ENGLAND AND CONSCRIPTION. A FRENCH VIEW OF THE BRITISH
MILITARY PROBLEM.
THE HONGKONG DAILY PRESS. WEDN SDAY, JANUARY 19TB, 1918,
KING OF GREECE AND THE
ALLIES' DEMANDS. "VIRTUALLY AN ULTIMATUM:"
IN FLIGHT FROM SERBIA.
ENGLISHT PAKTY'S ORDEAL.
BY A MEMBER OF DR. BERRY'S.
HOSPITAL UNIT..
The road was cut from the face of the valley, only here and there were places where one could rost, and we discovered too late that the corporal did not know the road. Wohen found ourselves on a nar- row road sleep to the river and to the bank, We toiled on in the mud. It began to rain, and at last we had to halt.
The correspondent of the Associated The British Government had considered
Press at Athens, has had an interview eventualities which would ensue from a
in with King Constantine, His Majesty be-
About a fortnight before the position war provoked by Germany, a
There was no room in the carriages for which it seemed impossible for Britain not gan by referring to the similarity in the
had become really serious, the English mis Position of the United Statero trying, aions of Vratze received notice from the the whole party, so some of us camped up
and Greece, to participate. Among other measures,
both he said, the atility of which lad been examined, the project of conscription for the United by every honourable. menna, to guard Serbian authorities to prepare, in case on water-proof sheets on a small shoulder general retreat should become necessary, of earth jutting from the road. It was Kingdom was studied by Lord Haldane, their sovereignty, to protect their own
people and to stand up for their national We packed as much as we thought the hospitch black, one could see nothing except The the din Agures of the ever passing crowds, when Secretary of State for War.
To put such a scheme into operation, interests without sacrificing their nou-pital would need and then writed.
wiklest rumours were current. Hugo Serb Just as we were going to sleep one of our writes Davray in the Daily Chronicle, tralit
"Distance," King Constantine added, victory here, thousands of Austrian and men ran up and said that an officer had was the work of at least twenty years,
"protecte
America from immediate German prisoners, Bulgare wiped out by ardored the whole erfegs on as the King was coming. My wife hurried up to inter the French. and more likely twenty-five or even thirty. The reasons for the delay are easy to danger, but the battlefield may shift. What is happening in Greece may happen
view the officer and extracted from him the understand.
In the first place, the financial aspect in America, Holland, or any other neutral
concession that being an English mission wo precedent, sought to be
might stay where we were. My wife trans- of the project presented almost insuper-country if the
mitted the message to the corporal, but he able difficulties. The creation of an army
was too lofty to take orders from a woman and continued to move the carriages along, and we saw our transport disappear into the night, We had to toil after it with hedding, pillows, and waterproofs, ignor ant of where we might find it once more.
I was so furious that I slapped the cor poral's face soundly, and in one act re- devoted slove. duced him from arrogance to.
equalling in a short time those of Con-lished in the case of Greece is once
to both principles,
趄
tinental nations is possible during the war because circumstances" the urgency of a colossal war," to quots Mr. Lloyd George-demand pecuniary sacrifices to which a patriotic nation agrees with en- But in thusiasm and with one voice.
otherwise; it is probablo pease time it that the majority of newspapers which now ory out with might and main for compulsory military service, would have, for divers and even contradictory reasons, measure opped the introduction of
by so many hostile arguments as To meet the fabulous expense of this war the British nation agrees without hesitation to encroach on its capital, and to devote all its available industrial re- sources to the work of war; but when its existence was not so tragically threatened, sho was in too pacific a temper to allow to be added to her naval preponderant the crushing burden of a military strength capable of rivalling those on the Con- tinent, and yet useless by reason of the fact that she thought only of safeguard ing her own shores, and never dreamt of *ggression against her neighbours,
We began to wonder if we ought not to unpack once were; and then suddenly Sir Ralph Paget, fugitive members of the Scottish Women, of the farmers and of the Referring to the present situation of wounded Allies arrived simultaneously. We Greece, which King Constantine attri were told that the game was up, that the buted to the Entente's "assumption Government, owing to the enormous needs that Greece was ready to betray the of the Army, could give us no transport, Entente to Germany at the first favour and that we must stay and be taken pri able opportunity, his Majesty said:soners, All the English were to bo con- From the very outset of hostilities in the centrated on our village, and the Ameri- can Ambassador in Berlin was to be noti- Near East Greco's neutrality stretched to the utmost to accommodate fied. Sir Ralph, however, was doubtful of the Eutente, for whom we always felt the fate of those men of military age who were neither doctors nor nurses, and sug- the keenest sympathy and deepest grati tude. Greece alto aided, in every way consistent with her neutrality, the too leng delayed campaign to rescue Serbia. Finally, I myself have given my per sonal word that Greek troops will never be used to attack the Franco-British forces
car frontiers."
