Evening star., 1914-11-15
THE NEUTRALITY OF GREECE.

are frightened and have reduced their
credit rates one-half
In the days OF the Turks Salonika
profited by q vast hinterland, compris-
ing Roumelia, Albania, Macedonia. old
Servia and Novi-Bazar. Small mer-
chants from these countries came to
Salonika to replenish their stores. To-
day the delimitation of Albania and
the establishment of a Serb customs at
Guervkheli. thirty-seven and one-half
one-time valuable hinterland to al
most nothing War brought devasta-
ton to the hinterland; 100000 Bulgars
and Turks have abandoned 1t.
Prices have increased in most fear
full manner. 1t is a question OF Great
ing a free zone at Sa-
Economic lonika as a means or
o,,A: rendering to commerce
auestlons. a part of its activity.
Projects in this sense have been e:ab-
GRATED. but they imply great expens.
and time. Greece could only realize
them when she was assured of a period
of prolonged peace.
The cosmopolitan character of Salon
ika complicates the situation. Before
the recent war Salonika counted 49,
Jews. 10000 Greeks, 10000 Mussulmans.
Jews. Turquises" or deunmes, 5000
Bulgars. 500 Serbs.
Since the war the situation has great
ly changed. $4,000 Greeks have arrived
from ancient Greece, the Jews and
Mussulmans have emigrated to Servia.
other immigrants submerge the Mace
DOMAIN Greeks, who are irritated at the
affiux OF their compatriots. For fact
there is serious trouble between Greek
OF Athens and those of Macedonia. who
find themselves dominated by the
The financial situation is very com
pIex In 1913 the expenses were SSH
o07 ,2oo, and there was deficit o.
$21.236.400. Now the budget of 1914
on the new territories is con
siderably increased. The ordinary bud
get OF war has grown. The former or
ganization provided peace effective OF
ture of $4.30O.0O0
The ordinary budget of 1914 provides
so.5aS 500. for peace effective OF
mended that the ordinary budget
should be increased to SO. 100000
The naval budget, which was 1850
200. in 1912. attained $4,224.20O in 1914
The ordinary expenses of Hellenic ma
tional defense will attain hereafter
| $15.000.000. That is to say. about the
third of the budget of receipts valued
at s50.000,000.
Finally this account leaves "A deficit
for the budget of 1914 Of s35. 100000.
To fill that deficit. the treasury must
| have recourse to foreign loans. Greece
| has already contracted a loan in France
of one hundred millions. the first prod
| uct of which will be devoted to the
deficits of 1912 and 1913. Greece must
therefore. make a new appeal to for
| eign capital.
The connecting of Creek railways
with those of the continent of Europe
must prove of serious eco
Railway nomical advantage. The con
>. struction of ninety-six kilo-
AlHeS. meters of road from Laiiss
de Papupouli to Guida station on a
branch of the orient from Salonika to
Monastir will prove an event of con-
| siderable Importance to all Europe
Greece is the most southerly point OF
| the continent toward the orient, Now
the Paris-Athens transit requires 100
hours. By the new route it will re-
quire only sixty. Travellers for Egypt
and the extreme orient will no longer
pass by Brindisi-Alexandria, actually
the shortest route. The Brindisi-Alex-
andria transit requires seventy hours,
| while 1t will require only sixteen hours
from Pirie to Alexandria. Besides, there
| is another economical profit for Greece
, in the great number of travellers who
| will now visit Athens before embark
| ing for Egypt.
Greece is making a great effort to
| augment her army and navy so that
she may mobilize in the next three
| years 100000 combatants. At present
Greece possesses five army corps.
| which at the close of 1914 will count
| under arms 100000 men.
A French military mission under Gen.
| demand of NJ. Venizelos, was sent to
Athens in 1909. That mission accom-
| pliShed miracles with the Greek army
| under the sympathetic care of NJ. Veni-
| zelos. But after the assassination OF
| King George the dialogue became kinc
Constantine and the king could not for
| get that he had achieved his studies at
| Potsdam and viewed with jealousy the
work of the French, which, for n fact,
| permitted the Greeks to take a promf
| nent part in the war against Turkey.
The French mission was not per
| mitted to accompany the army it had
reorganized, in the field, but in Athens
| it completed its great work by or
| ganiZing the 10000 reservists that came
| from Egypt and America. set them up
and finally equipped them for service
| The war concluded, Gen. Eydoux was
sent to command an army corps At
| Nantes anu WAS SucCeeueu ny Ieu "
Villaret. not only because the Greek
| minister would not entertain the idea
| of the withdrawal of the mission, bur
| because he would not suffer that the
| mission, after it's distinguished servic.
| to the Greek nation, should be succeed
| ed by mission of some other nation
| ality.
| Greece also possesses a British naval
mission under Admiral Kerr, with
| seventeen officers. The
British Naval British admiral is not
Mission. with the camar,lls
The admiral besides favored the or
ganization of a fleet of submarines,
and his program was thus submitted.
The Greek officers opposed the pro-
gram and favored big ships. dread
noughts. etc. Finally, Admiral Kerr
yielded and his program was made to
conform to that of the Greek officers
| The relations of Greece with the pow
ers of Europe may be outlined as fol-
I lows: Uncertain relations with Ger
many because of the latter's associa-
! tion with the Turk. uncertain relations
with Austria Hungary with regard TO
Epirus. and also to Salonika; uncertain
relations with Italy because of certain
Greek islands and conflicting ambi-
tions in the Mediterranean; the rela
| tions with England, France and Rus
sia are cordial and based upon ira
Iditional friendship or religion: the re-
| Ia tions with the Balkanic powers are