The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-05-21

HINDER the auspices of French diplomacy and for
the protection of the 'peace" treaties against
Bulgaria, Hungary, and Austria the Little Entente
was founded that union Of the three states Czecho
sovakia, Yugosavia and Roumana with the helm
OF which France desired to guarantee its hegemony
In the Balkans. But Frances rival in the Balkans
is Great Britain, which likewise endeavors by all
means at its disposal to strengthen its influence
there Besides the imperialism of France and Great
Britain, however, an aggressive policy is also car
RED on IN the Balkans by fascist Italy, which has
the advantage its greater competitors of being
far nearer the of action In collaboration with
the British imperialists those of Italy have estab-
hshed themselves in Bulgaria and are constantly
augmentng their influence on Roumania Greece
and Hungary. In its endeavors to convert the Adri-
attic into an Italian sea- Italy has already laid hands
on Fiume and is on the way to convert Albanian on
the Board of this society
Italian capital has already found a firm footing
in Albania, the foreign trade of which country pre-
scented the following aspect in 1925: rs per cent,
three quarters of the turnover fell to the share
of Italy, 81 per cent to that Of Greece and per
cent to that of Yugoslavia. In 1926 the First AL
banian Bank was founded with a capital of 1919
million gold francs. Of this capital so per cent is
Italian % per cent Albanian Is per cent Swiss,
per cent Yugosavian and per cent Belgian. The
chairman and two of the managers are Italians
One half of the reserves is deposited with Roman
banks. Furthermore, 10 months back, group of
Italian capitalists headed by the well-known finan-
cier Mario .Aherti, concluded loan agreement with
the Albanian minister Of finance for sum of so
million gold francs, to run for 40 years at rate
Of 7lA per cent the annual service including amort-
cation amounting to about millions.
Last year Society for the Economic Promotion
of Albania, created mainly with Italian capital was
granted concessions for forest exploitation in the
Skutar region besides concessions for the construc
ton of railways and roads of strategic Importance in
possible attack Yugoslavia. There is only a
single Albanian on the board of this society.
By means of the Anglo Persian Oil Co. and the
Anglo-Dutch Royal Dutch Shell, Great Britain has
succeeded in extending its influence to Albania
In connection with the exploitation of the naphtha
sources there was lively competition in AL
bana between British and Italian interests, but this
ended with the acquisition of extensive naphtha con-
cessions by Italy, too.
The interests of Italy and Yugoslavia are diane
trically opposed in Albania In June 1924 there was
a revolution in that country which destroyed the
power of Achmed Bey Zogu, the adherent of the
Serbs representing the interests of the feuda land
owners (Beys). This revolution, indeed, was di-
rected against the power of the Beys and against
the remnants of medieval feudalism and favored the
confscation of large landed property and the dis
tributon of the land among the peasants.
At the head of the government was Fan Noli,
who was backed by Italy. The old government of