The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-24
VICTORIOUS ALLIES
 LAY MOST IMPORTANT
 CARDS ON THE TABLE
Continued from Page one)

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 pean empire without formal comment, and asked sor adjournment until Sat urday to consider the allies demands.
 In the informal conversation with the delegates, which consumed an hour, the Turks asserted it would be impossible for them to accept such terms, but that state- ment Is inevitable in meetings of this character and was expected today. The territorial profits of the war which
 the allies will divide are the same as
 those published in these dispatches De-
 cember II, with the exception of the ar-
 engagement of the powers made for AL
 bania The allies will recognize the au- tonomy of Albania under the suzerainty of the Porte, but not it's sovereignty. Albania will become what Crete was, and what Egypt is in it's relation to Turkey. The Sultan will be the nominal ruler, but without political. administrative or mili- tary power. He will have the right to | raise his flag in Albania and appoint q 1 resident governor. but only for the pur- pose of ratifying the decisions of the local government.
 All the delegations attended today's ses- sions. Every one appreciated the fact that the meeting was to mark the passage of the deliberations from the preliminary stage to that of real negotiations, and
 that it was designed to revise the map of eastern Europe.
 Feeling Intense The atmosphere of the stately council chember was charged with intense feel ing through the proceedings. NJ. Novakovtch, head of the Servian delegation. took the chair. On his right was M. Nikolitch, speaker of the Servian parliament, and on his left M Vosnitch the Servlan minister to France. The pres ident of the conference asked Reehad | to notify the conference as to the instruc-
 tions he had received from Constanti- nople.
 Rechad replied that the imperial Otto- man government had instructed him to treat with all the allies, Greece included.
 without any conditions
 Dealing with the question of reyic-
 tuaIling the besieged Actresses, Rechad Pasha said Turkey even was ready to lay aside the cases of Scutari and Ja-
 nina. In Adrianople, he said it was
 known, the hospitals were overcrowded and their patients lacking in primary necessities. Women, children and the aged were suffering or starving He
 must insist he said. on provisioning Adrianople to an extent which would meet the demands Of humanity, but
 which would be insufficient to place the
 belligerent in a better position than they held when the armistice was sign ed.
 Rechad said he was animated by a
 desire to avoid crastination, and
 that the question be dealt with directly between the Turks and the Bulgarians, thus ma king it possible for the confer ence to continue. The heads of the al- | lied delegations expressed satisfaction with Rechad's statement
 The Crucial Moment 1 Then NJ Novakovitch, tall and erect.
 rose. holding in his hand large sheet
 of paper. It was the crucial moment | of the conference and all eyes were
 turned upon him. The Balkan delegates showed emotion and anxiety; the Turks
 appeared as impassive as statues. | "All the secondary questions havins g
 been settled the moment has come to
 explain the conditions under which the
 allies are ready to conclude peace," NJ. | Novakovitch announced. Then he pro-
 eeeded to read the demands of the Bal
 kan states.
 l When he had finished all eyes shifted
 to the representatives of the sultan 1 Rechad Pasha rose again. and in his | habitual slow manner asked for writ
 ten copy of the proposals NJ. Nova
 kovitch ordered the secretary to make
 the copy and the delegates left their
 seats and Joined in an animated and
 cordial conversation.
 | During the long wait for the copy | of the demands, and while disclaiming any desire to enter into a discussion of their merits. the Turks said that, speak | ing unofficially, they considered the all 1 lies terms to have been designed for
 the purpose of breaking off the con-
 ference. When the delegates had sign
 ed the document Rechad asked for an
 adjournment until Saturday in order to consider the proposals and his request was granted
 | Among diplomats here the opinion prevails that notwithstanding what the
 Turks consider the unacceptable condi-
 tions presented by the allies. and what