§ MR. JAMES O'KELLY (Roscommon, N.)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the Government will instruct British Consuls 513 to prevent any British vessels carrying Turkish troops to Crete?
§ *THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Mr. G. CURZON,) Lancashire, SouthportWe have no reason to believe that any such action is contemplated by the Turkish Government, and, therefore, no instructions appear at the present stage to be necessary.
§ SIR WILLIAM HARCOURT (Monmouthshire, W.)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he would state to the House what action had been taken since August last to give effect to the arrangement made by the Powers for the reform of the Turkish administration in Crete; and how soon after the arrangement was made the reforms agreed upon were put into operation?
§ *MR. CURZONThe reforms decided upon by the Powers were finally agreed to by the Sultan on August 27th last, and were gratefully accepted by both sections of the population in Crete when promulgated there at the beginning of September. Steps were at once taken to put them into operation. In accordance with the first provision a Christian Governor-General was appointed for five years with the consent of the Powers, and was given powers over the troops in case of trouble. In accordance with another provision, the public offices were divided in the proportion of two-thirds Christian to one-third Mussulman. It was also provided in the scheme that commissions of European officials should go to Crete to organise the gendarmerie and the judicial administration. These commissions were duly appointed, and reached the island in December. The foreign gendarmerie was constituted, and an Englishman was appointed temporary commander. The Judicial I Commission was also conducting its labours when, in December, disturbances again broke out. The chief remaining provisions of the scheme of reforms which related to the convocation, session, and powers of the National Assembly had not yet become operative, since the time for the summons of that body had not yet occurred. Finally, under the scheme the Powers assumed the responsibility for its execution.
§ MR. JOHN ELLIS (Nottingham, Rushcliffe)inquired when the House 514 would be in possession of the Blue-Look containing the actual text of these reforms?
§ *MR. CURZONI answered that question yesterday. I hope it will be ready in the course of a week.
§ MR. FLYNNMay I ask whether the right hon. Gentleman is aware that the first of these reforms, that in relation to the appointment of a Christian Governor, has since been violated by the Turkish Government?
§ *MR. CURZONNo; the hon. Member is inaccurate in that statement. A Christian Governor-General was appointed with the sanction of the Powers for five years. That Governor-General has since resigned, but the stipulations in the scheme were fully carried out.
§ MR. T. P. O'CONNOR (Liverpool, Scotland)Will the right him. Gentleman say whether it is not the fact that the Christian Governor-General made frequent complaints of embarrassment—
§ *MR. SPEAKERinterposed, and ruled the question out of order, as not arising out of the Question on the Paper.
§ MR. T. C. H HEDDERWICK (Wick Burghs)I beg to ask whether the British Commander at Canea threatened Prince George of Greece, that in the event of his executing the orders he had received from the King and the Greek Government, he would be compelled to use force against him, and, if so, under what authority he acted thus?
§ *MR. CURZONI have received private notice from another hon. Member of a Question in similar terms which I will answer at the same time. Her Majesty's Government have not been informed of the orders given to Prince George of Greece, but they believe that he was instructed to prevent the landing of Turkish reinforcements in Crete. The British Admiral cannot have used any such language to Prince George as is suggested in the Question, Her Majesty's Government having through out dissuaded the dispatch of Turkish reinforcements, of which, indeed, there appears to have been no intention.
§ MR. T. P. O'CONNORI beg to ask whether the Foreign Office has received confirmation of the alleged firing by the Greek warship Miaulis the Turkish troopship Fuad; and whether it was true that the captain of one of Her 515 Majesty's ships threatened the captain of the Miaulis that in future he would use force, if necessary, to prevent such action?
§ MR. CURZONWe have been informed that the Fuad was fired upon by the Greek ship Miaulis while leaving Candia on the 12th inst. It is not known that any intimation of the nature described was made by the captain of one of her Majesty's ships to the commander of the Miaulis; but in pursuance of the agreement between the Governments of the Great Powers that their naval commanders in Cretan waters should be authorised to concert together to prevent any action that might lead to the outbreak of hostilities, the captain of her Majesty's ship Trafalgar gave an I assurance to the Governor of Candia on behalf of the Powers that the Fuad would be allowed to proceed without hindrance.