The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-17
~ sAsoBsLL sToD'e PHOTO

brokers has now been carried with suc- cess into the law courts by the national organization of German bankers. Three so-calIed "bankers" have been sen enced to imprisonment, one for three years, and two for five years. Another man was fined for infringing the law against unfair competition through ad- yertising his business as a bank. He had formerly been a waiter and had
 made a practice of lending money to students.
 The man who received the sentence of three years carried on what he called a Bank, Commission and F1- nancing Business" It was shown that
 he made 1t regular practice to en- tjce into new operations such custom CTS as made an apparent profit on stock transactions with him. He was sem fenced for embedding deposited secur- ities and he has to meet further charge of fraud.
 The two bankers sentenced for five years were members of the same firm; their offense was against the Bourse law.
 Not less than 16 persons calling themselves bankers are waiting for trial before Berlin courts
 Foreign bucket shops do an active bus mess in Germany through circulars and advertisements in certain publications Of London and Paris, and many ineXperl- enced Germans have lost money through them. As the German courts cannot
 reach these firms, which mostly have
 their headquarters at London and Paris, the Central Association of German Bank CTS has for some time been carrying on d campaign against them by printing in the newspapers lists of all such for eign bucket shops as try to do business in Germany and by warning the public against them.
 Alliance Holds
 The desire of Germany's rivals in Flu rope for weakening or break up of the triple alliance owing to the differences l of her two allies, Austria Hungary and Italy, has been disappointed, as Is indi- l cated by inspired statements Issued in | Rome. Vienna and Berlin in connection | with the meetings just held between the leaders of the foreign policy of the three | allied states in Pisa and Berlin.
 | They showed the intention to enlarge 1 the scope of the alliance and not only make it cover the Mediterranean inter | ests of Italy and Austria, but also pro-
 vide for naval cooperation In case of war.
 1 The drafting and signature of the new | treaty need not take place before June | s. 1913 A year before the date on which | the present treaty expires. and the en- suing eight months will be devoted to
 working out the details of the agreement already decided upon in principle | The cause for the change in 1taly's Tri-
 politan adventure, but more directly in | the announcement of the intention Of | France to transfer to the Mediterranean her entire battleship fleet and assume the
 guardianship of that sea hitherto in the hands of England. Behind this move lies an interesting chapter of recent unpub- | lshed diplomatic history, yelled allusions
 to which have appeared from time to
 time in inspired dispatches. According
 to these a serious attempt was made this
 yeaf to detaoh Italy more completely | from her Germanic allies and draw her | still further into the train of English and French policy, the final result of which was just the opopsite of what was l intended. .. Italy Against Germany l Italy, for years an ally in name only | had maintained friendly relations with
 France and England in regard to Medi- | terranean affairs, which are not form | ally within the scope of the present
 treaty and at Algeciras was found fiatly | m the side of the Anglo French allies
 against Germany Austria, on the other | hand looked upon Italy as her coming 1 enemy and had for several years been
 arming against her.
 | Under these circumstances the time
 seemed opportune for further stroke land during the summer France and Eng land intimated to Italy their desire to | substitute for their informal, friendly citations formal and definite Anglo l Franco-Italian agreement covering af- | fairs in the Mediterranean. Italy speed ily found that this would be incompatible with her position in the triple alliance.
 Whether an intimation to this effect was
 .conveyed to her by her Germanic part ners is not stated, but can be inferred; at any rate Italy did not respond to the suggestion.
 Diplomatic overtures failing, a more direct tone was adopted and France an nounced the transfer of all her battle ships to the Mediterranean and a deter imitation to maintan for the future the
 mastery of that sea by force greater
 than that of the two opposing powers
 This forced the hand of Italy, and for
 getting the old sores in her relations with
 Austria she not only intimated her in
 tention of continuing the treaty or al liance in full force, but also her desire in link up the Italian and Austrian feets by an agreement which would insure the safety of her communications with her new African possessions.
 ! The details of the agreement, includ- ing the strength of the respective navies which Austria and Italy will maintain | in order to face the French squadrons, are now under consideration.
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