The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-09-23

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 The French air force is now one of the most powerful in the world --second only, it is said, to that of Russia. The air budget for 1886 was 2,430, ,000, ,00O frances; for 1887, it is 3,569, 100000.
 Nor is the French navy to be ignored. When S the German in- vented their ingenious 10O00-ton pocket battleships," the French re- plled with the 26,500-ton Bunker que. When Italy laid down the 35,- 000-ton battleships Littorio and Vittorio Ventoe, France replied with the equally large and powerful Jean Bart and Richelieu. Italy has out- built her in cruisers and destroyers; France is aliead in battleships, Ao- tjlla leaders, and submarines.
 France also has outpostS in the eastern Mediterranean. She is loos- ening her grip on Syria, which will become an independent republic III three years, but French troops VII. De maintained in Jebel Druze ano Latakia, and France will have the use of the important east Mediter- ranean ports of Alexandretta and Tripoli, from which she can threat en Italy's Rhodes and Dodecanese.
 Egypt Watches, Also
 France and England are not the cnly Mediterranean nations which are watching Italy's policies with concern. t,
 Egypt, former protectorate anc TOW close ally of Britain, last year signed 8 treaty giving England the right to have 10000 soldiers ana 400 airplanes on guard duty al Suez, and granting also the right to use the ports of Alexandria and Port Said for naval bases. The presence of Italian troops in Libys has alarmed the Egyptians, ano soldiers and planes are to be con- centrated at Mersa Matruh, ir western Egypt.
 Turkey is also deepfy interested in any possible conflict in the Mediterranean. Mustapha Renal shrewd boss of Turkey, spends about half the country's revenue on it. armed forces. He recalls that dur. ing the World War Italy was prom. ised, by her allies, the great Asis Minor port of Smyrna, along with 2 slice of adjacent hinterland, and ht does not believe that Italy,s dreams of an empire in Asia Minor have been forgotten.
 Friendly With Russia
 As result, Renal recently nego. tiated the treaty of Montreux, re. storing to Turkey the right to fort. ify the. DardanelleS, and thost Notifications are being built, witt 8 whole army corps stationed al Chanak. Turkey enjoys friendly re. lations with Russia, whose Blacl Sea fleet might conceivably comt out through the well-protected Oar. danelles to take part in 8 Mediter. ranean war. Greece is not 8 large or strong country, but her position in the Mediterranean is important from the standpoint of naval strategy be- cause of her innumerable islands Signor Firvanzo, an Italian maya officer, summed 1t up thus in 8 re- cent book:
 "The Greek bases at Salamis ant Salonika, together with the numer. ous anchorages and, hiding placei among the Aegean. Islands, consti. tute a strategic network of grea value for all operations in the east ern Mediterranean. An Italo-G Gre clan alliance would be advantageous to Italy in the defensive sense. Or the other hand, any grouping O the powers which gave Britain ant France the use of the Grecian base would mean the complete strangu lation of Italy," < g They Remember Corfu ,
 What Greece might do in case Q a Mediterranean war is problemat teal. She has always been more U less friendly with England; on tn other hand, she enjoys close com mercial relations with Germany Italy is not popular with the Greeks who still resent Italian seizure Q the once-Greek Dodecanese Islands and Rhodes, and remember Musso lini's bombardment of Corfus up wards of decade ago. tss JugosIavia Is another Mediter ranean power to consider. For year Jugoslavia and Italy. were at logger heads because of conflicting ambi tons in the Adriatc, but treaty Q friendship was signed not long az and in a Mediterranean war Jugo slavia would probably remain iieu tral.
 At present a strong combine force of British and French destroy CTS is patrolling the Mediterranea, under the "anti-piracy" agreemetl negotiated at Nyon, Switzerland. A l l.e