THE POWERS AND TURKEY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3347, 13 October 1911, Page 5

THE POWERS AND TURKEY.

ANGLO-GERMAN CO-OPERATION ADVOCATED. Amid the present troubles in the north-west of Africa, a little plain speaking about the situation in Southeastern Europe is almost forced on one who values truth and fairness (writes Sir William Ramsay, the well-known authority on Turkish affairs, in the “Manchester Guardian”). I have for years advocated the formation of an agreement between Cermany and. England in Turkey. I have seen no real difficulty in the way of making such an agreement so far as those two Powers are concerned. I believe, and am assured by excellent authorities, that Germany has long been ready and willing to make an agreement on terms that are perfectly fair m the situation and amid the real facts of the case. French policy is ruled by the fear of any rapprochement in any quarter between Germany and England, and French policy is ruled by great financial interests to a degree far surpassing anything that exists in England or Germany, although such interests are

powerful enough, and too powerful, there.

At the, present time French policy in Turkey is dominated by one great financial group, which after crushing out a rival French financial group is bent on _ eliminating as much as possible foreign competition, and its chief rivals are British and American. It is worth noting in this connection that the German ■ railways in Turkey are mainly built with French money. The French group rules' French political policy through the terror of an Anglo-German agreement, and thus it controls the situation, to the constant danger of international peace. Such unscrupulous financial powers prefer to fish in troubled waters; they foresee the future better than the outside world can, and they make their arrangements to suit the impending storm, from whatever quarter it may come. England is determined in its action by the firm resolve to maintain the Entente. France is determined in its course by the dread of any agreement between England and Germany on any subject whatsoever. The financial group pulls the strings, relying on the strength of these two powerful feelings, and in Turkey the whole business is thus manipulated. Meanwhile Germany for a time made the mistake of courting too much the friendship of the present regime, and is likely to suffer when the change occurs, though since January it has become apparent to everyone who thinks abot the Russo-Ger-man agreement that Germany recognises the ephemeral character of the present regime and is preparing for the future. We have made the mistake of being too patently hostile to the present regime, and while this has procured for us some strong friends in the future, yet I do not believe that these friends will be strong enough to rule the storm when it breaks. The probability is that Turkey will go to pieces, and that Germany, Austria, and Russia will pick up many of the fragments. Our concern is to keep the coast of the Persian Gulf safe, and our people would not stand any further intrusion into Turkey, for they have been sick of Turkey and all things Turkish since the Bulgarian atrocities. Such is a forecast of the Turkish situation, which events may (and I hope will) completely falsify. It is the merit and use of political prophecies that they may help to stultify their authors and falsify themselves. To apply this to Agadir and Morocco. Are we not running some risk of being led by hidden financiers who are pulling the strings? Is there anyone who believes that if French influence were dominant in Morocco there would be any fair opening left for the spread of German trade? Is there not something to be said in defence of the German resolve to have some guarantees of a fair opening for themselves in the future? These are questions which ought to be put, and considered and answered in England. I find not a word about them in any of the loose talk in which everyone in Parliament indulges.