was
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We restarted before dawn, as our horses gested to the heads of the anits that these, were catching cold. We passed hordes of if they wished ought to leave aftempt the Austrian prisoners, more crowds of poor At midday risky crossing into Montenegro, and try to boys, about 3,000 altogether. make a passage into Italy. Only the Sir Ralph Paget caught up; he told me strongest were to try it as conditions might that we had better go to Mitrovitza. as in Macedonia. Yet, despite all these ovi.be very severe. A party was formed, and thence were three routes from Serbin, might fall, Our carriages were breaking dences of Greece's good faith, the Entente as my wife and I knew the country and while I was trusting to one, also Uskub JAVA, MAKASSAR, MANILA, HONGKONG & SAN FRANCISCC. demands in the form virtually of an spoke Serbian we were put in charge.
Three of us, including my wife and my under the strain, so I got his permission to jettison the tents; and the crowd ultimatum, that Greek troops shall be withdrawn from Salonika, which means self, left Tratze a day before the others. all Macedonia, leaving our population The train, which was due to leave the sta-ponneed upon them. We kept, however, unprotected against the raids of Bul- tion at 3, did not arrive till 7.30. All the the sides, and from them made shelters for
while we waited on the platform cold and the following nights. garian comitad is or at the horrors of war which have laid Belgium waste, miserably conscious of the friends we had should the Allies be driven back within left behind us. The trainy was full; the single earringo was like a box of sardines, A SECOND POLAND."
and extra passengers clung precariously to Answering the correspondent's question the steps, the trucks were crammed as were WA whether Greece had a German assurance the double decked luggage wagons.
integrity of Greck territory that the would be respected, King Constantine get permission to travel on the roof and so, said: Of course, and the Entente's as crouching under a mild drizzle, and showers were carried to Kralievo. We slept the suance, too. Germany has given the of parks and smuts from the engine, we assurance for herself and her allies, but
rest of the night in the telegraph office of that does not prevent the German and Bulgarian armies, as measure of military that station, though the officials refused us necessity, from pursuing the retiring entry, and our companions were two sur- French and British into Greece and turn-pron majors of the French Army, the wife of one, and an English girl from Krague- second Poland."" ing Greece into a
Asked whether he believed that the invatz, who made cocco all sight Now taxes were becoming necessary intervention policy of M. Venizelos did not Kralievo was in fearful confusion the order to defray new charges. difficult to diminish the estimates of other express the will of the Grock people, King continual traffic had churned the roads into Constantine said: "I know it did not.mud like pea soup and 18in, deep in places. State departments and impossible to reduce the Naval Estimates, because the When the people re-elected M. Venizelos A contingent of the Scottish Women had acized a hospital, and were using it as a conservation of the maritime supremacy they sleeted him, and not his policy,
dressing station, Serbian soldiers in rage is of vital importance to Britain. Over
were crowded about the catrance door; which would have fallen on the country,
their dressings completed, they were passed and beyond the new financial charges she would have suffered a burden of an-
out on the other side of the building where Regarding the Allied landing at Salonika King Constantine many of them lay down and fell asleep in- said: M. Venizelos may have expressed mediately. In the hospital the men were his personal opinion that if Allied troops sleeping festooned on the stone stairs, and were landed Greece would not resist, but the smell was awful, the arrangement was not made with my assent.
008T OF A CONSCRIPT ARMY. la the first year of conscription there. would have been & formidable increase in expenditure, however carefully the Bud. geb was framed. The support of an army proportionate to the population of the British Isles might have cost £40,000,000 It would have to £50,000,000 a year.
eaut £1 more per head upon the British taxpayer. The building of barracks and the production of indispensabl, material would have greedily absorbed the public
penco.
