The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-04-04
.CONSTANT|NOPLE
 COMP PLETELY CUT
 OFF FROM WORLD
Rail Communication Be tween Bosphorous and In- terior Cut-FOOd Prices
 Doubled
By Associated Pres,

Constantinople, April 3.-Constantinople is as much isolated from Asiatic Turkey as if the Atlantic ocean separated them. Railway communication between the Bosphorus and the interior has been cut by attachments of British, who burned the large bridge south of Belijik after getting out all their Indian troops which had been guarding the line. British head quarters is at Ismid. and the protective area is restricted largely to districts within range of the naval guns
 Anatolia is the source of the food sup ply of Constantinople and consequently the prices of meat and vegetables have already doubled The huge profit taking is not checked by the high commission CTS, who maintain the fiction that the Turkish government is functioning.
 Communications virtually are suspended and the allied newspapers are filled with statements that the nationalist movement has been nipped in the bud. News which reaches Constantinople through couriers from Anatolia and passengers from the Black Sea and Mediterranean ports does not support such statements. Mustapha Renal Pasha, the nationalist leader, has called a congress to meet at Angora, with five representatives for each Vilayet. Gen. eral mobilization has been ordered and all military munitions ordered removed from the seacoast.
 TO IGNORE SULTAN
 Definite statements have been made by Mustapha Renal that he will not recognize the Sultan's orders. At Siyas, Anasia, sTokat, Samsoun and many other places there is trench digging and other preparations for defense. Captain Forbes the British passport control officer, has been seized at Eivas, and it is feared the taking of allied hostages may become general.
 The French have again failed to relieve Aintab and Armenians for Adana are moving, with French permission, upon Halatig in an effort to relieve the Chrls.- ians threatened there. A message iron Aintab, sent two weeks ago and JUS received in Constantinople, says that the Moslems will not sell food to 2S.000 Ar menians there.
 Turkish leaders have arrived in Aintab and it is feared great massacre may occur.
 The Italians and French are both criti- cal of the allied occupation of Constan- tinople. which they blame entirely upon the British, and declare that if the two million unprotected Christians in Asia Minor are killed by Moslems enraged Dy the seizure of Constantinople it would be the fault of the British move.
 So far there has been no fighting Of any consequence in Thrace but there is great uncertainty as to what will happen if the French complete their evacuation as planned, and the Greeks occupy the re zion. The French troops are unwilling to fight in Thrace declaring they will no take territory for the Buigar1ans ane | Greeks.
 | A declaration of four members of tnt Turkish chamber are en route to Angors for conference with Mutapha Kemai They were allowed to pass by the Britisr passport control and are expected to re turn here in ten days The delegation | composed entirely of nationalists, pu they are asserted to be anxious to per suade the nationalist leaders tha the Sui tan will not support them and the move ment cannot succeed unless modifed.
 While the British were repairing tn' bridge near BiIejik nationalists directed heavy machine gun fire upon them, Du | their aim was so bad there was only ont casualty. After crossing the bridge tn' British battalions burned it to check tn' nationalists, whose game seems to be t' force the allied troops to pursue then into the interior, and keep up guerrhis warfare, rather than take the offensive.