Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-12-17
Ple|iminaries al Confer
ence Completed.
delegates In London EvldentaIIy
SuTmount The Greek Difficulty.
Little Prospect Of Early Settlement
Turks and Greeks Still Battle.

London, Dec. 1.-THE preliminaries
of the peace conference were COM
pleted, today, and apparently the
Greek difficulty regarding the sign
ing of the armistice has been SUR
mounted. Everything is in readiness
for the actual negotiations to begin,
tomorrow.
SO wide is the divergence between
the respective claims of the Balkan
allies and Turkey that there is little
prospect Of an early termination Of
the conference.
The Turkish and Bulgarian dale
gates had another prolonged inform
al meeting, this evening. at which II
is reported they discissed Adrianople.
1t is reported through Berlin, tonight.
that the Servian ministers in coun-
ell decided, in Difference to Russian
and French advice, to yield the port
of Durazzo on the Adriatic, and that
the Servian premier, NJ Patitch. Is
coming to London In connection, with
this determination.
This report has not been confirm
ed, but there are Indications of re-
Taxation in tho Austro-Se dificulty.
The Austrian Emperor is. credited
with remarking that he was hopeful
of the ability of Austria to carry out
her Balkan program in its entirety
without resort to force. The Prech-
aska affair also appears to have been
greatly niisrepresented and no long
er affords ground for dissension.
The first engagement between the
Greek and Turkish fleets occurred, to-
day, but so far as known without Sc
riOuS 0amaPa IN either AHA
The Pienipotentiaries met, today, in
ST James palace. They adjourned.
early in the afternoon, without hav-
ing entered into the discussion OF the
question of peace.
The feature of the day was the adj
dress of welcome delivered by Sir
Edward Grey, the British secretary for
foreign affairs, who was elected hon
or president of the. conference. The
response of the heads OF the various
delegations indicated d desire to ac-
eornplish the purpose FOR which the
conference is being held
All the delegates appiatided Sir Ed
ward Grey's speech, which evidently,
like his statement in the House Of
Commons, Wednesday, aimed at i'm
Partially. But the Balkan delegates
seemingly are more satisfied with it's
substance than the Turks. In the
passage, In this way you will lay
foundations on which l trust will be
built by true wisdom and statesman
ship the prosperity moral economic
and national, of your respective coun-
tries" the Balkan delegates sec a plain
allusion to their state and are
fighting for the principal Of nation
atty and are trying to upbuild the
moral and economic prosperity Of their
countries while for Turkey it is a
question of general demolition
In his reply, DR.. panefr of the Bull
garian delegation emphasized Sir Ed.
wards utterance. when he said that
tine conference would work. ITO insure
the Balkan states, so troubled In the
past. an era of tranquility and prog
ress-which is considered as meaning
without Turkey.
Speaking of the first meeting of the
conference. Count Deyoinoyich, a
Montenegro delegate, said: To-day,
we simply looked into each others
eyes"
Count Devoinovich is one of the ablest
of the Balkan Representatives. He was
minister OF justice In Montenegro and
codihed the Montenegrin law. But the
administration at Vienna. considering
him anti-Austrian, obliged King Nicholas
to get rid of him. Then King Ferdinand
of Bulgaria took him as tutor to his chill
dren,. but Sofia also proved insecure. De-
voinovich was in Italy when the war
broke out and King Nicholas sent a spe-
cial envoy to beg him to so to Csttinjs as
private secretary to His Majesty.
The first encounter between the allies
Continued on Page Twelve.)