It was
other sort the effect of which upon her prosperity is not easy to onlculate. By calling up to the Army, oven for a year only, a contingent of 900,000 young men of twenty, economical production loses the work which they would have given to all the branches of national activity. Count. ing 280 working days to the year, it re- presents a total loss of 70,000,000 working daye. If military service is to last two or three years, one must multiply by two or three. For half a century the Con tinental nations have had to suffer this loss, which Britain has avoided to hor greater profit To à large extent, her prosperity is due to the absence of con- scription,
The election of M. Venizelos, said popularity, the mass of the Greeks under his Majesty," was due to his personal standing nothing of and Venizelos fed eign policy,
The minimum Allied Army, in my opinion, needed to accomplish any- thing in the Balkans is 400,000 men, and as that number is not being sent that is Greece proof that. Greece must suffer. must pay for the failure of the Allied Balkan venture.
INSISTENCE ON NEUTRALITY.
IN BEARCH OF BREAD."'
Upstairs a contingent of the Stobarte unit had found a temporary refuge, with plank beds to sleep on. They had no bread, so my wife and I volunteered to search for some. All the bread shops were shut, but we had a Government order. The major said that he had bread only for soldiers, "If the Entente assure me when they but that we should get it from a Colonel are driven back into Greek territory that Mithalievitch, Off we went to the colonel they will consider the Balkan game ended and found an empty and deserted building, where his offices should have been. He had and reembark and leave Greece, guarantee with my whole army to protect departed in the night with the Serbian their retreat against the Germans and General Staff, a fact of which the major We were sent to a Bulgarians or anybody else, and give was perfectly aware,
without being them time to reembark
A third-the-same for fighting men. endangered. Then I would be legitimate cord off-the same answer-only bread ly protecting my frontiers.
answer once more.
In three days we reached Rashks. The TJISON DARI town was in disorder; we could get no shelter and no bread, and the authorities could only provide a black, empty room KARIMOEN ...
A WIKEMBANG for the 40 Scottish sisters who had just arrived by motor. We had next day the the authorities urged me to go to Mitro- vitza.they assured me that Uskub would same breed trouble as at Kralievo.
fail in two or three days at least. How ARAKAN....... ever, Colonel Phillips, the British Mili much information as he could, and urged tary Attaché, very kindly gave me as me to get my men out by the shortest route possible. He also gave me a letter to Essa
·ease we wero driven into Albania.
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1 decided to go to Novi Baza; to make inquiries. The authorities know of no routes, but the Albanian shopkeepers told me that the pass really existed and was not difficult. I extorted permission from the authorities to take my carts as far a Tutin, where, they assured me, we might THE TAIKOO DOCKYARD
One could buy find pack-horses galore. nothing, for Serbian paper money had The rond to Tutia was bad, up and grown poor and nobody would change it. down hill, and our horses were frum Shabatz, on the plains. We reached Tatia quite exhausted--the horses could He had not have moved a step further. by now become hopeless brigande, and al along the road from Kralovo had been forced to loot the haystacks to get fodder at all. Once only did the owner object, and our corporal said:
"We are the State. This is war; it is of no value for you to preach."
There was no bread, but the mayor kindly allowed us to sleep in his office. We rested the next day while the police scoured the district for berees, eventually producing five miserable specimens, one of whom had no shoes.
to
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In France the need of opposing to the rapid increase of population in Germany da numereus contingents as possible pre- veated any reduction in the period of
We were joined by a professor of phito! military service. It had become necessary
sophy from the University of Belgrade. to abolish the exemptions and privileges
who stated that as he could not wak he enjoyed by students, the teaching pro
King Constantine further said that he
We were worn out with walking, annoy-
would ride one of the horses, which he THREE PATENT SLIPWAYS taking reels up to 3,000 tons displacement, providing
conditions for painting ships with most effciens results. fession, and the clergy, even by the only
be willing to discuss reasonably sons of widows. While all this youth would, a proposals," but he added: ed at our treatment by the officials, and so
give up his
throughout the Shops raging to 100 Tens, passed its best years in barracks, the any
Two things I will not concede. Grecce grew angry. My wife made a speech in her did, never once offering parents employed strangers to take the place of the missing strong arm required shall not be forced or cajoled out of her best Serb. At last, after much wrangling saddle to the ladies if they were tired.100-Ton ELECTRIC CRANE ON QUAY-ELECTE Greece will maintain her and some threats we got the bread-not alle was terrified of everything afraid to for arduous agricultural work and har neutrality. esting. In workshop and factory work-sovereignty and her sovereign right to we needed, but at least something to go on stay in Serbia and afraid to travel, tou 40-Ton Hydmulle TESTING MACHINE for Chains, Wire Hopes, Rivets, etc.
