ascer- tain the Dutch governments intentions as to the use they mean to make of the Flushing forts on the approach of any foreign fleet aiming, not at the aggressive movement against the Netherlands, but at reaching the lower Scheldt to protect Bel gium against the attack at Antwerp.
 The Belgian contenton Is that the Scheldt is an international river which Holland is debarred from closing in such a case, not only by the principles of in- ternational law. but also by the terms of the treaty of 1889, guaranteeing Belgiun,.s neutrality and enforcing upon Great