JOHN L. THORNYCROFT & CO., LTD. with. We rolled our loaves in my wife's frightened to stop for luncheon lest the AGENTS FOR-
MISTAKEN FOR BULGARS, ing bours stretched late into every Satur- protect herself at need,"
great cost and brought it triumphantly Albanians night shoot at him.
PETROL and KEROSENE MARINE MOTORS 7-1/2 to 150 B.H.P, day evening, in order to complete the
We crossed the frontier at midday, and
A supplied to the British Admiralty and War Ofice. arrears of the week. The long rest of the
MOTOR VESSELS, LIGHT DEAFT CARRIERS, GUNBOATS, LAUNCHES English week-end was a luxury which the
a few hours later two of our
HOUSEBOATS and PLEASURE CRAFT OF EVERY DESCRIPTION workers of France could not permit them.
arrested by the Montenegrins as the ad vanced guard of the Bulgarian Army.
and 12 NoOM soon between the hous We reached Rojai in the dark and receiv-MOTOR PUMPING and LIGHTING SETS, MOTOR VEHICLES, ETC. who promised to do everything in their
a warm welcome from the authorities, Dockyard Managers, can be
café. power for us, and slept on the floor of the
selves. They placed it on the altar of their Fatherland.
The correspondent asked, "And if that is not satisfactory, if coercive measures are used by the Entente Powers?"
"We abali protest to the whole world that our sovereign rights have been King Constantine replied. violated, This lack of any military obligation has We shall resist passively as long as we had many other happy results for Great humanly can against being forced by any Britain, In France the young man who measures whatsoever into a course whic has to serve from 21 to 24 years of age we know wil be prejudicial to the cannot dream of settling down, enigrat liberties and happiness of our people.
"And when you cannot hold out any ing, or founding a family before the age of from 25 to 28. Young Frenchmon do longer t
We shall have to demobilise our armies not marry till they have completed their service, and more often than not they and await the march of events. What else
can we do!" was the King's reply. require several years of toil to win a position sufficiently stable and lucrative
limit
home.
My wife and I had toured Montenegro on horseback, and by careful study of the map I decided to try az entirely now route, one that cressed the frontier directly from Novi Bazar to Berane. I inquired from everybody about it, could get so in formation, but was convinced that it must be the best. The mountains were lower, there were villages where at least shelter might be found: The night before we left Kralieve I went out into the street. Every win refugees, while one had to step over gutter was lined with bullock carts filled the exhausted Serbians lying on the pave ments and fast asleep.
men wer-
ניי
We got 20 eggs next day, a great rarity, and while we were not looking the pro
That day wo fessor ate four of them. is an Albanian cottage which well earned were guarded by four policemen; we slept fles pit," but its pseudonym of the where the owners would ask no payment. Sir Ralph Paget at last procured us 10 There are no roads through these moun springless country carts. We were a party tains, only mule tracks, and these were
TOY SOLDIERS,
For
to permit the cost of a home, the expense in the German Press and public opinion, of which is rapidly raised by the coming followed at once by new votes of orlit for of children. One must not forget that the enlargement of the German army and
of 13 and six others were to accompany us often deep in dayey mud. After 10: these late marriages explain in a certain navy.
WA German opinion took umbrage especial as far as Rashka. Our horses were old, 12 miles of this one was fagged out. We degree the lowering of the birth-rate. Couples who have passed the rashi im-ly at any stop undertaken by Britain for the Serbian corporal had commandeered slept at Berane, where we found most providence of youth are not sorry to
When soon after the South African war goods. We had two very heavy tents which slept at Lieva Rieka, whence a Montene progeny so costly to bring up. Free of the ultimate defence of her territory. our cart to carry his wife and household unexpectedly Turkish Delight," all these necessities, the young English Lord Haldane (then a commoner) organiswa were to leave at Novi Bazar, stores for grin motor-car eventually rescued us and
without a bed, man can find a footing earlier, has lessed the General Staff and placed it in the Scottish Women, and food for our brought us to Podgoritza. We had been besitation in making a home of his own communication with the French General selves which we had looted from British 16 days without taking our clothes off and We reached Skutari across the lake, and and departs gladly to exercise his activity Staff, the German Government displayed Red Cross wagons on the railway siding.
arrived at Medua, after two of the worst and initiative in the Colonies and Domi nions. He does this at least five or six an irritation which we pretended not to notice. The pan-Germanista were espe
We groaned out of Kralievo; our light nights of the whole trip, one in an years in advance of the young French-cially anxious about the reorganisation of
the Regular Army, in favour of which carts were too heavily laden, and only Albanian barn over a stable-we called it We waited a week at Medu. GERMANY'S AMBITIOUS DESIGNS. English opinion did not seem to concern down hill could we exceed a walking pace the Castle in the Air and one In addition to the practical reasons its mach: Certain reductions by the We plunged into a regiment of boys, chil- Alessio,
She was commandeered at the which have prevented the establishment of Secretary for War, which he judged to dren rather, from 14 to 17 years of ege watching the carge tramp which might last moment by the Serbian Government,! compulsory service in Britain, there aro others a diplomatic order which one be opportune, and which have since been hundreds. They looked white and tired. take as. must take into account. The dream of inpated to him as a crime, calmed their As we were moving through them, one came
the creation by the arme alongside my wagon. He said he had had and with great difficulty we induced the fears, and L pan-Germanic hegemony was bound sooner
Territorial Army for home no bread to eat for three days Whether captain of a French steamer to rescue us. marines were off the entrance to the port; later to provoke a bloody catastrophe.
but I searched my pockets, and found two That is as clear as daylight now, what defence provoked the sarcasm and raillery he meant bread or nothing I do not know, He had no boats, and Austrian sub-
went on our own ever the pacifist illusions with--which of the Germans. All the same the mill-
We were e-Brindisi--by an some people were obfuscated formerly.tary experts beyond the Rhine did not biscuits, which I gave him. He did not we were forced to sign a paper that we
amit to indicate the importance and Nobody doubts now that Germany was usefulness of these Territorials who might eat them, but stumbled on, looking at them, valuable source for reserve and members of the party at the extreme
and
become
tail of our convoy said that they saw this! preparing long ago for the aggressica
marine got to within half she launched in August, 1914. Up troops, as events subsequently showed.
The arrogant attitude of Germany and boy dragging along with the biscuits still but in spite of these precautions the sub- Sbe to then the firm determination to keep the
The whole road was a living snake with pily agined that she was Italian: peace which animated the other Powers her ambitious designs justified the prunesten, oce in each hand. had prevailed against the German prodence of the Trini, Entente Government.
Everywhere I was ursued by the Vocations, Puffed up with military pride anxious as they were to avoid any situn heads for scales; it coiled across the plain was not. the German Empire affected to impose its tion which would jeopardise peace, But rigzagged up the mountains, and writhed
heen down again into the valley. It was a haunting foar that somebody unaccusto will by means of an insolent and brutal had a scheme for conscription
ed to the bard living, might fall serously policy. Germany seized upon the mea Launched at Westminster, from that day strange sight that valley, with the slow, sures of defence taken by neighbouring Germany would have resolved not to muddy river flowing down and the human jll, that we should be held up with mor countries as a pretext for augmentations wait till Britain was ready to oppose stream flowing up; floating logs disturbed poor food supplies running shorter and of troops and armaments out of all pro her, not only with her feet, but with an the even current of the river, motor cars, shorter, and I am convinced that unde portion; most necessary and justifiable army capable of intervening on the Con-arching frantically in the deep mud, the hardships of the Ipek pass or the rent- Britain and Russia caused loud protests break of war.
kilometre of
the Town Ofilos..
Palephone No-313
of 11
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naval and military dispositions in France, tinent in a decisive manner or the ont ploughed through the human flood There Prizrend-Skutari this would have hap 104, DES VIEUX ROAD,
were bullock carts too, but they were slow, pened.-Times,
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